Voice to Text for Tutors
Between sessions, you need to document what happened, plan what comes next, and keep parents informed. That administrative work eats into your earning hours. Blurt lets you capture session notes while the lesson is fresh, dictate progress updates between students, and draft parent emails while walking to your next appointment. Hold a button, speak naturally, release. Text appears wherever your cursor is — in your notes app, scheduling software, email, anywhere. No learning curve. No complicated setup. Just talk and the words appear.
The Typing Problem
Writing session notes after back-to-back appointments
You just finished an hour with one student and your next arrives in five minutes. The details of what you covered, what clicked, what needs review — all of it is crystal clear right now. But you don't have time to type it out. By the time you finish your last session tonight, you'll have four sets of notes to write and the specifics will have blurred together. You know documentation matters, but there's never enough time between sessions.
Tracking progress across multiple students
Each student is at a different level, working on different concepts, with different learning styles. You remember where everyone left off, but keeping written records means recreating those mental notes in text form. Twenty students, each needing updated progress notes, and you're doing this on your own time. The tracking that makes you an effective tutor is also the paperwork that cuts into your evenings.
Planning lessons that build on previous sessions
Effective tutoring isn't showing up and winging it. You need to review what you covered last time, identify what's next, and prepare materials. But writing out detailed lesson plans for each student takes time you could spend actually tutoring. You have the plan in your head — you could explain it in thirty seconds — but typing it into your system takes ten times longer.
Parent updates that justify your rates
Parents want to know their investment is paying off. They expect regular updates with specifics — not just 'doing great' but concrete examples of progress and areas still needing work. Writing these updates with the detail parents deserve takes forever. You know exactly what to say. The problem is finding time to type it all out while managing a full schedule of sessions.
Learning assessments that actually help
Before you can help a new student, you need to understand where they are. That initial assessment produces pages of observations — strengths, gaps, learning patterns, recommended focus areas. Typing this diagnostic report while the assessment is fresh means losing an hour of billable time. Waiting until later means losing the details that make your assessments valuable.
How It Works
Blurt works in every app tutors use — Google Docs, Notion, Calendly notes, Gmail, any scheduling software. Anywhere you can place a cursor on macOS.
Hold your hotkey
Press your chosen shortcut. A small indicator shows Blurt is listening.
Speak naturally
Dictate your session notes, progress update, or lesson plan. Blurt handles punctuation automatically.
Release and done
Text appears at your cursor. No copying, no pasting, no extra steps.
Real Scenarios
Capturing session notes between back-to-back students
Your student just left and you have three minutes before the next one arrives. Hold your hotkey and say 'Today we reviewed chapter four concepts on quadratic equations. She struggled with the discriminant formula but understood it after we worked through three examples together. Next session we should start with a quick review then move to word problems. She mentioned the test is next Friday so we need to cover graphing by Wednesday.' Complete notes in 20 seconds while the session is still fresh.
Documenting student progress for your records
You keep progress notes to ensure continuity between sessions. Hold the button and dictate: 'Week six update for Marcus. Reading fluency has improved from 85 to 102 words per minute. Comprehension questions still challenging, especially inference-based ones. Started using the visualization strategy this week with promising results. Parents should encourage twenty minutes of independent reading daily.' Thorough progress tracking without the typing burden.
Planning your next tutoring session
You're driving between appointments and need to capture your lesson plan for tomorrow. Pull over and hold your hotkey: 'Session plan for Sarah Thursday. Start with five minute warm-up on multiplication facts since that's been inconsistent. Main focus is long division with remainders, use the pizza sharing examples that worked with other students. If time permits, introduce the first word problem worksheet. Bring the colored pencils for the visual learners approach.' Full lesson plan captured in transit.
Writing detailed parent update emails
A parent wants their weekly progress report. Hold and speak naturally: 'Hi Mrs. Chen, this week Alex made excellent progress on essay structure. He successfully wrote a complete five-paragraph essay with clear topic sentences and supporting details. We identified thesis statements as an area for continued practice. For next week, I recommend he practice outlining before writing. The improvement in his organization has been noticeable. Let me know if you have any questions.' Professional, specific parent communication in 30 seconds.
Creating initial learning assessments
You just finished assessing a new student and need to document your findings. Hold your hotkey and dictate: 'Initial assessment for Jake, grade seven math. Current level approximately grade five point five. Strong with basic operations but gaps in fractions, especially unlike denominators. Struggles with word problem comprehension, not the math itself. Learning style appears visual and kinesthetic. Recommend starting with fraction foundations using manipulatives, then building to word problem strategies. Estimated six months to grade level with weekly sessions.' Comprehensive assessment captured immediately.
Quick notes during the session itself
Your student is working through a problem independently and you notice something important. Without interrupting their focus, hold your hotkey and quietly note: 'Emma reverts to finger counting with seven and eight combinations. Add fact fluency practice to warm-ups.' Quick observation captured in real-time, no disruption to the lesson flow.
Following up with scheduling and logistics
A parent texted asking to reschedule and you need to respond while managing your calendar. Hold and dictate: 'Hi, yes we can move Thursday's session to Friday at four PM. Please note I'll be traveling the following week so we'll need to either do a video session or skip that week entirely. Let me know which works better for your family.' Administrative communication handled in seconds instead of thumb-typing on your phone.
Why tutors 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 |
| Educational terminology | Handles grade levels, subject terms, learning vocabulary | Struggles with specialized education terms |
| Quick capture | Perfect for notes between sessions | Too slow for brief windows of time |
Frequently Asked Questions
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