Creating oral tasks and assessments

Pilar Munday, Ph.D.Sacred Heart University

Fairfield, CT

Tools we will see today

How to create sound files:Sound recorderAudacitySmart phones

Free tools from the Internet:VocarooCLEAR

Drop BoxConversations

ChirbitVoxopop

Paid tools from the Internet:LingtVoicethread

How to create sound files

Sound recorder

It is a component of Windows, so you can find it in most PCs.Very easy to use. Only one button!When you stop the recording, it creates a sound file that can be sent through e-mail or uploaded to a website like Blackboard.

AudacityFree program. Can be downloaded from http://audacity.sourceforge.net More sophisticated than Sound Recorder, but still easyFollow the instructions, as you also need to download the “lame” encoder in order to export .mp3 files

Smart Phones

iPhone Android

Students can create short audio files with any smart phone and then send them by e-mail to themselves or to

you

To collect the sound files, create an Assignment in

Blackboard.

Students will have access to your instructions, and can upload the file there.

Collecting and correcting the files

Collecting and correcting the files

You will find all your files in your Blackboard Grade Center. You also have the option to download all the sound files to your computer if you prefer.For each student, you can also record an answer (with the tools shown before) or just write notes and give them a grade directly in Grade Center.

Free tools from the Internet

http://vocaroo.com/

The easiest tool to use. Simply click to record.

After you record, you will get a link and a code that

can be embedded.

A group of “Rich Internet Applications for Language Learning” created by the Center for Language Education And Research at Michigan State University: http://clear.msu.edu/teaching/online/ria/ To use any of their tools you need to create a free account, but your students don’t.In your account, you will have access to the students’ submissions.

You can embed a drop box in any web page, like Blackboard.Students record directly there.Their submissions are all placed on your CLEAR page.

For instructions on how to use this tool: http://clear.msu.edu/teaching/online/ria/audioDropbox2/Audio%20Dropboxes%202%20documentation.pdf

You can try an example here

You can record questions for your students with your webcam. Embed the “conversation” on any page.Students have the option to answer all questions as if it were a real conversation.All their submissions can later be found in your CLEAR page.

Fpr instructions on how to use this tool: http://clear.msu.edu/teaching/online/ria/conversations2/Conversations2Documentation.pdf

You create a “conversation” in your main page at CLEAR by recording several

questions with your webcam.

You can then embed the conversation in your Blackboard page.

Students record the answers after every question. You can try in this

example

http://www.chirbit.com/ It allows you to record directly in the browser and the files stays there.You may also upload longer sound files.Record directly from your smart phone.Students can also share their recordings with other students.

You can leave audio responses and text comments for your

students (see example).

You can have students commenting on each other’s utterances.

If you use Twitter or Facebook in your course, “chirbits” can be

posted easily to those sites.

“Chirbits” can also be embedded in your Blackboard page.

http://www.voxopop.com/ Ideal for conversations, discussion, storytelling.Your students and you need to create an account.Let’s try it: http://bit.ly/voxopop

Paid tools from the Internet

http://lingtlanguage.com

You can have some limited use

for free.

In your page, you create classes

and post assignments there.

Very easy editor to create assignments. You can add voice, text, an image or a YouTube video to be used as

prompts.

All the students responses

are found in your lingt page.

You can also give students

feedback from that page.

The feedback can be oral

and/or written.

Prices (as of May 2011):

http://voicethread.com/ Create multimedia slideshows, where other people can comment using the computer or a phone.You can upload documents.You may also draw in the slides.Prices start at $59,00 a year for a PRO account.You can find more information hereAn here are two examples from a Spanish class and another

For questions, or comments, you can reach me at mundayp@sacredheart.edu

Thank you to Jennifer Rafferty from Quinnipiac University for her help with CHIRBIT and her

VOICETHREAD example