Abstract: Systems, methods, and software are disclosed herein that improve the instruction of prosody in the context of software applications and services. In various implementations, a service analyzes an audio recording of a user reading text aloud to determine the prosody of the reading. The service provides data to an application indicative the prosody, as well as a reference prosody for the text. The application may then display of a visualization of a comparison of the user prosody for the text to the reference prosody for the text for consumption by users, e.g., a teacher or the reader.

Abstract: A method of identifying reading passages for reading progress can include receiving a set of error-indicated phonemes, wherein the set of error-indicated phonemes correspond to pronunciation errors identified in a recorded audio file from an individual reading an assigned passage aloud; determining corresponding error-indicated phonetic rules for each error-indicated phoneme of the set of error-indicated phonemes using a mapping of phonemes to phonetic rules; identifying at least one content passage from a set of content passages that satisfies a condition with respect to the error-indicated phonetic rules; and providing the at least one content passage for a new assignment for the individual to read aloud.

Abstract: In non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, systems, methods and devices for integrating speech-to-text transcription in a productivity application are presented. A request to access a real-time speech-to-text transcription of an audio signal that is being received by a second device is sent by a first device. The real-time speech-to-text transcription may be surfaced in a transcription pane of a productivity application on the first device. A request to translate the transcription to a different language may be received. The transcription may be translated in real-time and surfaced in the transcription pane. A selection of a word in the surfaced transcription may be received. A request to drag the word from the transcription pane and drop it in a window in the productivity application outside of the transcription pane may be received. The word may be surfaced in the window in the productivity application outside of the transcription pane.

Abstract: In non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, systems, methods and devices for integrating speech-to-text transcription in a productivity application are presented. A request to access a real-time speech-to-text transcription of an audio signal that is being received by a second device is sent by a first device. The real-time speech-to-text transcription may be surfaced in a transcription pane of a productivity application on the first device. A request to translate the transcription to a different language may be received. The transcription may be translated in real-time and surfaced in the transcription pane. A selection of a word in the surfaced transcription may be received. A request to drag the word from the transcription pane and drop it in a window in the productivity application outside of the transcription pane may be received. The word may be surfaced in the window in the productivity application outside of the transcription pane.

Abstract: In non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, systems, methods and devices for integrating speech-to-text transcription in a productivity application are presented. A request to access a real-time speech-to-text transcription of an audio signal that is being received by a second device is sent by a first device. The real-time speech-to-text transcription may be surfaced in a transcription pane of a productivity application on the first device. A request to translate the transcription to a different language may be received. The transcription may be translated in real-time and surfaced in the transcription pane. A selection of a word in the surfaced transcription may be received. A request to drag the word from the transcription pane and drop it in a window in the productivity application outside of the transcription pane may be received. The word may be surfaced in the window in the productivity application outside of the transcription pane.

Abstract: An automatic speech sensitivity adjustment feature is provided. The described sensitivity feature can enable an automatic system adjustment of a sensitivity level based on the number and type of determined speech errors. The sensitivity level determines how sensitive the sensitivity feature will be when indicating speech errors. The sensitivity feature can receive audio input comprising one or more spoken words and determine speech errors for the audio input using at least a sensitivity level. The sensitivity feature can determine whether an amount and type of the speech errors requires an adjustment to the sensitivity level. The sensitivity feature can adjust the sensitivity level to a second sensitivity level based on the amount and type of the speech errors, where the second sensitivity level is a different level than the sensitivity level. The sensitivity feature can re-determine the speech errors for the audio input using at least the second sensitivity level.

Abstract: In non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, systems, methods and devices for mapping hyperarticulated sounds to text units are presented. A plurality of textual units may be received. The plurality of textual units may be processed with a natural language processing engine. A sentence structure for the plurality of textual units may be identified, wherein the sentence structure comprises a plurality of words. The plurality of words may be processed with a text-to-speech engine. A text-to-speech output comprising a plurality of pronunciations may be identified, wherein each of the plurality of pronunciations corresponds to a syllabic unit of one of the plurality of words. A hyperarticulated vowel sound may be mapped to each syllabic unit from the text-to-speech output. A pronunciation instruction corresponding to each hyperarticulated vowel sound may be caused to be surfaced.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method that may be carried out by a reader device or other computing device includes identifying boundaries of words and sentences of displayed content and receiving a language selection of a language for translating a selected unit of text in the displayed content; translating the unit of text to the selected language; retrieving from a picture dictionary, a pictogram associated with a tag applied to the word or at least one word from the sentence of the selected unit of text; generating pronunciation files for both an original language of the unit of text and the selected language; and displaying, in context with the displayed content, the unit of text in the original language and the selected language, the pictogram, and icons for requesting to play the pronunciation files. The selected unit of text can be a word or a sentence.

