The lack of an iPhone 5 announcement killed much of the buzz around Siri. People haven’t really grasped what it means to be able to talk to your phone yet. Once it starts shipping, expect to still see people talking in stilted, mechanical voices with specific phrases. After a while, people will get used to the technology and they’ll begin to communicate
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Once that happens, we’re looking at a technological revolution, especially in education where young students can begin to interface with their phones, computers and gaming consoles in ways we didn’t think were possible, even those of us who were born in the age of desktop computers.
Schools will be the forefront of this technology because of the great potential for learning. Imagine a student sitting down to read a book, but this book is housed on her iPhone. She doesn’t have to flip pages since the book is listening to her read. She stumbles across a word, then pauses. The phone pronounces the word for her, and she asks what it means. The phone answers. She sounds it out again and continues reading.
Another student sits in the corner learning about the presidents. He listens and follows along with the words while the iPhone tells him about how Lincoln chopped down a cherry tree. At the end of the story the phone asks him what he remembers from the story. If he gets an answer wrong, the phone corrects him and tells him a little bit more about that piece to make sure he remembers it.
It’s all entirely possible with Siri’s high level of voice integration. Online learning has gone from a student sitting down at a computer who is told to type things based on phonetics to the computer as a handheld device that interacts with students young enough to only read picture books.
Of course, the technology would have been impressive even if it was just controlling the phone. But Apple’s decision to integrate Siri with apps is revolutionary. App designers will hopefully have built up both the intellectual and funding resources to be able to work with this new layer of programming. The best of them will rise to the top and offer apps that are sure to help students, though.
Voice activated technology has been around for years and has entrenched itself into more than just smartphones. The Xbox 360’s Kinect will release the most-anticipated game for the system later this year that has full voice-integration. Mass Effect 3 will let players control their characters with voice commands. The motion control portion of Kinect hasn’t really taken off yet, but with Mass Effect 3, the voice controls likely will.
What does that mean for education? Most likely, family friendly games that focus on reading commands out to the screen and a heavier emphasis on reading fluently and clearly from a system that has typically been relegated solely to the entertainment portion of students’ lives.
As always, Apple and Microsoft are ahead of competitors when it comes to the newest in technology. As the market stands now, you can barely get your Android powered phones to call your mother without having to resort to touch controls, and you certainly can’t find your way with a GPS without some small-screen action. With the technology taking off, though, you’re going to see big shifts in the way we teach our children in the next five years.
Talk to Me: How Voice-Activated Technology will change the way Students Learn,Jesse Langley is a freelance writer living near Chicago. He spends the majority of his time with his family, writing, or cooking. He is a strong advocate for online learning.
junaid
Dec 09. 2011
this is just awesome ,siri is a great software and student example is outstanding.thnx for the valuable information.
George
Dec 09. 2011
Very well said Jesse. It’s true that Apple’s SIRI has put voice integration software to the next level. What you mentioned with regard to our education system is very possible. It would be a good contribution to our education system if this is implemented and more likely encourages students to learn and study there lessons. I can’t wait to see this in the future.
Matt Kinsella
Dec 09. 2011
Voice activated tech and voice recognition tools have been touted for years as the future but I am still unconvinced.
shashank chinchli
Dec 10. 2011
Yo this technology has high potential and market in future!
TechCrates
Dec 11. 2011
Yep … looking at its benefits … It’ll surely have a great market in future
PrIyAnGsHu
Dec 10. 2011
Great post dude ! Technology has now become an essential aspect of every student !
khaja moin
Dec 10. 2011
Siri awesome technology for students, by the way excellent post form you salman.
TechCrates
Dec 11. 2011
Thanks for stopping by and commenting … Actually this post is contributed by Jesse !!
khaja moin
Dec 11. 2011
ok,
any ways you have a nice blog
TechCrates
Dec 11. 2011
Thanks …
ioana moise
Dec 11. 2011
i agree with you and siri is a good software , very good inofrmation thanks for this
TechCrates
Dec 11. 2011
You’re welcome ….
Jane
Dec 12. 2011
It is very interesting to find the new technology that will revolutionize the entire learning sphere. The future generation will be both excited and enriched with knowledge. The coming generation are going to experience new learning process. Thanks to Apple and Microsoft which are making swift moves in this direction.
TechCrates
Dec 12. 2011
Thanks for stopping by and commenting …
Rose
Dec 21. 2011
Awesome post…..Thanks for share
bilal
Jan 13. 2012
technology is ruling this era and it is good if we use it for beneficiary purposes ….excellent post
Sai
Feb 02. 2012
very nice explanation mate 🙂 thanks for sharing your experience with us