The Changing Landscape of Text-to-Speech Education Apps
Voice Dream Reader was once the dominant text-to-speech app in the educational market, and for good reason. As one of the first text-to-speech apps for iOS, it had a strong tradition behind it. Additionally, it was a paid app with an educational discount, which schools significantly preferred over apps with in-app purchases. Voice Dream Reader was also highly accessible and boasted one of the most comprehensive feature sets on the market.
The New Voice Dream Reader: Not as School Friendly
Unfortunately, the landscape changed on April 24th, 2023, when Voice Dream Reader launched a new version that was no longer school friendly. With a pricing of $60 per year, it became difficult for most school budgets to accommodate the app. Moreover, the new subscription-based model made it challenging to deploy in schools. To make matters worse, the app still collects data on users, making it a questionable choice for elementary schools despite its widespread use.
The Need for a New Solution
Given the changes to Voice Dream Reader, schools now need a new solution for text-to-speech education apps. Most apps available today are subscription or in-app purchase-based, making them difficult to implement in schools. Furthermore, many of these apps lack complete accessibility and the comprehensive feature set that Voice Dream Reader once provided.
Speech Central: A School-Friendly Alternative
Thankfully, there is at least one school-friendly solution that can be used in education on school-provided iPads: Speech Central’s edition for schools. This app offers several advantages, including:
- It is a paid app that can be easily deployed to school iPads.
- It is reasonably priced, fitting into almost any school budget.
- It is completely accessible.
- It is fully featured.
- It does not collect any data and is listed in Apple’s Kids collection for this reason.
Embracing the Future of Text-to-Speech Education
As the educational landscape evolves, schools must adapt and embrace new text-to-speech tools. Speech Central’s edition for schools presents an excellent alternative to Voice Dream Reader, helping the next generation receive education in an accessible way. As schools search for “Voice Dream Education Alternatives” and “Text to Speech Education apps,” they should strongly consider Speech Central as a viable and cost-effective option for their students.