Over the last four days I have been practising the steps using our granddaugher as a pre-intermediate learner of English.
The procedure involved combining two of my obsessions: getting students to do extensive reading and getting them to record themselves retelling stories.
- I asked her to read an Oxford Bookworm Starter level reader on the Oxford Reading Club app
- She then told me the story in her own words without recording herself
- She then recordered herself retelling the story using 'Voice Capture' on Microsoft 365
- Voice Capture generates a transcript automatically. I Shared the recording (and transcript) as a Word document
- I copied and pasted the transcript into three AI webpages and asked for the transcript to be tidied up
- I copied these 'improved' transcripts back into the Word document where with 'Read Aloud' she could listen to the suggested changes.
- She selected which of the improved transcripts was the best and I copied and pasted it into WhasApp for her.
- I then used WhatsApp to record 'Read Aloud' and add that so she could listen to it again.
Here are two of the AI suggestions - (with the Microsoft Edge browser you can select and right-click and choose 'Read Aloud' to listen to these versions)
ChatGPT suggested:
"The Mystery of Manor Hall" is about two brothers visiting their uncle's dark and mysterious house, which is very big. The brothers visit their uncle's house while their mother is buying a new house and getting everything in order. When they arrive at their uncle's house, he allows them to explore and enter all the places, except for the music room, which makes them curious.
During supper, the uncle points out the new moon and tells them they can't leave their room that night. Later, the sister wakes up and hears a strange sound. The brother listens and convinces his sister to go to the music room. They think they hear their uncle singing, but upon entering, they see a picture of a pirate. The pirate notices them, and they become frightened and attempt to leave the room, but the pirate prevents them from doing so.
The pirate explains his story to the brothers. He used to have a magic picture that allowed him to go sailing with his ship every new moon, but now the house is far from the sea, so he's unable to do so. Meanwhile, the uncle arrives and reveals his story. He had bought the house from an old man who warned him not to enter the music room due to a ghostly presence. The uncle had been afraid and avoided the room ever since.
Eventually, the two brothers move with their mom to the new house, which is located near the sea and took the magic picture. Every new moon, the pirate can now sail and sing quietly. And this is the end of the story.
Bing suggested:
The story is about two brothers who go to their uncle's house. The uncle's house is very dark, mysterious, and big. The brothers go to their uncle's house because their mother is buying a new house and needs to get everything in order. When the brothers arrive at their uncle's house, their uncle tells them that they can look for things and enter all the places in the house, except for the music room.
The brothers are confused because they can't go to the music room. Their curiosity gets the better of them and they try to enter the music room, but their uncle sees them. In the evening, while they are having supper, their uncle tells them to look at the new moon and that they can't leave their room that night.
In the middle of the night, the sister wakes up and tells her brother that she hears a strange sound. The brother listens and they both go outside their room. They don't want to, but they finally go to the music room. They think it's their uncle singing, but when they enter, they don't see anyone. When they turn on the lights, they see a picture of a pirate.
The pirate sees them and comes out of the picture. The brothers are very afraid and want to leave the room, but they can't because the pirate won't let them. Finally, the pirate explains his story to the brothers. He tells them that one day an old woman painted a picture of his ship and said it was a magic picture because every new moon he can come out of the picture and sail with his ship.
He could only do this if the picture was near the sea, but now the house isn't near the sea and he is sad because he can't sail. Then their uncle arrives and explains his story. He bought the house from an old man who told him not to enter the music room because
