Chris Rugo’s Task #3 Voice-to-Text

Chris has provided a thorough analysis of the differences between oral and written communication, and the challenges that arise when converting from one to the other. His perspective of voice-to-text is different than mine, so much so that when I consider this technology I find myself looking at it as a teacher of developing readers and writers. I have not necessarily considered the intentionality and conciseness of written text, as characterized by Gnanadesikan (2011, p. 5). My perspective of speech-to-text technology is that provides an alternative means of recording student thoughts and ideas without the hindrance of physical writing or typing skills. This can be especially helpful for students who struggle with fine motor skills or dyslexia. By dictating their ideas instead of writing them, developing writers can focus more on their content and less on the mechanics of writing. Using speech-to-text technology can help young learners to overcome barriers and enable them to more easily and effectively communicate their ideas.

As Chris points out the most common mistakes observed were a lack of proper punctuation, use of tense, and word choice. For developing writers, it is more important to focus on generating ideas and expressing themselves creatively. While the accuracy of mechanics is still important, it should not be the primary focus at this stage of their writing development. Despite speech-to-text flaws, the text might achieve its functional purpose of communication, which Schmand-Besserate (2007) suggests is one of the primary goals of written languages. The ability of young learners to express their ideas and thoughts without being hindered by the mechanics of writing such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation. can help to boost their confidence and encourage them to be more expressive and creative with their writing.

As they progress and become more advanced writers, the importance of accuracy in mechanics increases. At this point, speech-to-text technology can still be helpful, but it should not be relied upon solely as a tool to improve writing skills. Instead, advanced writers should focus on honing their skills in grammar, punctuation, and spelling to ensure that their writing is clear, concise, and effectively communicates their ideas.

References

Ong, W. J. (2002). Chapter 1: The Orality of Language. In Orality and literacy: The technologizing of the word (pp. 5-16). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203426258

Schmandt-Besserat, D., & Erard, M. (2007). Origins and forms of writing. In C. Bazerman (Ed.), Handbook of research on writing: History, society, school, individual, text (pp. 7-26). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410616470