[senit] Transcription of class discussion.

my experience of high quality digital recorders (SONY, Olympus) with DNSv7 is varied and I suspect many of the issues are common to current generation of DNS

make sure you use the Nuance site for identification of compatible resources (sound system / headsets / recorders) yo Nuance site http://support.scansoft.com/compatibility/

be clear that you need high quality digital recorders , not the admirable but lower cost digital recorders widely available. sometimes Staples have them in stock, but rarely PC World. use specialist suppliers. see Nuance site... (and who else?)

the digital recorders themselves vary. the Nuance site makes reference to recorders, see http://www.nuance.co.uk/voicetracer/
they are Phillips recorders.

I'm not sure that iot is strictly necessary to use these as the issue is really the audio file fed to DNS. (any comment?)

previously Dragon had there own, then associated with Olympus.

Olympus developed their own file format specifically for speech which was an attempt at creating an industry standard (DSS) but I don't think that it has caught on. (has it?) the software with the recorders were good for audio manipulation.. well, converting audio files to different formats.. but that's common now.

You will know that when using DNS with a headset, the position of the microphone is important. This generalises to the position of the microphone used with the digital recorder. 

Most (I I cannot say all.. I don't know them all) of the recorders have a socket for audio in / microphone. adding an external microphone potentially gives you the option of using a higher quality microphone than the integral microphone in the recorder. The advantage of this is that you can place the mike, using a mike stand (goose neck / mounting on a wheelchair etc) to suit your client more easily than a recorder. The recorder can then be located in a convenient place.

the buttons on  recorder are small, possibly too small for someone who has fine motor difficluties.
the screen may be small and therefore the text may be difficult to read

the consequence of the above could be that the user would struggle to independently navigate the folder / file structure etc... and of course controlling when to record (ON and OFF). the later may not be a problem if staff edit later. but file size becomes an issue

you will need to think about the process and the practicalities of transferring the recorded file to the PC with DNS.

the advantage of the SONY recorder we used was that it used Memorystick cards. This allowed us to replace card 1 with card 2, and user was able to continue using the recorder whilst staff took card 1 to the PC with DNS.

the recorder does not have a memory card, think carefully how the file will be transferred (to a portable  / regular downloads at a convenient time?)

consider who  , when and how staff will download and importantly, use DNS to convert speech file to text.

very important is the intervention these staff make in the transcription process.... corrections etc. AND feedback to user. having a running record of issues and regular reviews of this list is important, especially in the early phases of using the system.

consider what is handed back to user: word file / hard copy / wav or MP3 file....
consider folder structure and filenames for storage of work generated (consult user and ensure compatibility with existing structure)..

you should "train" DNS using files generated with the microphone and recorder, not with the headset provided.

(these comments are based on work done in conjunction with Maggie Wagstaff for Becta a few years ago. a full report is available but the above gives the essence)

and.... using a recorder in a classroom.... same comments as using DNS in a classroom

Dave Mitchell

-----Original Message-----
From: senit-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
[mailto:senit-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk]On Behalf Of Bromley, Stuart
Sent: 17 July 2007 14:41
To: senit at lists.becta.org.uk
Subject: [senit] Transcription of class discussion.

I am supporting a very able pupil with cerebral palsy in mainstream
school who is entering 6th form next year. School has asked if it is
possible for group discussions to be recorded then transcribed into his
computer so he has the information to manipulate without having large
amounts to type.  I know the latest version of Dragon NS is supposed to
be able to transcribe from certain dictaphones. Does anyone have any
experience of this or any other possibilities?

Thanks

Stuart
SENDIS
Milton Keynes

visit the Milton Keynes Council web site at http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk

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