Allow microphone access

About speech technology

The most important component of  is its patented speech recognition technology, which allows the component to listen and follow along as the student reads aloud.  implements this technology within the web browser, eliminating the need for any plug-ins or extensions. However, this technology requires that you allow access to the microphone within the browser. See the rest of this topic for steps.

For an in-depth look at how this speech recognition technology works see our whitepaper, Technology for Guided Oral Reading.

Chrome/Chromebooks

Allow microphone access

The first time the student starts an activity that uses the microphone, the Chrome browser automatically prompts the student to allow microphone access. At the same time,  shows the following message that illustrates how to do this:

To allow microphone access, click the Allow button at the top of the  web page. The student can continue using  as usual and should not have to set this option again.

 

Tip: With Chromebooks, the microphone access setting is automatically saved in each student's Google Account using Chrome's sync ability. This makes sharing Chromebooks among students easy. 

 

Restore microphone access (if blocked)

If the student blocks microphone access when prompted, or if microphone access has previously been blocked for , Chrome will not let the student use the microphone. Instead, the student will see a “Microphone access has been blocked” message when trying to use the microphone. In this case, just follow these steps to allow microphone access in the browser.

This task assumes that the student has started a  session and received the “Unable to access the microphone in the browser” message.

  1. Click the camera icon at the end of the address bar to view the message in Chrome. 
  2. Choose the option "Always allow..." and click Done.
  3. Have the student exit the  component and start it again. Chrome restarts with microphone access allowed. The student can continue using Reading Assistant as usual and should not have to set this option again.

 

 

To troubleshoot general audio issues see Troubleshoot  audio issues.

Firefox

Allow microphone access

The first time the student starts an activity that uses the microphone, Firefox automatically prompts the student to allow microphone access. At the same time,  shows the following message that illustrates how to do this:

To allow microphone access, choose the following options at the top of the  web page.

  1. Leave the Microphone to share option as is. The component will automatically choose the correct device for you.

  2. Choose Remember this decision. This way, the student should not be prompted again.

  3. Click the Allow button.

The student can continue using  as usual and should not have to set this option again. Note that in some cases, Firefox may prompt the student more than once to allow the microphone. This is an issue with the Firefox browser. You can always try using another browser.

Restore microphone access (if not allowed)

If the student does not allow microphone access when prompted, or if microphone access has previously been denied for , Firefox will not let the student use the microphone. Instead, the student will see a “Microphone access has been blocked” message when trying to use the microphone. In this case, just follow these steps to allow microphone access in the browser.

This task assumes that the student has started a  session and received the above message.

  1. Click the microphone icon at the start of the address bar to view the Permissions message in Firefox.

  2. Click the X next to Blocked Temporary to clear the permission setting and be prompted again.

  3. Have the student exit the  component and start it again.

  4. When it restarts, Firefox prompts the user to allow microphone access.Follow the steps in Allow microphone access.

The student can continue using Reading Assistant as usual and should not have to set this option again. Note that in some cases, Firefox may prompt the student more than once to allow the microphone. This is an issue with the Firefox browser. You can always try using another browser.

To troubleshoot general audio issues see Troubleshoot  audio issues.

Microsoft Edge

Allow microphone access

The first time the student starts an activity that uses the microphone, the Microsoft Edge browser automatically prompts the student to allow microphone access. At the same time,  shows the following message that illustrates how to do this:

To allow microphone access, click the Always Allow button at the bottom of the  web page. The student can continue using  as usual and should not have to set this option again.

Restore microphone access (if not allowed)

If the student denies microphone access when prompted, Microsoft Edge will not let the student use the microphone. Instead, the student will see a “Microphone access has been blocked” message when trying to use the microphone. In this case, have the student exit and restart the component. Microsoft Edge will prompt the student to allow microphone access again in the browser. See Allow microphone access for steps.

To troubleshoot general audio issues see Troubleshoot  audio issues.

Safari on iPad

Each session, when the student starts an activity that uses the microphone, Safari prompts the student to allow microphone access.

If the student does not allow access, the component will show a “Microphone access has been blocked” message that prompts the student to exit . When the student logs back in, Safari will prompt again for access the next time the component needs to use the microphone.

To troubleshoot general audio issues see Troubleshoot  audio issues.