I learned about it from Kevin's Meandering Mind (blog). Unfortunately, adding the audio layer is not a feature available for the free PIXTON version. You have to sign up for PIXTON FOR SCHOOLS in order to be able to do that. Well, at least they offer a 30-day free trial so let's see if I can get my students to create comic strips during that period.
This was my first trial with the aim to welcome my students to our EDMODO group. After creating your comic strip you can publish it on a website, like I'm doing right now, or by clicking on the Edmodo icon, this way it's automatically attached to your message to an edmodo group of your choice.
To listen to the recordings, hover the mouse over the SPEECH BUBBLES and click on the PLAY button.
I normally use AUDACITY to make my recordings, however I'm aware it can be a bit challenging to newbies due to the fact that you have to download the program and then also download Lame to convert your recordings to MP3s.
I was looking for something simpler to show to a group of trainees I have for the online course I facilitate and remembered AVIARY's audio editor MYNA.
This is a short TUTORIAL I've created to help teachers record themselves so that later they can use the mp3 file to make a screencast at slideshare.net
Next month, I'm starting a new course for ESL / EFL teachers who are familiar with the tech world but would like to learn a bit more.
During CULTURA EDTECH "Moving Beyond", teachers will be able to learn how to create their Blogger blogs, explore webtools and post mini lesson plans, try out online video editing tools, create screencasts and presentations they can share online. Interested? Just send an e-mail to anamariacult@yahoo.com.br and I can send you more information.
Discovered this site via Tony Watt. Readthewords.com converts any text, blog, document or RSS into an audio file you can download to your i-pod to listen to. You can select the reading speed and the voice/avatar which is going to read it (male or female).
Check how it works:
How can we use this with sts?
Students could convert texts to audio files to help them study.
Students can use it to see the pronunciation of a given set of words.
This would be an indefinite source of listening material which could be personalised.
The teacher could use it to convert a text into an audio file and use it in class for dictation.
Or send the audio file to sts at home, have them listen, write down and hand in the dictation.
This is a text about a Brazilian composer called Heitor Villa Lobos which I converted into an audio file.
After creating the audio file you can download it to your computer, grab the embed code to post it in a blog , get the mp3 file link or even send it to someone by e-mail.
While checking my subscriptions at youtube I found this wonderful site presented by gigafide. It´s Creaza and its tools: mindomo (which I posted about recently), a movie editor, an audio editor and a cartoon maker.
Adding audio files to a web page can be quite tricky depending on the site you use. Today I tried AUDIOPAL and found it amazingly easy and practical. You can record your audio by phone, use a microphone or upload an existing audio file, then you type in your e-mail address and you get an e-mail with the link to an embed code you can publish. It's that easy! No registration needed. I learned about this site via Technology Tidbits
The second site for audio recordings is RECORDR You can record VIDEO or AUDIO only, then grab the embed code and publish it. You can also tweet your recording with a simple click.
You can leave messages for your students in class blogs.
You can have students record dialogues in class and then publish them in the class blog.
You can send sts a dictation they have to write down for homework.
You can read a text about a content sts are going to see in the future.
After a comment left by Alex, this is a trial using VOCAROO Vocaroo is also very simple. No need to sign up. YOu record and can get a link or an embed code. You'll see the quality of the recording was not so clear.
Chirbit is slightly more complicated than the others, you have to sign up, and after recording it provides you with a link and the possibility to share in various sites. Couldn't find an embed code though. Sound quality was not the best either.
Well, my evaluation would be the following: if you want to record something simple, audio only, my choices would be AUDIOPAL and VOCAROO (sound was not so good).
With RECORDR I have the option of having a video made and it's as simple as Audiopal. The only thing I didn't like so much was that even recording audio only the embeddable player is very big.
Woices is a site where people record their impressions of places they are at the moment or places they´ve been to. Unfortunately to EFL teachers, there are very few recordings in English, most of them are in Spanish but I guess as people start using it we´ll have more listening material in English. Once you like an "echo" you can get an embed code for your webpage.
How can we use this site with students?
you can ask students to choose a place in the map, listen to a recording and then talk about it in class.
you can ask students to write about a place they´ve been to and then recordtheir echo at WOICES.
students then can listen to each other echoes and write about the most interesting ones.
Any other ideas?
This is an echo I´ve found about the Galapagos Island (it´s in Spanish).
This is my very first echo about the "Perito Moreno Glacier"
Click on the ZOOM to have a better look at the picture.
I had already used Springdoo but hadn't really explored all its features. The tutorials are very easy to understand. This is what you can do with springdoo.
