Why not just use text messages?
A big reason is that parents read kids' text messages. If there is no text message sent, there is nothing for your parents to find.
There's a delete button.
Kids are swapping AirPods and using text-to-speech to talk secretly in class
11–20 of 27 posts
Re: Kids are swapping AirPods and using text-to-speech to talk secretly in class
#12Why not just use text messages?
I think this prevents them from having to look at their phones, and the expressiveness mirrors speaking since text-to-speech is so immediate.
Re: Kids are swapping AirPods and using text-to-speech to talk secretly in class
#13Someone should make an app for this and it could be done way better. Here are is how I would do it so its better and fits in the use case.
1. More realistic and even custom sounding text-to-voice API such as amazon polly or - https://aws.amazon.com/polly/ (this one uses polly https://www.text2voice.org/) or google wave net https://cloud.google.com/text-to-speech/pricing
2. Then, and this is where you can get creative, is to mask the app so its UI looks like something that is allowed in a classroom i.e. dictionary, wikipedia, ebook reading, audible, spreadsheets etc. Also, make sure to name your app something innocuous.
See these examples of Reddit masked as Microsoft Outlook: http://pcottle.github.io/MSOutlookit/ Reddit as word -> http://pcottle.github.io/MSWorddit/ Reddit as code -> http://codereddit.com/ Reddit as unix shell -> https://redditshell.com/
Also, allowing the app to recognize which companion you are voice to texting (with the earpods still paired with original phone), then the app can use logic to know when one person is "speaking" and hold off on speaking a message until your companions message is over, otherwise there is potential for overlapping cross-talk (also have quick-cancel/pause speaking).
Other obvious features would be to clear spoken texts from the input box and maybe even keep recently typed/spoken words as in a "recently used" area to minimize new full-text input being required. And if partner's app is doing the text-to-voice, it would already have the conversational nouns and details. Anything to minimize typing input, etc.
If someone builds this lmk :)
Re: Kids are swapping AirPods and using text-to-speech to talk secretly in class
#14Re: Kids are swapping AirPods and using text-to-speech to talk secretly in class
#15Why not just use text messages?
I think its for the cool and fun factor and to hear google text-to-speech voice talking to you. It must feel cool one way or another, its usually how kids and teenagers spread things.
Re: Kids are swapping AirPods and using text-to-speech to talk secretly in class
#16Before we had cellphones, we used to use the windows terminal “net send” command to send each other messages in classes we had computers.
Re: Kids are swapping AirPods and using text-to-speech to talk secretly in class
#17Someone should make an app for this and it could be done way better. Here are is how I would do it so its better and fits in the use case. 1. More realistic and even custom sounding text-to-voice API such as amazon polly or - https://aws.amazon.com/polly/ (this one uses polly https://www.text2voice.org/ ) or google wave net https://cloud.google.com/text-to-speech/pricing 2. Then, and this is where you can get creativ…
This is so thorough and so rad...thanks for sharing. Had no idea about those masked reddit feeds...hilarious!
Re: Kids are swapping AirPods and using text-to-speech to talk secretly in class
#18I'm confused as to why kids are allowed to have airpods in their ears in class at all? It's really not difficult to figure out when a kid is trying to hide it. (source: I'm a teacher of adolescents) I can only assume that this is either allowed (implicitly or explicitly) or this is in schools where teachers are so overloaded that any sort of message passing would probably go unpunished anyway.
Thought about this too...the whole headphones in class thing is confusing haha
Re: Kids are swapping AirPods and using text-to-speech to talk secretly in class
#19Why not just use text messages?
A big reason is that parents read kids' text messages. If there is no text message sent, there is nothing for your parents to find.
I think it's also because of the teachers. This way if the teacher accuses them of texting in class, the student can deny it and there's no evidence of the message.
Re: Kids are swapping AirPods and using text-to-speech to talk secretly in class
#20I'm confused as to why kids are allowed to have airpods in their ears in class at all? It's really not difficult to figure out when a kid is trying to hide it. (source: I'm a teacher of adolescents) I can only assume that this is either allowed (implicitly or explicitly) or this is in schools where teachers are so overloaded that any sort of message passing would probably go unpunished anyway.
Some people have long hair
Wouldn't matter. Teens are just terrible at hiding anything in class. You can even just tell when their focus is elsewhere.