For most college students, there’s so much reading, and so little time.
California State University-Dominguez Hills is trying to make students’ lives easier by turning some of that reading into listening. About a year ago, a library administrator was tinkering with text-enlarging software, which makes it easier for visually impaired students to read. She found that the software could also turn text into sound, and thought it would make sense to make the program available to all students.
Seventeen computers at labs across thecampus are now set up so that students can scan and convert their reading materials into MP3 files, which they can then download onto cellphones or other mobile devices.
The speed of the scanning itself depends on the quality of the scanner, but the software, called Kurzweil 3000, converts the scanned text into sound at a rate of three pages per second. Users can choose from several human voices and set a speed at which the text will be read. A few choice voices are named Nancy, David, Grandma, and Grandpa.
Computer labs offer handouts that explain how to use the program.
Wei Ma, the library’s acting information-technology coordinator, said that she came across the program’s audio feature and thought, “I have so many papers on my desk, why can’t I convert it to audio and listen to it in a workout or when I’m driving?”
“We read all day long, and if we want to give our eyes a break, this is a good alternative way of learning,” she added.
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8 Responses to Too Much Reading? Try Listening Instead
johnfritz - November 25, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Does anyone know if Kurzweil has an instructor version? We have a curious problem: support of online-only students with learning disabilities who can’t easily come to the campus library or student support services to make their own MP3 “audio” readings. Also, Kurzweil doesn’t seem to have a student license so they can do this on their own computers. I wondered if faculty had their own version, if they could post “audio” readings for students.Thanks,John FritzAsst. VP, Instructional Technology & New MediaUMBC
mmckim - November 26, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Adobe Acrobat (full version) will read aloud, and the Kindle DX will read aloud (books or PDFs) albeit with a mechanical voice – so many documents can already be listened to with either a laptop or a Kindle.Perhaps not as ideal as a more attractive voice or more portable device, but perhaps worth trying where those are already available.
aoneill - November 27, 2009 at 12:55 am
Reading aloud takes longer than reading silently. Even in the 1950s most American student had lost the ability to simply listen and learn. Students from other cultural traditions were often thrown up as examples by teachers to US students, because those typically from countries without access to books couldlisten to a lecture and remember it. i believe that audio learning will have less of an educational impact as some would hope. Like those who photo copy the article to file rather than actually read the article, accessing a audio file will have little instance of advnacing education. Unless of course students are actually going to listen while driving. Safer for all than conversing on the phone or texting.
cassp - November 29, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Having someone else read aloud(person or mechanical voice)is faster than having to read aloud or silently myself. I am a slow reader and a major advocate for audiobooks. One of the major reason I love my Kindle2 is the text to speech feature. If I have an long article to read, I can send it to my Kindle2 and listen to it while I am driving, walking between classes or doing laundry.Also, major publishers and electonic journal providers are offering MP3′s of the scholarly journal articles for students and faculty to listen too. Audio learning is making an impact on education.
drgail91 - November 30, 2009 at 9:52 am
Does anyone think that limiting reading will impact negatively writing ability? It seems that one’s exposure to the written word is connected to one’s ability to write well. Any thoughts?
dank48 - November 30, 2009 at 10:33 am
Well, I certainly think Drgail91 raises a valid point, and I share this concern. However, the potential benefits seem to me to outweight concerns. As mentioned above, for some students this is a godsend, which isn’t surprising. Ray Kurzweil has done amazing work with scanning, which I’m old enough to have seen advance from claimed 99% accuracy, which sounds good until you realize it means about two errors every three lines, to the remarkably effective technology available today. Kurzweil’s motivation is interesting too.
billso - December 1, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I post audio recordings of my lectures, and I sometimes post video lectures. Some students would rather listen than read, especially if they want to use commute or exercise time to keep up with their coursework.Of course, students should still read their materials. That provides a two-pronged approach that is far better than just looking at a PowerPoint deck.
jeremyhumboldt - December 4, 2009 at 2:00 pm
I wonder if there have been any copyright issues raised by publishers concerning this program? They seem to get very testy about reformatting their work.