Have you ever struggled to start writing, but could talk
about your subject conversationally? Then check out JottBeta, possibly
the easiest way to record your thoughts down on paper without ever
touching a keyboard.
What is Jott.com?
Jott is a service that lets users call a toll-free telephone
number and have their speech transcribed to text. It uses a combination of
software tools and human transcribers. The text can be sent to the caller,
turned into a reminder, sent to a contact or group, or delivered to a
third-party. Transcribed messages can be sent via e-mail, text message, or
both. If your call lasts longer than 30
seconds, just stay on the line, repeat the name of your recipient, and keep
talking. Automated cues make Jott simple to navigate. Transcriptions are fairly accurate and
e-mails come with your voice-recording file attached.
Jott It Down Before
You Forget
It's easy to use Jott to send yourself reminders. Personally,
I've used it to send myself an e-mail while driving and my doctor's office called
to reschedule an appointment. At home, I
then checked my e-mail and made changes to
my Google Calendar. Using the Bluetooth connection in my GPS, I didn't even need
to take my hands off the wheel to send myself an e-mail.
Applications in the
Classroom
Brad Thomas, part of my school's unofficial "Tech Rangers" (a
group of teachers who kick experimental technology and its applications around
to each other), gave me the head's up about Jott and said it was worth a try
for students who have a hard time putting their thoughts down on paper. The
application for reluctant writers seemed obvious, so I thought I'd give it a
try.
Students who struggle to write but like to talk on the phone
can just speak into their cells, edit their transcriptions, and form text into real paragraphs to produce a report
or finished essay. Jott doesn't do all
of the writing, of course, but it does help students work on sentence
structure, grammar, and revision skills by prompting them to unify a collection
of thoughts.
Setting up Jott was easy enough. Registration is free, and
using the school's phone number worked perfectly. The only issue was that since
students don't have e-mail access at school because of filter software, all of
the text went to me and then had to be disseminated to students. This isn't an overwhelming
task with just a few kids, but a class of 25 students who each complete 6 - 10
Jotts poses a logistical issue. That's
one wrinkle that still needs to be ironed out.
Students React with Curiosity,
Then Excitement
I tested Jott on a student volunteer before I developed a full lesson plan that
incorporated this tool. I set the rule
that each piece must begin with a student stating his or her name to clarify
ownership. "Eric" began discussing his
thoughts on good vs. evil from Larry Watson's Montana 1948. After finishing, he hounded me for ten
minutes (that's the average lag time for transcription, I've found) to see the
results. When the transcription arrived, I dropped it into a Word document,
placed it on his file server, and asked him to start editing with the text
already in front of him.
The Verdict
Jott is also useful for slower typists, who may lose their
thoughts before getting them all on-screen. The transcription was fairly
accurate and the spelling was more accurate than what "Eric" usually writes.
So, I think that Jott improved the writing
process for him. "Eric" was excited -
not just because he types slowly - but because
all of his thoughts were planted on the page. He just had to come up with
transitions, delete a few um's and uh's, and correct some grammar errors.
As with any techology or skill, it takes time to learn how
to get the most out of Jott. Each student also has his or her own learning
curve. Still, if my test was any indication, this free technology provides
multi-layered instructional value for the high-school classroom.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jott
http://jott.com/
http://library.bhbl.neric.org/hsnews/zbt/index.htm
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