ScreenSpeaker Description
SpeechMaster is the latest version of a product which has been in continuous development for over six years, providing support for a wide range of abilities ranging from physically handicapped to severe dyslexic and totally blind people. SpeechMaster has constantly been extended to work with the latest releases of Microsoft products and innovative technology. This version provides support for those working with DragonDictate discrete speech and Dragon NaturallySpeaking continuous speech systems. Specially tailored training strategies are supplied with SpeechMaster for each speech system, incorporating computer-based voice prompting for those who have difficulty in reading and special scripts for training with NaturallySpeaking. SpeechMaster provides facilities for checking spelling (through its link to KeySpell, its sister product) and homophones, words which sound alike, such as "rose" and "rows". SpeechMaster has been specifically designed to bring voice recognition, speech synthesis, word processing and word checking technologies together in a streamlined fashion for all those needing help in producing error-free text. It virtually eliminates the need for fiddling around with macros and ad hoc fixes. The user dictates into a microphone, sees text appear on the computer screen and hears the text spoken out (very helpful for visually impaired). Mistakes are corrected as they occur, by comparing the displayed text with the spoken words.
Dyslexic, visually handicapped and totally blind people can use the system, along with those with no specific needs but who spell badly or incorrectly use words that sound similar (e.g. "presence" and "presents"). The Text-To-Speech screen reading ability of SpeechMaster helps these individuals compensate for their disabilities by reading words, phrase, sentences and/or the entire document out loud as needed.
Users may choose to switch between dictating into the microphone and typing on the keyboard. SpeechMaster enables this to be achieved simply by switching the microphone on and off. Either discrete or continuous speech can be used, i.e. speaking words with pauses in between them or phrases or sentences spoken naturally.
SpeechMaster has been used with elementary age students up through college age students with great success, both in the UK and in the US. SpeechMaster was specifically designed to produce an integrated solution that works to suit users. There is much choice in the way that the system can be set up for each user.
SpeechMaster's ability to be individually configured for each user enables teachers to set up Voice Recognition and SpeechMaster in such a way as to optimize learning for each student. Many choices exist for enrollment, and SpeechMaster’s ability to read the enrollment text to the student makes the enrollment task far simpler and much less arduous. Rather than spending countless hours reading enrollment text to individuals, chunking phrases down just so, teachers can now rely on SpeechMaster do that task for them. While teachers still need to provide assistance during this process, SpeechMaster has already chunked the sentences and phrases down into manageable pieces for the student, and it prompts students along the entire process as it reads the text to them.
Development staff respond quickly and sympathetically to requests for enhancements and bespoke requirements. Training for trainers, teachers and students is available direct from the program manufacturers. 21 days hot-line support is provided with each system. If training is ordered with a system, twelve months support is provided. Site licensing is available.
Individuals who were unable to learn to write by traditional means, even with using other software, have begun to experience success using Dragon NaturallySpeaking. But the amount of support and assistance to get them up and running with voice recognition was enormous. What SpeechMaster has done is to enable these individuals who are using Voice Recognition to become successfully independent users and successfully independent student writers. Teacher support is lessened and the intensity of assistance required for enrollment and training is significantly lessened. The "missing link" in Voice Recognition is SpeechMaster .
