If your handwriting or typing is slow or laborious, consider responding to email questions at work or assignment questions at school with a voice recording. Upload the audio or video file to the email or learning management system.
Why not use a dictation tool? When using a dictation feature, errors can occur in the transcription of voice to text. Thus, the text must be reviewed and edited which takes time. So, an oral response may be a quicker method for giving a person an answer to their question.
Students registered with an educational institution’s disability services office may request that oral responses be accepted as an accommodation.
Both Windows and Mac computers have voice recording tools built into the operating system. Windows computers have a Voice Recorder app and Mac computers have the Voice Memo app. (Also, check out the audio recording tools in online note taking apps.)
Here are the how-to instructions for using your computer’s voice recording applications.
Microsoft: Voice Recorder
- In the search bar on the home screen, type “voice recorder.”
- Select Voice Recorder app.
- To keep the app in the docked menu, right click on the Voice Recorder icon and click Pin to Taskbar.
- Press the blue circle with a Microphone icon. Start speaking.
- You may pause the recording or use the flag icon to mark key information.
- When you are finished speaking, click the Stop button.
- Trim the beginning and end of the recording using the Trim button and dot sliders in the bottom right of the recording window.
- Rename the file by selecting the Rename button on the bottom right of the recording window.
- Click the More icon (three dots) to select Open File Location. Drag the file into an email or onto the desktop to upload into a learning management system to another application.
Microsoft Support article: How to use Voice Recorder
Apple: Voice Memo
- On a Mac computer, open Launchpad. Find and open Voice Memos from the display or the search bar.
- To pin the Voice Memo app in your menu bar, right click the Voice Memo icon, select Options and click Keep in Dock.
- Press the Red Circle to start a new recording. Start speaking.
- Press the Pause symbol to stop the recording. Click Done.
- Eliminate silent pauses by clicking Edit in the top right corner of the window. Then, click the Crop symbol in the same location.
- Use the yellow arrows to select a silent area and click Delete. Press Save and then Done.
- In the All Recordings list, right click on the name of the recording. Select Services and press Show in Finder.
- Drag the file from Finder into an email or drag it to your desktop to upload into a learning management system to another application.
Apple Support article: Voice Memos User Guide
Try It Out
While trying the technology tools on this website, keep a usage log to evaluate the effectiveness of each tool. Note your observations for a few weeks. Give yourself time to learn the tool and adjust to the new habit of using it. Your observations will help you determine your preferences for productivity.
If you need assistance matching a tool to a specific task in the context of your unique strengths, abilities, and environment, please fill out the contact form on the services page or reach out to your state assistive technology project.
Additional handwriting alternatives
- Rather than handwrite, type information into a word processing application using a standard keyboard or an alternative keyboard or mouse alternative
- Instead of handwriting on a paper form or worksheet, type information into a form filling application
- Write with a stylus on a touchscreen (less pressure required than pen/pencil)
- Use a dictation feature to record spoken words as text
< To the Writing Strategies: Online and Offline Solutions chart