How Do I Use Hotkey Speech?

Hotkey Speech is a very powerful program, but probably one of the most simple programs you'll ever use.

To use hotkey:

1. Double-click the Hotkey Speech shortctut.
2. Highlight the text you'd like it to read. (Hint: If you want it to read it to read all of the text in a window or document, hold the CTRL key, then tap the 'a' key and release both. This will automatically highlight all of the text in the current window.)
3. Press the Hotkey (the F2 key, unless you change it.)
4. If you want to change the hotkey used to start reading, or to close hotkey speech, click the icon in your system tray (the area near the clock in the lower right of the windows desktop) that looks like a hand pressing a keyboard key. (This will display the second screen, below.)

Where can I get the WFU hotkey speech program ?

The WFU Hotkey Speech program was made by Jeff Muday, the Instructional Technology Specialist for the Biology Department, and has given permission for anyone to use the program that would like it. The program is available free for download. (Click on the words 'free for download to start the download.)

Okay, now I've got hotkey speech; how do I install it?

Hotkey speech was written to be nice and small and easy to install. All that you need to do is download it to your computer, then double-click it to run the program. There is no installation program, and no other files that are required (for Windows XP) except for hotkey_speech.exe itself. If you decide you want to take it off your computer, just delete hotkey_speech.exe and it's gone.

If you'd like a suggestion of somewhere to put it, try this:

Click the link above to download hotkey_speech.exe

If asked, choose Save This File, and click ok. You'll need to choose a location for it.

If you'd like to make sure you don't have to download Hotkey Speech again, browse to a location within your Userdata folder. (For WFU Thinkpads, this is the only portion of your hard drive that IS will necessarily help you recover in case of catastrophe.) Click Save (or OK).

Navigate back to your desktop.

Right-click in any blank space (not on an icon) on the desktop, and highlight New, then click Shortcut.

The first window that appears will give you the chance to indicate where you saved hotkey_speech.exe. Click the browse button, and find the file, then click Next to go to the next page.