Drafting Scripts
Over the course of the fall 2012 semester, students drafted personal narratives about their lives and topics important to them. They used their final texts as scripts to record an audio story, something like a podcast or radio program.
To produce the audio files, we used a free audio editing program called Audacity. Audacity is open-source, and can work on Windows or Mac operating systems. It is also fairly user-friendly, and yet able to produce professional level recordings.
Recording
The students spent many nights practicing their scripts. They recorded using the built-in microphones in lap-tops, as well as voice-recorder applications on smart phones.
Editing
The pieces of their recordings were assembled and edited in Audacity, and many students added sounds they recorded, or music from YouTube and MP3s.
Publishing
The students shared their audio stories through a shared DropBox folder (DropBox is a free cloud file-storage application). We also burned CDs featuring the 11 completed recordings. We did not have a blog for the class at the time, so I will publish their stories here, as soon as I have permission from individual students to share their work.
On the Blog
Posting audio in Blogger is a little more challenging than attaching photos or videos. (Maybe I'm just overlooking something!) For Karina, Hakima, and Madjid, I was able to link through a podcasting service called PodBean. With PodBean, and other podcast sites, you can embed a player directly to the Blogger post by copying and pasting an HTML code. It's not as difficult as it sounds.
However, when I tried to upload another audio file to PodBean tonight, I found that I had reached my limit for this month! I will have to try some other alternatives.
-Eric, NYC
Thanks a lot for sharing this here. IT is really a very good thought from you. The software was suggested by Madjid and then I myself suggested to my students. Thanks again, Eric, for everything you post here. By the way, I find this blog a very intereting way to connect our classes. I told my students to write comments and suggestions. I think, we are on a very good path to helping our students to better their English-learning process.
ReplyDeleteTake care!
Hakim
Thanks Hakim. I guess I figured this wouldn't be new information to you. I like the idea of teachers (it's just the two of us at the moment, but I have a feeling it may be growing soon!) using this blog to share ideas and resources, and be transparent about their processes.
DeleteAnd if you and your students are working on audio projects, I am very excited to hear.
Oh, and I saw your class's latest video--the trip to the beach. Fantastic! Educators often talk about "building community in the classroom." But your work with them has taken them SO much further: they truly look like family. I hope you will post the video here.
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ReplyDeleteThanks a million Eric. I need you to know that I have been trying to figure it out how to post the last video here. It would be very exciting, indeed. What we have been doing now is absolutely something; we are doing our best to give our classes some helping hand to get a clear idea how to learn English. Without doubt, things are going to work out perfectly and wonderfully soon. Being greatly motivated, my students are working on other projects and presentations. They have become eager learners and they keep telling me that they are very thirsty about learning English. Your help is very important for us and we, my students and I, do appreciate everything you suggest.
ReplyDeleteMore soon Eric.
-Hakim, Bejaia, Algeria