http://elacd.carnet.hr/wiki/images/8/82/Ipoditalk2kengo.jpg∞

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kengo/3296307/∞ by kengo] <BR>

'Voice Tools'

Description

There are an increasing number of options that allow you to easily record and listen to voice with your computer. These options can be very useful to instructors who want an alternative to providing written comments for reasons such as:

*it takes less time to record audio than to type comments

*voice can convey enthusiasm and emotion more easily by voice

*voice can provide a stronger instructor presence, especially in distance contexts where there is no face to face contact with the instructor.

Background

In recent years, digital voice tools have become increasingly simple to use. Most newer computers now have some ability to play or record audio, with or without a microphone. Digital audio players such as the ipod can also record digital audio of reasonable quality, provided a microphone is attached.

Tools in this category
http://www.springdoo.com∞ Springdoo is a good way of sending feedback via voice if you aren't using WebCT. The voice message is stored on the springdoo servers and the student is emailed a link to retrieve it. This gets around the problem of trying to send large audio files by email.

Wimba for WebCT UBC has a license for Wimba, so it is free to use for UBC students and faculty.

Design Questions/Issues

Some of the pedagogical and technical design questions are:

*the length of audio recording. For example, while text can be scanned quickly, audio requires a different type of process of information.

*the tone of voice in conveying feedback or comments. Providing voice feedback can provide a stronger teacher presence, but text is also more neutral in a way that voice isn’t.

*the pedagogical rationale for using voice and not text. What can voice feedback do that text can't?

*considerations of the users—what kinds of connections are they on, and how long will it take them to download the audio? While it is possible to record in compressed formats, there is also a loss of quality that comes compressed audio files.

Examples & Activities

For obvious reasons, language education has been an enthusiastic user of digital audio, where students can record themselves speaking in a foreign language, and instructors can respond with feedback on correct pronunciation or grammar. However, there are few examples of educators who are using it as a way to provide feedback to students that is not focussed on language.

[http://www.languagemagazine.com/internetedition/ma00/davis.html∞ This resource] explains how audio can be used for creating digital voice journals. http://www.languagemagazine.com/internetedition/ma00/davis.html∞

[http://www.horizonwimba.com/products/voicetools/∞ The HorizonWimba site] points to a [http://www.horizonwimba.com/docs/Santa_Monica_College.pdf∞ case study] of how a college in the US is using the Wimba voice tools. While this article is not specific to providing voice feedback, it does offer some interesting ideas around the use of voice in assessed activities. http://www.horizonwimba.com/docs/Santa_Monica_College.pdf∞

How To

Using Wimba Voice Mail to provide audio feedback within WebCT 4.1

1. Click on Voice Mail.
2. Enter the non WebCT email address of the student in the To field(eg. johnh@interchange.ubc.ca)
3. Enter your email address in the From field.
4. Click the round button and begin recording.
5. Click the square when you are done.
6. Add text if you like.
7. Send!


Creating and Attaching Audio Files in WebCT

PC or Mac instructions for using an external digital recording device with ITunes

1. use an ipod (with italk) or some other digital recording tool. Record your feedback, into your ipod.
2. Plug the ipod into your computer. Itunes should open up.
3. Find the file that has been uploaded to itunes. It is usually assigned a date as a title…you might find it helpful to change this date to something like “Sonja Assign. 1 feedback”
4. In WebCT, attach the audio file as you would attach a word document.
5. You will now have a backup copy of this feedback on your computer.

Using the audio feature in Microsoft 2004
nb. this doesn't work with Word 2003, but will work with Word 2007

1. open the word document
2. go to View and click Notebook layout
3. insert mouse in document where you want to add the voice message
4. click the red round button on the toolbar to record
5. record into the microphone (internal or external)
6. stop the recording with the sqare button
7. save and send document to the student (nb. student must also have Word 2004 to be able to play it)

Resources

[http://audacity.sourceforge.net/∞ Audacity]is a free piece of software that allows you to create and edit audio files of different formats.

[http://www.horizonwimba.com/products/voicetools/∞ Wimba Voice Tools] are voice tools that can be integrated into WebCT (provided it has been purchased). While it is designed to provide asynchronous one to many communication, the voice email feature is a simple way of providing voice feedback to students. You can try the demo on this site, as well as read about other ways that this tool can be used.