You can speak your notes instead of typing them. Your words appear in the box as you talk, and you can edit them afterwards like any typed text.
How to dictate
The microphone button sits under the notes box on the Write a report page. You'll also find it in Edit notes in the editor, in the Refine box, and on the phone's capture screen.
There are two ways to use it:
- Tap to start, tap to stop. Select the microphone, speak, then select it again when you're done.
- Press and hold. Hold the button while you talk and let go to stop.
The first time, your browser asks for permission to use the microphone. Choose allow.
Speak in short, clear phrases, one idea at a time, as you would write dot points. Words go into the box after anything already there, so you can type some notes and dictate the rest.
If dictation doesn't work
Lantern tells you why beside the button:
- "Lantern can't use your microphone. Allow it in your browser's site settings, then try again." Your browser is blocking the microphone for Lantern.
- "No microphone found. Connect one and try again, or type instead."
- "Lantern didn't catch any words. Try again, a little closer to the microphone."
- "You've used dictation a lot this hour. Try again later, or type instead."
- "Dictation is turned off for your school, so nothing was added."
If there's no microphone button
Dictation is on for a school unless its admin turns it off. A school admin can turn it off for the whole school in School admin. When it's off, the microphone is removed for every teacher and no audio leaves Lantern. Dictation may also not be offered on your school's Lantern yet. Either way, type your notes instead.
Where the audio goes
Live dictation is turned into text by Google Cloud Speech-to-Text in Sydney. Google keeps no audio or text, and recordings aren't used to train AI models. See AI providers and model training for more.
Still stuck?
Email support@lanternreports.com.au and a real person will get back to you.