Introduction
Audio catches attention! The feature image brings back memory of the school playground signal for end of play time. Get your ears warmed up as we talk about audio in this digital literacy Thing 11! What a pleasure it is to have control over what we listen to with programs like Spotify. I’m writing this to the dulcet tunes of ABC Jazz that is being streamed via my computer.
Now it is easier than ever to create your own audio to share with others. Simple programs like Windows 10 Voice Recorder App to the more sophisticated programs like Audacity can be used to record and manage sound.
Podcasting as an example of how to share your thoughts, audibly, with others. Digital audio files made available on the internet are usually divided into episodes or series which can be subscribed to and downloaded. Podcast Apps can be company dependent like the ABC Listen App or more broad ranging like Google Podcasts.
Podcasting is a medium to which we, as humans, really react well.
That’s because we’re tuned into the human voice and the stories and information it has to tell.
from Social Media in Higher Education, Expertise in Your Ears, Dave Musson, 2019
Read more about Podcasting in ‘More Detail’ below, then take a look at the activities under ‘Try’ and finally, share your thoughts and comments with us under ‘Share’.
Try
- Use Vocaroo to record a 30 second talk about a recent learning experience. No account or login needed. (2 minutes)
- Read Chapter 18 in the book edited by Chris Rowell (free to download from our Reading List) Expertise in Your Ears; Why You Should Jump on the Podcasting Bandwagon by Dave Musson. (10 minutes read, 15 minutes reflection)
- Find a podcast that fits into your current areas of interest (10-30mins)
- iTunes download http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/. Find the podcasts menu and then search for podcasts by category, genre, top shows or provider.
- Soundcloud. Use the search area to put in keywords.
More Detail
Have a look on your computer for a voice recorder. On Windows 10 it is called just that! Programs that are part of the operating system usually have simple interfaces, easy to operate but nothing extensive in features or editing.
Microphones are the critical bit of kit for sound recording. Here are two ‘Best of…’ resources for microphones for podcasting. Watch this video for a 2019 look at ‘Best microphone for YouTube, podcasting and home studio’. This article “The best podcast microphones on the market” explains that a good quality mic is critical to get the best sound from your voice.
iTunes is developed by Apple corporation and is available on most devices. You may choose to download a single episode or a whole series. Subscription allows notifications for new episodes of a podcast. Other features include the ability to synchronise or copy podcasts to different devices that use the same account.
SoundCloud is a global online audio platform based in Germany, that enables users to upload, record, and share their originally-created sounds such as music and spoken word. SoundCloud is used by a broad range of amateur and professional artists, societies, and broadcasters. Just like YouTube and Vimeo, SoundCloud tracks can also be shared and embedded within other webpages and learning platforms. If you want to share your recordings within a Learning Management System (LMS) then ensure that the program you choose has the correct embed options.
Here is a range of programs that work with voice: Online recording Vocaroo, Podcasting Spreaker, Video sharing Flipgrid, Voice to Text with Google Docs (Chrome browser only).
Share
Comment below and share a podcast you have listened to recently or discovered this week.
Is there anything that annoys you about audio in learning courses? Share that experience below.
Reminder: Track your Professional Development with this form. Record of evidence form
Comments are closed.
References
Charles Sturt University http://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/digitalknowledge/2017/05/15/thing-9/
Photo by Oleg Laptev on Unsplash
Thing 11 written by Wendy Taleo
It was amazing to use google docs to record my speech.
Using Vocaroo was pretty easy to do a voice recording. I downloaded it as an MP3 file which worked. I noticed that I could have chosen a link to the recording or to delete the link. When I went back to delete the link after downloading it as an MP3 file the link wasn’t available. Does that mean a recording of mine is floating around out there somewhere? (It was only a comment.)
Also, is there something about the itunes download I need to know? If I click on the link, it doesn’t get me to anything that says podcast menu.
Some of the old radio hosts could probably show us a thing or two about podcasts.
Joanne
Hi Joanne,
Thanks for spending a little time to improve your digital literacy.
Vocaroo – The Help File is not specific in answering your question but it does say that Vocaroo does not provide permanent storage of any any messages.
iTunes – The link above is only for downloading the application. Once it is downloaded and installed on your computer or device, then you will be able to navigate to the podcast area.