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Speech-to-text & dictation
Some students have rich ideas but get stuck the moment they have to handwrite or type them. Dictation lets them talk their thinking onto the page, so you assess what they know, not how fast they can spell.
Fastest win
In Google Docs: Tools → Voice typing (Chrome only). Click the mic and talk. In Word/Windows press Win + H. On iPad, tap the microphone on the keyboard.
Who it helps
- Students with dysgraphia or fine-motor difficulties
- Emerging writers whose ideas outpace their spelling
- English learners drafting in their stronger language first
- Anyone brainstorming — talking is faster than typing
Say the punctuation
Dictation types what it hears, so students say punctuation out loud. Teach a few commands:
| Say this… | …to get |
|---|---|
| "period", "comma", "question mark" | . , ? |
| "new line", "new paragraph" | a line break / new paragraph |
| "open quote" … "close quote" | " " |
Make it work in a busy room
- Use a cheap headset mic or a quiet corner — background noise hurts accuracy.
- Teach the routine: dictate first to capture ideas, then go back and fix.
- Pair it with read-aloud so students can hear their draft and catch errors.
It's a first draft, not the final
Dictation makes mistakes with homophones and names. The goal is to get ideas down; editing is still part of the work (and a great mini-lesson).