Is Text to Speech a Smart Tool for Imparting Education? 

Whether used or not, you must have heard about the software tool that actually reads out the written material as it is to its listeners. This software thus benefits both the content creator and the reader/listener in many ways. 

The Text to Speech (TTS) is an innovative form of auditory and visual tool that enables advanced in-take of systems and better learning methods. The extended usage of AI voice generators and Text to Speech tools has enhanced eLearning with technical assistance. It has helped build a knowledge base for both the students and the educators or content creators. 

Working process of Text to Speech tools. 

Text to Speech technology has been in force for many decades now. Modern smartphones and other electronic mobile devices these days all come with built-in TTS software. The expanded use of this TTS tool is only possible with the acceptance of the masses and the emergence of other deep learning technologies like Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). An example of this software is the Murf AI that provides users with about 15 AI voice languages and over 100 text to speech online natural voiceovers. 

TTS is enabled due to the speech syncretization technology that is regulated by many ML algorithms. To provide its users a flawless speech synthesis, advanced TTS tools comprise combined backend and frontend components. The backend components transform the data into audio formats, whereas the frontend components regulate the text conversion to language-based sentences and phonetics. This combination affirms that the user gets the correct spoken content as it is in the text-based content. 

Purpose of Text to Speech tools.

In simple terms, Text to Speech technology is just an advanced software integrated with deep learning technologies that convert written content into audio formats in many different languages. This tool is of great help for visually impaired people, and so is the purpose behind the development of the TTS tool in the first place. However, TTS is evolving and now has expanded its use for many other purposes, like: 

• To provide easy accessibility to broad digital content through a connected number of devices, including laptops, mobile phones, and tablets. 
• Enables businesses to expand their services and content promotion to diverse audiences, including foreign users with non-native language preferences and those with learning and reading impairments. 
• Provides an option to users to listen to the content rather than reading line by line from multiple sources, such as blogs, informational websites, podcasts, audiobooks, PDF documents, and eBooks. 
• Promotes knowledge building to users with exceptional learning abilities like auditory learning, visual learning, etc. 
• Enhances user experience and user interface for web users while accessing the content in different formats. 

The benefit of Text to Speech tools in the education/eLearning industry. 

Text to Speech is a very assistive technology that efficiently converts text-based content into audio formats for the user’s convenience. It has improved the scope for better student learning and education impairment strategy. Thus, below are some benefits that the TTS tool offers to both the educator or the creator and the students. 

• Helps overcome reading and learning-related issues among students. 

Students dyslexic or dealing with some other learning impairments can access the written materials with the audio formats. Students can begin their study with actual reading and then switch to using the Text to Speech tool when they feel tired. This tool will enable better understanding and learning in the students. 

• Helps in special education. 

Text to Speech is not only helpful for especially impaired students but also for those students who have a low attention span, inadequate comprehension skills, and lack of word recognition. The assistive technology of the TTS tool helps students with reading and learning impairments to overcome their problems. It helps boosts the overall understanding of the content with natural-sounding realistic audios and different languages. 

• Helps improve content mobility. 

Online content is shareable and is available in different social media platforms with other formats, which is convenient for students to access the content on their personal devices. But, with the Text to Speech tool, educators can convert their written content and make them available for access in various audio files. This way, students can keep learning on the move outside of the classroom teaching. 

Proper utilization of the Text to Speech technology will also enable the educators to seamlessly manage the lessons and the students to boosts their learning capabilities and options. 

• Boosts the academic performance of the students. 

Text to Speech technology enables better use of the various digital platforms by the educators for student evaluation. As an assistive technology, the TTS tool can assists students with poor academic performance to listen to test questions clearly and provide the correct answers. Along with that, this software tool can also re-examine the student’s answers through audio form and correct any written answers. Hence, this learning process will eventually improve the performance of the students. 

• Promotes eLearning or smart education.

We can assume that the Text to Speech tool positively facilitates learning of specially-abled students from the previous parts. But, if we view it the other way, TTS is actually a smart technology tool that enables eLearning in many ways. Educators get various options to provide text-based content with audio files in multiple platforms and formats. Students, too, can choose to listen to the audio file of their required education content available in different languages and voices. However, such options will vary depending on the type of TTS tool used. 

The assistive technology of the Text to Speech tool can significantly boost the student’s morale and enable independent learning for their career. 

Closure 

The emergence of different Text to Speech technology tools have the potential to transform the overall learning system for better education. It gives both parties involved in the education industry multiple scopes for improvement. Therefore, utilize the TTS technology to explore the vast possibilities of eLearning. 

This AI and ML-infused software technology is also used in many other channels like tutorials, voiceover video content, presentations, etc.