Communication 

 

 

 

On this page you will find information about:

 

• online audio resources for use with students

• recording your own mp3 files using Audacity

  (with your own voice or from the internet)

• aggregators and podcatchers

• podcasting
• new presentation software
  

• lower-tech solutions

  (for example, what to do if your classroom isn't wired/wireless)

 

But before we get started, let's go over some basic terminology.

 

aggregator

An aggregator, sometimes called a 'reader'or a 'feed reader', is software or a web application that collects web content (with rss feeds) such as news headlines, blogs, and podcasts of the user's choice in a single location for easy viewing.  Web-based aggregators do not automatically download material onto your computer and are particularly useful if you use multiple or shared machines.

 

blog

Blog is a portmanteau of the words web and log.  A blog is a website where one or multiple authors post a series of entries, usually displayed in reverse chronological order.  Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to write or maintain a blog.  Many blogs are text based and cover a specific domain such as politics or food;  some are personal diaries.  Other blogs integrate photos, audio, and video along with text.  An important feature of most blogs is that readers can leave comments, making the format interactive.  Blogs can be both public or private (restricted to registered/invited readers).  Here is a useful article specifically for educators discussing blogging. 

 

mp3

An mp3 is an audio format that compresses a digital audio file, removing certain parts of sound that are outside the hearing range of most people in order to make the file size smaller and more manageable. Similar principles are used by jpeg, an image compression format.

 

rss

While there is some disagreement, most people agree that rss stands for really simple syndication.  When a website has rss, it is possible to be notified whenever there are updates to the site.  Sometimes rss is also referred to as a feed or a news feed.  Atom is a similar format.  Here is a useful article specifically for educators explaining rss.

 

podcast

Podcast is a portmanteau of the words iPod (Apple's innovative mp3 player) and broadcast.  A podcast is a series of digital audio files distributed over the internet using rss for playback on mp3 players (not only on iPods) or computers.  A podcast is different from a downloadable audio file or from streaming audio content because of the use of syndication, so that users can subscribe to the podcast and choose to download new content automatically.  The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.  Audio and video 'pod'casts are sometimes called webcasts or vidcasts.  Here is a useful article specifically for educators discussing podcasting.

 

podcatcher

Podcatchers are similar to aggregators, in that they help you to manage your 'subscriptions' to web content.  Most podcatchers are free of charge, but the software needs to be downloaded onto your computer from the web.   Once the software is downloaded, podcatchers can automatically download new content onto your computer when it becomes available.  You can take this content with you on an mp3 player, etc. into an offline environment.

 

streaming

Streaming media is multimedia that is continuously received by the end-user (you) while it is being delivered by the provider (whoever runs the website).  In order to receive streaming audio or video, you must be connected to the internet.  Sometimes when you are using steaming media, you will see that the information is buffering.  This means that the program uses a buffer to store an advance supply of audio or video data to compensate for momentary delays.

 

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Presentation Software

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Prezi: Mind-Mapping for the 21st Century

 

For a detailed handout on how to create a Prezi presentation, click here.

 

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Audacity

Audacity is a free audio program that you can use to create your own podcasts or audio journals. This is one of our favorite free resources on the web. It creates small audio files, has great, easy-to-use editing features, and has good sound. Unless you dream of being a sound engineer, you won't need to download anything else in order to integrate online audio into your teaching!

 

If you click on this link, a document will open with basic information on how to use Audacity to create mp3s.  You can save or print this document, if you'd like.

 

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Online Sources for Listening Materials for English Language Students

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National Public Radio (US)

Great audio programs (from 30 to 120 minutes in length) and segments (from 15 seconds to 15 minutes in length) for use in English language classes. You can download some programs/segments as mp3 files or stream directly from the internet in a wired/wireless classrooms.  You can also subscribe to some programs or segment types as podcasts using a podcatcher like iTunes or Juice.  Want to use streaming in an off-line classroom?  Check out the lower-tech solutions section below.

This link will take you directly to NPR's podcast directory.

 

British Broadcasting Company

Surely you've heard of this news outlet!  This link will take you directly to the BBC's podcast directory.  Here are the BBC news feed instructions.

 

Click here for some additional online audio resources, including programs for students of law and business, as well as a few suggestions for languages other than English.

 

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Aggregators

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Google Reader constantly checks your favorite websites with feeds, including news sites, blogs, and podcasts, for new content. Whether a site updates daily or monthly, you won't miss a thing.  In order to use Google Reader, you will need a Google account or a Gmail account. 

Watch a short video introdcution to Google Reader here.   You can use Google Reader together with iGoogle, so that your feeds appear on a personalized page along with local weather, movies times, etc.

If you click on this link, a document will open with basic information on how to use Google Reader to keep track of your favorite websites.  You can save or print this document, if you'd like.

 

Set up a Gmail Account here: Gmail

or a Google Account here: Google Account

See Jen's instructions on how to set up either kind of account (and the differences between the two).

 

 

My Yahoo is Yahoo's customizable front page (much like Google's iGoogle).  If you have a Yahoo account, you can add automatic updates from any site with an rss feed to your personalized My Yahoo page.

 

There are numerous other aggregators out there, including Bloglines and Feedbucket.  There is even an aggregator built into Mozilla Firefox called Live Bookmarks.

 

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Podcatching

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iTunes is available to download for free from Apple.  You don't need to have an iPod (or even an mp3 player) to use iTunes!  iTunes allows you to store and organize your existing cds and mp3s on your computer, as well as to subscribe to thousands of podcasts.  You can change your display language in iTunes.

 

Juice is an open source alternative to iTunes and with Juice you can also subscribe to numerous podcasts.  When you download Juice, you can choose your display language. 

 

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Podcasting

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Podomatic

Podomatic is a free podcasting website, where you can create a podcast with audacity and upload it to Podomatic. Podomatic recommends using Audacity to create your podcast, but they also have their own recording system if you cannot download Audacity on a shared computer.

Take a look at Debby's sample podcast on Podcasting for Language Learning at LanguageBytes.

 

Odeo

Odeo is another free podcasting website, also with its own recording feature.

 

Another way to podcast is to upload your own mp3 files into a 'traditional' blog, using a site like WordPress or Blogger.

 

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Lower Tech Solutions

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Click here to view/download a document with some tips for using online audio in a low tech environment and for transferring lower tech audio from cassettes to digital files.