Creating My Podcast
To create my podcast, I recorded the audio using the Voice Memo app on my iPhone and uploaded the files to my MacBook. I used GarageBand to edit the recordings and to add music and sound effects. For music, I downloaded royalty-free music from Miskit. I used Google Gemini AI to create my image, and Microsoft Copilot for initial outline ideas.
Attributions
Intro and Outro music is by Lily J, downloaded from Mixit.
Image generated by Google Gemini.
Additional information from VitalSource and International Dyslexia Association.
Transcript
Hello, and welcome to the Surviving College with Neurodiversity podcast. I’m Leah, your host, and I’m excited to talk with you about how, as someone with dyslexia, I adjusted to the huge increase in reading assignments in college by using text-to-speech software. So the problem for students with dyslexia, for example, is that it just takes a very long time to read. It’s also much more difficult to comprehend the reading and retain the information. And with the sheer increase in reading assignments that college students face, it can be very overwhelming.
The first piece of advice I’ll give any student with a language-based learning disability is to always purchase the electronic version of the text. This is simply because most electronic versions will usually have some text-to-speech option, which we’ll just refer to as TTS. Now, I’ve purchased electronic texts through several different online vendors, and my preference is VitalSource. I like this platform because it offers several features that are user-friendly. You can choose a reading voice, and they don’t sound computerized. They’re very easy to listen to. Also, you can choose the speed which you’d like to have your text read.
Sometimes, you might be assigned a literature book. If you’re able to, I really like to purchase these on my Kindle with the Audible extension. In the Kindle app, I can highlight and take notes while I listen along using Audible. But I also listen to the Audible at other times, like when I’m walking around campus or driving in a car. This enables me to make the most of the time I have available.
That’s all we have time for today. Thanks for joining me, I hope I was able to show you some new tools that you can use in your college classes, that will help you be efficient and successful.