Audio in the Classroom!

This is a sponsored post. All opinions and ideas (unless otherwise cited), however, are my own.

It seems like we are in a renaissance period for audio. Despite the dominance of videos and pictures (hello, TikTok, SnapChat and Instagram…), people are increasingly turning to audio for communication, learning, sharing and entertainment.

Podcast listenership continues to grow (some stats here and here), audio tools like Voxer are becoming increasingly popular for PLNs, educators freaked out when the addition of audio in Google Slides was delayed last spring and, lastly, “podcasting in the classroom” sessions at education conferences are becoming increasingly prevalent.

So, how can you use it in your classroom?  Before we get to that, let’s talk about how to create the audio files.

Audio Recording Options

There are lots of options out there, all of which have pros and cons.  I’ve discussed some on my podcast (here and here) and other educators have shared about options on their blogs (Eric Curts, John Sowash). As long as you identify your goal and think through the pros and cons, you’ll probably have multiple options to choose from.

One thing that I like to consider when selecting a tech tool for a new endeavor is: Do we already use a tool that can also do this effectively? Not only does that reduce the learning curve, but it means that we’re potentially connecting our students’ login and information with 1 less app or website.

If you like that line of thinking, Screencastify may be the option for you when it comes to audio in the classroom!  Did you realize that you could export Screencastify recordings as mp3 audio files? Check it out!

This animation shows the process of recording with Screencastify and then exporting the recording as an audio file.
Pausable version of this #EduGIF available here.

If you’re already using the tool in your classroom for screencasts and other video projects, it might be a great option for you.  This is available in the FREE version of the app.  Your files are limited to 5 minutes in length, but you can record as many videos (or, in this case, audio files) as you’d like.  The paid version provides unlimited video (or audio file) lengths.

21 Uses of Audio in the Classroom!

Continue reading Audio in the Classroom!