Tech Tip: Text to Voice

This is a what the extension looks like in my Google Chrome toolbar. The little megaphone icon makes the extension so easily accessible and it is not in the way of anything.
(Source: A screenshot that I took on my own computer)

Ever since I read the Tech Tip that convinced me to downloaded the Read Aloud: A Text to Speech Voice Reader Google Chrome extension, my life has never been the same since. Before I dowloaded this extension,  I used the text to speech software on the NaturalReaders website (which I will probably still use when wanting to turn text that is not on an internet browser into speech), but this little tool is SO much more efficient when browsing the web and it will save me so much time. The readings that I am assigned for the rest of my classes are either readings from an economics textbook or international studies peer-reviewed articles. I am used to reading these forms of dense readings where I have no option but to read very slowly because there is little "fluff" in those readings and there is a lot of information packed into less writing that requires you to think critically as you read. Some of the readings for this class also require you to do the same thing, but after doing so much intense reading for my other classes, which I spend A LOT of time and energy on because they're all extremely applicable to my career, I am burnt out by the end of the day. Because of this, during Week 3, I struggled to keep up with my readings during the weekdays because by the time I got home by 8 PM at the earliest after school or work, the words on the Ramayana readings and the directions for different assignments all just jumbled together and my brain and eyes just could not process what I was reading. I'm excited to use this new extension to listen to stories without having to further strain my eyes after a day of sitting at a desk staring at my computer for hours and hours and just listen to the stories, writing down notes on paper as I go. My favorite part of this extension is the fact that it gives you the option of choosing which exact voice you want to read to you out of hundreds of different options and it lets you customize the speech and pitch of their voices! I would highly recommend it to anybody that struggles with reading at times like me.