» I [try to] read all I post
How do I keep up with all the content? I listen to it. I do my best to actually read every update we post online. Over the year’s I’ve had to scale back that effort, but there are core updates that I know I need to put another set of eyes on before posting to the public – these include our major handbooks, catalogue, college-wide documents, and of course, speeches. Unfortunately, I’m often short on time to get through all the content without creating a bottle-neck.
Using Audio as a Short-cut
To get through the bulk of it I don’t read it per se, I listen to it. Thanks to iSpeak It I can get through a large amount of text quickly. I’ve gotten to know that computer voice well enough to pick out not just spelling errors, but also punctuation. It’s invaluable.
Background Info
I update web pages for a living. Lots of web pages. At Vassar College we have over 65,000 pages centrally maintained by College Relations. Those are the actively maintained pages – that doesn’t include press releases, announcements, and other items we use systems for archiving for us. Those are the bios, general information about offices and departments, etc.
Back to School
In addition to using iSpeak It for work – from proofreading to simply getting through all the information we post to the world on the web, I also used it for school. I went back for my MBA and the amount of reading was, as expected, intense.
Audio Plus Visual Increases Retention
I found it helpful to not only review material in my car – the drive to class was over two hours – but in the initial reading. I stare at a screen all day – four of them actually – and I found that I had the time to read, but my eyes were shot. By converting the text to audio I was able to listen and follow along with my eyes – reading and listening at the same time – to keep up a consistent reading pace. By having a dual audio and visual experience I was able to retain much more information, and I was less likely to get distracted.
Use Faster Audio For Review
For school I generally created two files for everything in iTunes – one at slightly faster speed than normal, and one at double speed. The first I used to read the material the first time. The second I used for review. It took a while to get my brain tuned to double speed – I kept edging it up in the preferences each week a little more, a little more, until I was studying to the tune of Minny Mouse.
Use Track Length for Time Management
Another benefit to converting the text to audio was I could tell quickly just how much time I’d need to get through the material.