Computer-Recorded Dictation

by Connie Belanger

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Lesson Plans:
Lesson Plan 1		PDF

LITERACY OBJECTIVE

practice writing skills, including spelling

COMPUTER OBJECTIVE

to open saved files, mouse practice, keyboarding and editing skills

COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS

WordPerfect 6.1+
a sound card
microphone and
headphones

Recent releases of WordPerfect offer instructors an easy way to build dictations into their computer lessons, without purchasing costly software.

These dictations can be scaled from easy to difficult, depending on the level of the classes, and can incorporate many computer functions at the same time. Recording with the computer is as simple as using a tape recorder.

A sample of this type of lesson would be:

Prepare a recorded file which all students will be able to access, either on disk or on the network. Record vocabulary or sentences from text used in the classroom. The alphabet or vowel/consonant sounds can be used for lower levels. To record in WordPerfect, go to INSERT, SOUND, RECORD and record the lesson the way you would with a tape recorder.

Students should open the previously prepared file. Advise students to click on the sound cue on screen and type what they hear. They can repeat the recording as often as they wish, until they are satisfied with their answer, or until they pass a preset time limit.

Depending on the student's computer skills, this can be used as a combination of; listening/keyboarding; listening/spelling; listening/spell check and thesaurus (have the students find a synonym and antonym); or listening/editing (after the dictation, give the students a printed handout of the dictation for error correction.)

For students with low computer skills and/or low literacy skills, make sure the dictation is slow and clear. It is difficult for some students to adjust to listening with headphones. Naturally, for higher level students, the enunciation and speed can be adjusted to add an increased level of difficulty.

Students can be asked to print before and after corrections are made, to keep a record of trouble areas.

/p>For student's with higher computer skills, the completed dictation could be illustrated, or highlighted to show verb tenses or sentence structure, for example.

This lesson has been used with many students in a variety of situations, and is usually very popular, as the student can work independently, at his/her own pace.

Note that sound files require a lot of space. Don't make them too long if you are saving to diskette.

MORE VARIATIONS

Teach higher level students how to use the program to record dictations.
Record a paragraph and ask students to summarize the content, or answer reading comprehension questions.