First you press the button below 'Touch and Dictate' on the iPad
and the voice recorder starts moving up and down like in the picture below , recording your voice.
Touch the screen to stop the recording. On the PC version you just start and stop talking to start and stop the recording. This example you see is for the purpose of this blog post:
Down the left-hand side, you can see notes. Notes in Dragon Dictation are dictations that you have done.
In the top right-hand corner, there is an arrow with a line below it. If you touch this you can send your dictation as an email, copy it, paste it send it to Facebook and twitter or change the settings such as the language. I use this button quite a lot, as I change between English and Spanish when I am dictating. Next to it, there is a wastebin symbol you can press to delete your work. You can either delete what you have just dictated, or delete another note that you have done.
The + is what you have to press on the iPad to start a new dictation. The iPad at is not as advanced as the PC software, but I really like it. The downside with Dragon is that it doesn't recognise you straightaway, you have to practice with it. I found that the iPad recognised me more quickly than the PC version. It is best to speak at a normal speed, without pausing if you can, so there is a natural flow of words. If you pause between words or speak too slowly, Dragon dictation will stop recording. On the iPad this is more visually noticeable, as the recording screen will disappear and you'll see what you dictated so far. On the PC, words will appear saying please repeat, until the software recognises what you are saying.
On the PC version, you can add words to the Vocabulary Editor, and you can train the computer to recognise your voice by repeating words and you can also type in your own words and commands. If you make a mistake, you can say 'delete it/ delete that/ scratch that' (the commands to use for different tasks are in the toolbar on the PC version. You can delete words on the iPad app simply by touching the word you don't want. When you do, some alternatives to replace it with will come up, as well as a delete button. Either choose an alternative word or delete the word altogether and then say the word or sentence you want to appear in it's place. You can delete an entire sentence or paragraph on the PC by selecting the sentence by saying 'select/ highlight from....to.......' , or 'delete x number of lines' . When you want to do the same on the iPad, just touch all the words you want to delete until they disappear.
Using Dragon With Programs Other Than MS Word
Dragon for PC
As We saw at the beginning of this blog post, once you install Dragon Dictation on your PC, you can load it just by clicking its icon on your desktop. There is no right or wrong order to load Dragon Dictation terms of whether you choose to load the programme you want to work in or Dragon Dictation first. However, I prefer to always load Dragon first, so. Can be sure it has properly loaded and opened before I open the programme I want to work in with it.
So, for example, if I want to work on a project in Word, as I did so many times with my projects at school and university, or as I do now with my novels, I select the Dragon icon, wait for it to load, choose the profile I want to work in, and the Dragon toolbar will come up along the top of the page in the programme where you are working. The PC version has the option to either have the bar fixed and unmoving (what it calls 'docked' ) or floating, so you can move it from one place to another. I prefer to have it docked at the top of the page and still, as it is less distracting for me because of my eyesight. I am then free to just concentrate on dictating.
OK, so once you have Dragon open, the next step is to turn the microphone on.
What Microphone to Use
The microphone on the iPad is your iPad's microphone, and you turn it on or off by pressing the round button in the centre of the dictation screen.
For PC use, you can use a microphone headset. This comes with the software when you first buy it, and can be replaced in the Nuance store or over the internet. The Nuance website revommends ones that are compatible with speech recognition programmes and especially Dragon Dictation,
I recently replaced ths headset foam on mine as it was too worn to use. I'd recommend this idea if the microphone part of the headset is working well, and if the only problem is worn foam. And also if you don't want to or cannot afford to completely replace your headset.
You can also use a desktop microphone. Again, check with Nuance to see which is suitable.
Back to Using Dragon.......
There is a small, red square icon on the Dragon toolbar, and also in the bottom right corner of your computer screen . Click on either of those , or say ' listen to me' 'turn microphone on' or 'wake up' . When Dragon is 'on ' or 'listening' , the icon will turn into a white 'i ' surrounded by a green circle . You can begin dictating when the progress bar says 'ready to dictate' . You can can literally tell it what programmes you want to open . For example 'open Paint' 'open email' 'open Google', and it will do that.
Controlling the Mouse
If like me, you find it hard to control the mouse, you can get Dragon to do it by saying 'move mouse left/right/up/down X number of words / sentences. There is also a mouse grid (see the 'commands' on the Dragon Bar to learn the commands for how to do this . I don't use the grid, as I am unable to judge where to place it, so I use basic mouse commands.
The Dragon Bar (PC version)
This is a detailed toolbar for use with Dragon Dictation. You can have it visible all the time, or you can hide it by pressing the minimise button. I prefer to have ot visible, as it gives you the commands to use for different tasks.
Printing
You can print with the PC version of Dragon, just move the mouse to the print button on the menu (in Word, for example) and say 'double click' to open the print window, select the copies you want to print and the print button in the same way.
There's not a way to print directly from the iPad app unfortunately.
There is not a Dragon Bar for the iPad, but there is a menu on the top right-hand side of the screen . Touch the blue gear icon and you'll be able to post what you dictate to Facebook or Twitter (as long as you link them with Dragon first) . Do this by clicking on the gear then social networks and enter your details for twitter and/ or Facebook. You can activate one or both. You can select the language you want to dictate in by touching the name of the language. In the list.
You can decide if you want names of people to be recognised in your dictations, and also if you want Dargon to stop recording you as soon as you stop talking. Personally, I keep these options activated as I send a lot of emails, and like Dragon to recognise the names of the characters in my novels, although it does anyway after awhile, if you use it enough, but I actuvate this feature to be sure.
Saving Dictations
PC
To save your work on a PC, you have to save your file as usual (if you use Word) and then you have to save your profile. Wait until the black progress bar on the small Dragon toolbar at the top of the screen is full, and then close the software.
NOTE: THIS PROCESS MUST BE DONE PROPERLY IF YOU WANT DRAGON TO SAVE YOUR DICTATION AND REMEMBER YOUR VOICE BETTER. You can change profiles, open a new one, and work on different ones.
I have attempted to demonstrate the basic functions of the Dragon Dictation app for both iPad and PC. To round off this blog post, there's not much more to say, other than, if you want a good, accurate dictation, then use Drafon dictation regularly, and above all, have fun when you do!
There are lots more versions of Dragon. There is a version for Mac, and the iPhone as well as one for business and also one for health professionals. They are all available on www.nuance.com (you can choose your country's website by clicking on the flags at the top of the page) and all good online retailers like Amazon. If you look well, you'll find a good deal on the internet.
If you need help, there's also a forum whivh you need to sign up to use, but which I can tell you from personal experience, is very helpful.
Updating Dragon Dictation.
For the PC version, you can download updates (you'll be notified when ypdates are available). For example, I bought the Home Edition for PC version 11, and have gradually updated it until it has reached the 11. 5 version.
Niance has all the current versions of Dragon dictation. New versions are launched regularly, so it is a good idea to keep upto date with news from the website, i visit the website whenever I can. To update the iPad version, Just visit the AppStore and chack the updates sextion for your iPad- if your version of Dragon Dictation, whichever one you have, is up-to-date, it will work quicker, faster and more accurately, saving time and letting you enjoy the important moments in your life.
My Rating
I love Dragon Dictation. It means typing is enjoyable rather than slow, difficult and painful for me. In my opinion, it is a great tool for anyone, whether you have a disability or not, and can be used by people of many ages and abilities! 5 stars! In fact, I'd give it more as it is so essential to my computer use. With Dragon, I can concentrate on content which is ths important part.
10 out of 10 :)
No comments:
Post a Comment