Tag: synth

Synth Shutting Down

The audio tool Synth was shut down earlier this fall.

The team behind Synth has turned their attention to their new project: Focusable. If you had recordings in there that you want, the site states “if you need help getting access to your content please reach out at support@gosynth.com.” Hopefully, you’ll be able to recover what you need.

So, what if you were counting on Synth?

If you’re looking to facilitate audio discussions, you can use Flip, which is well-known for video discussions, but can also be used in mic-only mode, or Padlet, which has an audio option as well. You could also use Mote in a number of ways: doing it in Google Slides jumps out to me as a good way to facilitate discussions. 

There certainly are other simple audio tools–Vocaroo, AudioVoiceRecorder.com, Cloud Audio Recorder, and more… but I think Flip, Padlet, and Mote might be the best for discussions.  I could probably list 5 other potential options though!

[Image Source: https://getfocusable.com/m/synth-shutting-down/ ]

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#EduDuctTape Mini Episode 003!

In the 3rd mini episode, I sit down to talk to . . . ugh . . . disaster.  A minor technology disaster strikes the Educational Duct Tape podcast studios and I take to the microphone to vent about it and reflect on it.

 

#EduDuctTape Episode 33!

In the 10th episode of Season 2, I talk with Dr. Sheldon Eakins of the Leading Equity Center & Leading Equity Podcast. Together, Sheldon and I discuss techquity, bringing culture, community and disruptive discourse into the classroom. Tech tools covered include Skype-a-Scientist, Flipgrid, Synth, Voicethread, BackChannelChat.com, Yo! Teach, Google Classroom, Padlet, Schoology, and Parlay.

15+ Tools for Student Voice

In episode 28 of the Educational Duct Tape Podcast, Mike Mohammad joined me for a chit-chat.  One of the topics that we discussed was student voice.  I posed the question, “How can educators provide opportunities for student voice?”

Mike promptly made the distinction between student voice and student choice.  While both are powerful things to leverage in the classroom, they are very different (though we often lump them together, as Mike pointed out).

I think that educators’ definitions for the term student voice are inconsistent – some seem to believe that it simply means
– hearing each student’s answer or thinking
– while others believe that it means empowering the students to have a voice in some (or all!) aspects of their education.

Mike made it clear in his response that he subscribes to the 2nd “definition” of student voice.  His response fits with the description that Edutopia uses: student voice involves letting “students’ input and expertise … help shape their classroom, their school, and ultimately their own learning and growth.”

I definitely believe that that is the type of student voice that we want to strive for.  In a recent #EduDuctTape chat, educators shared their favorite tool for empowering student voice.  It’s important to note that simply using the tool doesn’t provide opportunity for or empowerment of student voice.  It’s all about how you use it.

Here are some of their responses:

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