Speech to Text on an Online Whiteboard: Dictate Into a Text Box

Speech to text on an online whiteboard lets you speak and have your words typed into a text box on the board. In Educastic, you select a text box, click the microphone, talk, and the transcribed text is added to the box for everyone in the class to see. It saves typing when your hands are busy teaching.

Typing on a whiteboard during a live lesson is slower than it looks. You stop explaining, find the keys, fix the typos, and the class waits. Dictation keeps your attention on the students while a neat, typed note still lands on the board. This guide shows how Educastic's speech to text works, where it helps in a lesson and what it does not do.

What is speech to text on a whiteboard?

Speech to text is a feature that records your voice and turns it into typed text. On Educastic's whiteboard, it is attached to the text box: the dictated words are added to the end of whatever text box you have selected, and the box then behaves like any other typed text on the board.

Because the text goes into a normal text box, you can still move it, resize it, change its font or correct a word with the keyboard afterwards.

How do you use speech to text in Educastic?

Use speech to text from the toolbar that appears when a text box is selected.

1. Open Text Tools in the left toolbar, choose Textbox and click on the board to add a text box, or select a text box that is already there.
2. With the text box selected, click the microphone icon, Speech-to-Text, in the toolbar above it.
3. If your browser asks, allow access to your microphone.
4. Speak your sentence. A small audio player shows while you record.
5. Click the green plus button (Upload) to finish, or the red cross (Cancel) to discard the recording.
6. Wait while the whiteboard shows "Converting...". The text appears at the end of the text box, and everyone in the session sees it.

The microphone appears only for text boxes made with the Textbox tool. Sticky notes do not show it.

When does dictating beat typing in a live class?

Dictating beats typing when you need a clean sentence on the board but do not want to break the flow of the explanation. Three moments where it earns its place:

• Summing up a discussion. After students give their ideas, dictate the one-sentence summary the class agreed on. It reads better than a hurried typed note.
• Writing the task. Say the instructions for the next activity into a text box so they stay visible while students work.
• Teaching with a pen tablet. When you are drawing with a stylus, switching to the keyboard is awkward. Dictate the label instead and keep the pen in your hand.

How can students use speech to text?

Students can dictate into text boxes when the teacher has given them drawing access, because speech to text works for anyone who can edit the board. In Educastic, the teacher gives or takes back that access per student at any time.

• Answer aloud, check on screen. A student dictates their answer, then reads it back and corrects it. It is a quick way to practise precise wording.
• Support slower typists. Younger students and students who find typing hard can get a full sentence onto the board without the keyboard holding them back.

Hand access back and forth deliberately: one student dictates, the class reads, then the next student takes a turn.

Can you use speech to text in a language class?

Yes, for English. Educastic's speech to text transcribes English speech, so in an English as a foreign language class it doubles as a pronunciation check. Ask a student to dictate a sentence and compare what appears with what they meant to say. A word that comes out wrong is a friendly prompt to try the sound again.

Dictation in Spanish and other languages does not produce usable text yet, so for those lessons type the text or write it with the pen. For more ideas on board work in language lessons, see how to teach languages online with a whiteboard.

What are the limits of Educastic's speech to text?

Educastic's speech to text is a dictation tool for short notes, not a live caption service.

• English only for now. Other languages do not transcribe reliably.
• Short recordings work best. Dictate a sentence or two at a time. If a long recording fails, the whiteboard asks you to try with a shorter one.
• A microphone is required, and your browser must be allowed to use it.
• The text is added, not replaced. Dictation appends to the selected text box, so start with an empty box when you want only the new sentence.
• Proofread. Names, technical terms and numbers can come out wrong. Read the text back before moving on.

The Voice Note button in the chat is a different feature: it sends a recorded audio message to the chat, not typed text.

Frequently asked questions

Does Educastic have speech to text? Yes. Select a text box made with the Textbox tool, click the Speech-to-Text microphone, speak, and the text is added to the box.

Can students use speech to text on the whiteboard? Yes, when the teacher has given them drawing access. Anyone who can edit the board can dictate into a text box.

Which languages does speech to text support? English. Dictation in Spanish and other languages does not give usable text yet.

Does everyone see the dictated text? Yes. The text is added to the shared text box, so everyone in the session sees it.

Does speech to text cost extra? No. Educastic includes all of its teaching features in the free version.

Try dictating your next board note

Open the Educastic online whiteboard, add a text box and dictate the summary of your next lesson instead of typing it.

Try speech to text free