Abstract: Notebook applications may be employed to create, edit, and/or share collaborative documents. In a classroom setting, a notebook application may enable interactivity among a teacher and students. A page lock may be provided for the notebook application to prevent students from making unauthorized changes, such as editing a page after an assignment deadline or erasing teacher feedback, while still enabling the teacher read and write capabilities. For example, a notebook page may be rendered with read and write permissions for the teacher and student(s). The teacher may be provided an option to set a lock on the page to disable one or more of the students' write permissions. The teacher may select a first timing parameter associated with setting the lock, which defines a future date and time or event to trigger the disabling of the students' write permissions. The lock may be set based on the first timing parameter.

Abstract: Electronic reading devices provide readers with text on a display, and enhancements to their functionality and efficiency are discussed herein. Text is provided to the reader in an enhanced contrast mode that highlights the active word and line of the text as well as words of interest in the text so as to improve the functionality of the electronic reading device itself as a provider of textual content.

Abstract: Distributing content to multiple electronic documents or sections thereof, with various controlling users, documents states, and host devices quickly and accurately is provided herein. Content from a sender document is identified, reduced to its necessary parts, fixed in position, and validated so that it may be pushed to identified sections within the sender document or to sections in receiver documents on other host devices. Content is pushed from the sender document to sections identified as available, and each receiver section or document may have different sections and subsections available. The systems and methods provided herein operate without requiring the content to be encapsulated in new documents, and thus reduces the memory and bandwidth needed to share content remotely, and improves the user experience for sharing content.

Abstract: A mobile device accesses an image generated with an image sensor of the mobile device. The mobile device detects text content in the image (using Optical Character Recognition). The mobile device accesses a reading preference of a user of the mobile device and formats the text content according to the reading preference. The mobile device then generates and displays the formatted text content in a display of the mobile device.

Abstract: In non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, systems, methods and devices for mapping hyperarticulated sounds to text units are presented. A plurality of textual units may be received. The plurality of textual units may be processed with a natural language processing engine. A sentence structure for the plurality of textual units may be identified, wherein the sentence structure comprises a plurality of words. The plurality of words may be processed with a text-to-speech engine. A text-to-speech output comprising a plurality of pronunciations may be identified, wherein each of the plurality of pronunciations corresponds to a syllabic unit of one of the plurality of words. A hyperarticulated vowel sound may be mapped to each syllabic unit from the text-to-speech output. A pronunciation instruction corresponding to each hyperarticulated vowel sound may be caused to be surfaced.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method that may be carried out by a reader device or other computing device includes identifying boundaries of words and sentences of displayed content and receiving a language selection of a language for translating a selected unit of text in the displayed content; translating the unit of text to the selected language; retrieving from a picture dictionary, a pictogram associated with a tag applied to the word or at least one word from the sentence of the selected unit of text; generating pronunciation files for both an original language of the unit of text and the selected language; and displaying, in context with the displayed content, the unit of text in the original language and the selected language, the pictogram, and icons for requesting to play the pronunciation files. The selected unit of text can be a word or a sentence.

Abstract: Notebook applications may be employed to create, edit, and/or share collaborative documents. In a classroom setting, a notebook application may enable interactivity among a teacher and students. A page lock may be provided for the notebook application to prevent students from making unauthorized changes, such as editing a page after an assignment deadline or erasing teacher feedback, while still enabling the teacher read and write capabilities. For example, a notebook page may be rendered with read and write permissions for the teacher and student(s). The teacher may be provided an option to set a lock on the page to disable one or more of the students' write permissions. The teacher may select a first timing parameter associated with setting the lock, which defines a future date and time or event to trigger the disabling of the students' write permissions. The lock may be set based on the first timing parameter.

Abstract: Electronic reading devices provide readers with text on a display, and enhancements to their functionality and efficiency are discussed herein. Text is provided to the reader in an enhanced contrast mode that highlights the active word and line of the text as well as words of interest in the text so as to improve the functionality of the electronic reading device itself as a provider of textual content.

Abstract: Distributing content to multiple electronic documents or sections thereof, with various controlling users, documents states, and host devices quickly and accurately is provided herein. Content from a sender document is identified, reduced to its necessary parts, fixed in position, and validated so that it may be pushed to identified sections within the sender document or to sections in receiver documents on other host devices. Content is pushed from the sender document to sections identified as available, and each receiver section or document may have different sections and subsections available. The systems and methods provided herein operate without requiring the content to be encapsulated in new documents, and thus reduces the memory and bandwidth needed to share content remotely, and improves the user experience for sharing content.