| A few years ago we thought typing was
passé. We would no longer have to struggle with typing. And our children may not have to
learn how to type anymore. My aged mother was thrilled because she never learned to type
and thought this was the answer to her prayers. Typing, at last, was on the trash heap of
technology, because of this "new and improved" invention ... Voice Recognition
Software.
Did voice recognition come to pass? Well not exactly! In
fact, voice recognition technology has been a great disappointment.
If you have ever used voice recognition software on cell
phones, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Not only do you have to train the cell
phone to recognize your voice but you have to interface with the name in your address book
as you say it.
It hasn't been very dependable. The success rate of this
feature has been less than stellar and for the most part very frustrating. Often you have
to repeat (or yell) the name over and over to initiate the call (most times resorting to
dialing it yourself).
Similarly, voice recognition software for the computer
promised to be a panacea to those who were "keyboard challenged" but it too has
fallen short of the promises.
Most doctors thought that voice recognition would eliminate
the need to outsource medical transcription. Not so! Most don't have the time nor the
patience to "train" the voice recognition software. If you are tempted to try
it, expect a long learning curve.
If you would only use your computer in a closed silent
room, never have a cold or other voice altering condition, and don't have an accent, voice
recognition software would work and be fabulous most of the time. But how often are you in
that situation? The conditions in my life are never perfect for voice recognition. I am
either talking on the phone with my children or husband, or in the room with the radio or
TV. Thunder, lighting, hail and petulance, there is always something disturbing my
silence. When working at my laptop I maybe at Starbucks, the airport or a restaurant, all
very noisy places affecting voice recognition software.
The ability to type quickly and accurately is crucial for
everyday life. Typing speed will affect how fast you can do research, surf the Web, write
papers, and save time in school and the rest of their life! Every job requires typing
skills.
Typing is important for school work starting as early as
elementary grade level. Life will be a lot easier for your children if they learn correct
typing techniques at a young age. Did you now that typing has been shown to improve
spelling, writing, language skills, and grades. Maybe in the future someone will perfect a
voice recognition system that can be used in our noisy lives.but now. HAPPY TYPING!
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