Abstract:

ReadSpeaker TextAid is a new innovative fully web based tool where students can get help both with reading longer texts and documents and get some easy to use writing and research tools. Right in their web browser. At ReadSpeaker we have developed SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions for increasing the accessibility to text for millions of people since 1999. By using and developing advanced text-to-speech technology and utilize it in user centric supportive applications, we help all people that have various reading-, writing- or concentration difficulties. TextAid is a web based tool that can be easily reached in any web browser at any time and can also be integrated in most of the popular LMS (Learning Management System) platforms to provide campus wide access easily.

When a using TextAid, the student can paste any text into the dedicated reading area and have it read out aloud using high quality computer generated speech. It is possible to select between different presentation settings such as fonts, text sizes and colors both for the text itself and also for the synchronized highlighting of the text that is being read.
It is also possible to translate the text and have it read in different languages which makes the tool ideal for self study language learners. There are tools for saving and loading texts as well as uploading and reading of documents in many different formats.

Special institutional features include user- and group management, upload and sharing of documents to users or groups of users.

I would demonstrate the TextAid tool, talk about the benefits for different user groups, present the outcome of our end-user testing and also have time for questions.

Keywords:

Text-to-speech, blended learning, multi-modal learning, accessibility, dyslexia.