Voice to Text for Teachers
Your evenings should be for rest, not typing lesson plans and parent emails. Blurt lets you speak your feedback, assignment instructions, and communications while grading papers or walking to your car. Hold a button, say what you need, release. Text appears wherever your cursor is — in Google Docs, your school's LMS, email, anywhere. No learning curve. No complicated setup. Just talk and the words appear.
The Typing Problem
Writing individualized feedback for 30 students
Each student deserves thoughtful, personal feedback. But when you're staring at the 23rd essay of the night, your comments become shorter and vaguer. You know 'good work' doesn't help them improve. You know exactly what to say — you could explain it aloud in 20 seconds — but typing it out for every single student turns a 2-hour task into a 4-hour marathon.
Drafting lesson plans after a full day of teaching
By 4 PM, you've been 'on' for seven hours straight. Your voice is tired, your feet hurt, and now you need to type out detailed lesson plans for tomorrow. The ideas are clear in your head, but translating them through your exhausted fingers onto the screen feels impossible. You end up copying last year's plan and hoping for the best.
Parent emails that require diplomatic precision
A parent wants to know why their child got a C. You need to be honest but supportive, specific but not accusatory. You write a sentence, delete it, rewrite it. Twenty minutes later, you've crafted three paragraphs when a phone call would have taken five minutes. But they emailed, so you have to type. Every word needs to be perfect.
Assignment instructions that students actually understand
You've explained the project verbally three times in class. Now you need to write it all down so students can reference it at home. When you speak it, it's clear. When you type it, it becomes a wall of text that no one reads. You know exactly how to explain this — if only you could just talk to the document instead of typing into it.
IEP documentation and accommodation notes
The meeting is tomorrow and you need to document observations, modifications, and progress for six different students. Each one requires specific, detailed notes that will be referenced for years. Your observations are fresh in your mind right now, but typing them all will take the entire evening. By the time you finish, the details will have blurred together.
How It Works
Blurt works in every app teachers use — Google Docs, Canvas, Schoology, Gmail, Word. Anywhere you can place a cursor on macOS.
Hold your hotkey
Press your chosen shortcut. A small indicator shows Blurt is listening.
Speak naturally
Say your feedback, lesson plan, or email. Blurt handles punctuation automatically.
Release and done
Text appears at your cursor. No copying, no pasting, no extra steps.
Real Scenarios
Writing personalized feedback on student essays
You're grading the 15th essay and this student needs encouragement plus specific guidance. Hold your hotkey and say 'Your thesis statement is strong and shows clear understanding of the theme. To improve, try adding a specific quote from chapter three to support your second paragraph. I can see you understood the character's motivation, now show me the evidence.' Thoughtful feedback in 8 seconds instead of 2 minutes of typing. Every student gets what they deserve.
Creating detailed lesson plans between classes
You have 10 minutes before your next period and need to document tomorrow's lesson. Hold the button and talk through your plan: 'Students will begin with a five-minute warm-up reviewing yesterday's vocabulary. Main activity is partner work analyzing the primary source documents, twenty minutes. Close with exit tickets asking them to identify the author's perspective.' Full lesson plan captured while you're still energized from teaching.
Drafting parent communication about student progress
A parent emailed asking about their child's grade. Hold and speak naturally: 'Thank you for reaching out about Marcus. He's shown real improvement in class participation this month. His quiz scores have been inconsistent, which is why I recommend he attend the Thursday tutoring sessions. I'm happy to schedule a call if you'd like to discuss strategies for at-home practice.' Professional, warm, specific — in 15 seconds.
Writing assignment instructions students will actually read
The research project needs clear instructions posted to Canvas. Instead of typing a dense paragraph, hold your hotkey and explain it like you would to the class: 'Your research paper should be three to five pages, double spaced. You need at least four sources, and two of them must be from the school database. The rough draft is due Friday, and the final draft is due the following Wednesday.' Clear instructions that match how you actually teach.
Documenting IEP observations and modifications
You need to record this week's observations for your students with accommodations. Hold and dictate: 'Sarah responded well to the extended time modification on Tuesday's test. She completed all sections without visible anxiety. Recommend continuing current accommodations and reviewing again in February.' Documentation done while the observation is fresh, not reconstructed from memory at 9 PM.
Quick comments in the gradebook
You're entering grades and need to add context for each score. Instead of typing abbreviations nobody understands, hold the button: 'Missing the conclusion paragraph. Strong analysis in body paragraphs. See feedback on paper for revision suggestions.' Each comment takes 5 seconds. The gradebook actually becomes useful for students and parents.
Responding to student questions in your LMS
Three students have asked questions in the Canvas discussion. You could type quick replies, but thoughtful answers take forever. Hold and respond: 'Great question about the symbolism. Think about what the green light represents to Gatsby emotionally, not just physically. Reread the last paragraph of chapter one for a hint.' Helpful guidance without the typing fatigue. Students get better answers because you're not exhausted.
Why teachers choose Blurt over built-in dictation
| Blurt | macOS Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| Activation | Single hotkey, instant start | Click microphone or double-tap function key |
| Speed | Text appears in under 500ms | 2-3 second delay before text appears |
| Reliability | Consistent accuracy every time | Often fails silently or stops listening |
| Education vocabulary | Handles IEP, rubric, formative assessment correctly | Struggles with education-specific terms |
| Background noise | Works well in classroom environments | Easily confused by ambient noise |
Frequently Asked Questions
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