Otter.ai is speech to text software which creates shareable audio files and transcripts.
Otter is useful in many contexts including lectures, meetings, brainstorming, and
transcribing previously recorded multimedia.
Some Notable Features
Available as phone or computer app.
See text live as the app is recording.
Play back audio from any point by clicking on the text.
Share link to audio with text
Share transcript as text, docx (Word) or PDF file.
Export audio.
Import audio or video to transcribe.
Add vocabulary to enhance accuracy.
Otter Live Notes: integrates with Zoom recordings to display the live transcript in your browser window
and/or captions in the bottom on your Zoom window.
More about Otter Lives Notes
One special feature of Otter.ai is Otter Live Notes which integrates Otter and Zoom.
If you have an Otter license and Zoom account from Santa Monica College you can run
Otter Live Notes when you host your Zoom meetings.
You and the participants will see the live transcript running in your browser window
next to your Zoom window.
You can also include closed captions running at the bottom of the Zoom window.
As the host you can annotate the running transcript with highlighting, comments and/or
images.
After the meeting, you can send participants an editable transcript and/or a link
to an Otter page where they can see the transcript and listen to the audio.
Universal Design vs. Disability Accommodations
We recognize Otter’s potential as an accommodation for students with disabilities.
However, rather than providing Otter to individual students, we encourage professors
using synchronous Zoom meetings to use Otter live notes with all their students. This
universal design approach gives thousands more students access to a new tool which
may enhance their academic success.
Otter Zoom Milk SI Units Demo
Requesting a License and Setting Up Otter Live Notes
We have a limited number of licenses (125) of Otter speech to text software available
to our campus community. While most of these will be reserved for our students with
disabilities we have some available for our faculty or staff colleagues.
If you are interested in an Otter license, please contact Distance Education at distance_ed_inquiry@smc.edu.
Once DE has issued you an Otter license, you will be sent an email notifying you of
your enrollment and providing a JOIN link to proceed with your Otter setup.
Additional setup instructions will be sent at that time.
By the end of the setup you will have opened an Otter account and made a few adjustments
to your Zoom and Otter settings to enable Otter Live Notes.
If you have any questions about the setup, please contact one of our Otter support
sources.
As a host of Zoom meetings running Otter Live Notes, you must notify all participants
about the Otter audio recording and transcript. Faculty who intend to use Otter Live
Notes should add a notification to their syllabi. Faculty opting to use Otter after
a course begins need to notify their students in writing.
Suggested Text for Syllabi
This semester I will be using Otter Live Notes speech to text technology along with
Zoom so students can see a transcript (and/or captions) of my lectures live during
the lecture. After each Zoom lecture, I will be sending students a link to Otter through
which they can hear the lecture and view the transcript. Additionally, I will be sending
each student a Word document with the transcript of the lecture.
Otter Basics
Start your Zoom meeting.
Confirm the LIVE on Otter.ai Live Notes bar is showing in the upper left corner of your Zoom window.
Open the Live on Otter the pull-down menu and choose View Stream on Otter.ai Live.
The live transcript will open in a browser window.
Special Note: Be sure your Zoom and browser windows are sized and positioned so you can see both,
side by side.
Invite your participants to see the Otter Live Stream transcript by asking your participants
to Open the pull-down menu from the Live Otter bar in the upper-left hand corner of
your Zoom window and choose View Stream on Otter.ai Live, just as you did.
Although Otter recognizes numbers, it cannot do speech to text recognition for math
and science symbols.
Currently the only language Otter supports is English.
Adding Closed Captions to View the Transcript in the Bottom of the Zoom Window Special Notes Only the Otter member host can activate closed captions. Otter Live Notes does not work in breakout rooms.
Start your Zoom meeting.
Confirm the LIVE on Otter.ai Live Notes bar is showing in the upper left corner of the Zoom window.
Click the Closed Caption button at the bottom of the Zoom window, then click Copy the API token. Special Note: If you do not see Closed Caption in your tool bar, click the More icon and choose
Closed Caption from the options.
Click the 3-dot icon in the upper right corner of Otter Live Notes, paste the API token in the box under Closed Caption for zoom, and click Save.
You will see the captions in the bottom of the Zoom window.
Otter also has a vocabulary feature the sets it apart from Zoom. Terms or historical
names and places can be added so that the Otter app identifies it in the transcript
and spells it correctly.
Click your name in the top left and choose Account settings.
Click Manage Vocabulary.
To add a proper name, click Names of people under Personal Vocabulary. To add a general term, click Other vocabulary.
Be sure to click Add after you enter the vocabulary.
You can record yourself through the My voiceprint feature to help improve Otter’s recognition of your voice.
Click on your account profile in the top of the Otter interface.
Click on Account Settings.
Click on My voiceprint.
Click the blue record button and begin reading the paragraph.
Instructors as Zoom hosts and Otter.ai team members have control over their recordings.
Faculty can choose who gets access to recordings and transcripts. Faculty can delete
their conversations from the Otter.ai cloud whenever they choose. At this point, the
conversations cease to exit.
Some Important Otter Features
Available as phone or computer app.
See text live as the app is recording.
Play back audio from any point by clicking on the text.
Share link to audio with text.
Share transcript as text, docx (Word) or PDF file.
Export audio (mp3).
Import audio or video to transcribe (e.g., One can transcribe a previously recorded
Zoom lecture.).
Add vocabulary to enhance accuracy.
Otter Live Notes: integrates with Zoom recordings to display live transcript in your browser window
and/or captions in the bottom on your Zoom window.
Otter LIve Notes and Zoom with Audio Transcription Comparison
Post recording files
Otter Live Notes
Zoom
Zoom video
no
yes
Audio + text
yes
yes
Editable Transcript
yes
File format options: plain text, txt, pdf, docx, srt.
Word doc opens with Arial 11, keywords at top.
Time stamps are optional.
yes
Exports as .vtt file which can open in text applications including Word. Opens in
Word with Courier
New, 10.5 and time stamps.
Searchable transcripts
yes
yes
Live transcripts during Zoom meetings
yes
no
Notified when recordings and transcripts are ready
yes
yes
Transcribing processing time
Varies, but always quicker than Zoom
Varies, longer than Otter Live Notes
Accuracy
Powered by Otter.ai. Using the Custom Vocabulary feature can enhance accuracy.
Powered by Otter.ai.
Live Automatic Closed Captioning during Zoom Meeting
yes
No, requires a captioner
Can stop and restart recording
yes
yes
Otter Live Notes does not work in Zoom breakout rooms.
Otter Live Notes only works when the Otter member host who initiated the meeting is
present.
Chromebook users may not see the Otter Live Notes window. Here is the workaround.
The host (or any participants not on Chromebook) selects Copy Streaming Link from the Otter Live menu to copy the URL of the Otter live transcript browser window and then pastes the link
in the Zoom chat window.
Any students using Chromebook can click on the pasted link to open the live transcript.
Speakers names are not automatically identified during a recording. The host can choose
to identify the speakers afterward. Here is the Otter documentation on this subject:
Adding speakers to a conversation
In case you know some who may be interested, Otter offers a free version that provides
600 recording minutes per month with a maximum of 30 minutes of recording time per
recording.
Questions and Support
For more information as well as support in implementing and using Otter, please contact
one of your Otter support sources.
