Dictate in any app · Education

Voice typing in Canvas

Grading feedback is where teaching time goes, and most of it is typed twice. Typally types what you say straight into Canvas — hold a key, talk, let go — so you can dictate anywhere Canvas lets you type.

Yes, we build Typally. That is also why the section on Canvas's built-in option is honest: people who switch after trying both are the ones who stay.
Dictate into Canvas Free — 100 minutes of dictation every month. No card, no trial countdown.
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In short

  • Canvas's own dictation: SpeechGrader-style audio feedback exists in Canvas — you can leave a recorded comment.
  • What Typally does instead: types into the focused window, so it works in Canvas and everywhere else you write.
  • Best used for: assignment feedback

Does Canvas have built-in dictation?

SpeechGrader-style audio feedback exists in Canvas — you can leave a recorded comment. That is audio the student must play, not text they can reread while revising.

Why dictate in Canvas at all?

An instructor with a hundred and twenty submissions writes a hundred and twenty comments. Written properly each takes minutes; written at volume they collapse into 'good work' and the student learns nothing.

In practice people use it for: Assignment feedback, rubric comments, announcements, discussion replies, and module descriptions.

How to dictate in Canvas

There is no Canvas extension or add-in involved — Typally behaves like a very fast keyboard:

1

Get Typally running

Install, sign in, and it waits in the tray.

2

Open Canvas and click where you want the text

Click first. Typally types into Canvas wherever the caret already is, with no idea what that field is for.

3

Speak with the key held down

Push to talk, say your piece, release to transcribe.

4

Read it before you move on

Canvas's SpeedGrader moves to the next submission quickly. Confirm the comment saved before advancing, or a dictated paragraph goes nowhere.

What Typally adds in Canvas

Typally types into SpeedGrader's comment box and rubric fields, so three sentences of specific feedback costs about the same as typing 'good work'. Students get text they can search and reread rather than an audio comment they play once. It works the same in announcements and discussion replies from the same key.

What this looks like in practice

An instructor marking a hundred essays gives each one three sentences of specific feedback instead of a single adjective. The marking takes about the same total time, and the second assignment shows students actually acted on it.

One habit that makes it work better

Dictate feedback as text rather than recording audio comments. Students can reread text while revising, search it, and act on it; a recording gets played once if at all.

What to watch out for in Canvas

Canvas's SpeedGrader moves to the next submission quickly. Confirm the comment saved before advancing, or a dictated paragraph goes nowhere.

Frequently asked questions

Does Canvas have audio feedback?

Yes, you can record a comment. Dictating text instead gives students something they can reread and search, which recordings do not.

Can I dictate into Canvas rubric comments?

Yes. Each rubric criterion has its own comment field — click into it first.

Does it work in Canvas announcements and discussions?

Yes. Both are ordinary rich-text editors.

Try it in Canvas

Free plan: 100 minutes of dictation a month, no card. Pro is $7.99/month if you want more.

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Also dictate in: Blackboard · Moodle · Google Classroom · Quizlet · Mendeley · see all apps