Audio material is regularly used when teaching speaking and listening in foreign languages. Therefore the teachers and the students should be able to edit and modify audio as well as texts.
Probably the best freeware available for editing sound is called AUDACITY.
Audacity Basics - you should be able to
- install Audacity and the lame library which enables export to mp3
- open a file in Audacity
- edit the file: cut and paste, fade in/out, change speed, delete, add silence
- create a new file
- combine two files (e.g. speech + background music)
- insert silence (e.g. as a space for an answer)
- change the speed or pitch (carefully!) to make understanding easier (or to have fun)
TASK 1 - WEB SEARCH
Choose an online audio resource - a podcast or TED you consider useful for an English teacher. Listen, and share the link and your opinion in the comments to this blog entry.
Inspiration/hint: What does the word "podcast" mean? Go to Podomatic, create an account and browse the site. How can we use it in teaching English?
Good examples - Teacher Luke, Splendid Speaking for advances learners
Podcast on podcasting in ELT
More online podcasts and streams
Ted Talks on Education - free online lectures!
Paramind
Oxford University Podcasts
Explore the possiblities to transfer written text to audio, e.g. https://voicemaker.in/ (and many others)
Inspiration/hint: What does the word "podcast" mean? Go to Podomatic, create an account and browse the site. How can we use it in teaching English?
Good examples - Teacher Luke, Splendid Speaking for advances learners
Podcast on podcasting in ELT
More online podcasts and streams
Ted Talks on Education - free online lectures!
Paramind
Oxford University Podcasts
Explore the possiblities to transfer written text to audio, e.g. https://voicemaker.in/ (and many others)
How can we use this software effectively for teaching English?
What about other languages?
How should an English teacher use any audio material? Check the tips here https://blog.listenwise.com/2017/02/7-guidelines-teaching-listening/
and here
Do they reflect your school experience?
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TASK 2 - THE CREDIT PROJECT- to be done in groups of max. 4 people
- Product: high quality audiorecording 5-10'.
- Content: audio dramatisation of a literary scene according to your own choice; may include special sound effects.
- to practise pronunciation, including peer correction;
- to revise British and American literature and support learning for lit. exams;
- to master basic sound editing skills in Audacity;
- to design a system for recording within online communication;
- to develop cooperation and organisation skills;
- to have fun
Tips:
- Prepare a scenario. Rehearse before recording. Give each other feedback on pronunciation and acting.
- Find a silent space for recording, avoid unwanted background sounds (a train, a lorry, a neighbour's parrot...)
- Record, listen, re-record, listen, re-record... focus on quality!
- Edit the recording in Audacity. Create and add appropriate sound effects if suitable.
- Make the drama credible :) explore your acting talent.
- Finalise the file, export it and save as mp3, and put into a permanent cloud, share the link in the excel chart (each member of the group).
_________________________
EXTRAS
Sound files extensions:
wav - Standard audio file container format used mainly in Windows PCs. Commonly used for storing uncompressed (PCM), CD-quality sound files, which means that they can be large in size—around 10 MB per minute. Wave files can also contain data encoded with a variety of (lossy) codecs to reduce the file size (for example the GSM or MP3 formats). Wav files use a RIFF structure
mp3 - compressed, MPEG Layer III Audio. Is the most common sound file format used today
flac - Free Lossless Audio Codec
ape - Monkey's Audio lossless audio compression format
ogg - A free, open source container format supporting a variety of formats, the most popular of which is the audio format Vorbis; compression similar to MP3
webm - Royalty-free format created for HTML5 video
aiff - Standard audio file format used by Apple. It could be considered the Apple equivalent of wav
ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_file_format
Sluchové pole (nebo oblast slyšitelnosti) je rozsah všech zvuků, které dokáže lidské ucho vnímat. Vnímání zvuku je u člověka omezeno slyšitelnými frekvencemi (přibližně 16–20 000 Hz). U každé frekvence je odlišný rozdíl intenzit, jež slyšíme. Lidský sluchový orgán je nejcitlivější v oblasti frekvencí 1–5 kHz.
http://www.wikiskripta.eu/index.php/Pr%C3%A1h_sluchu_a_sluchov%C3%A9_pole
https://www.esl-lab.com/easy/family-recreation/
OdpovědětVymazatThis web page is really good for finding listening excercises on any level the students might be at. There is a broad spectrum of topics. The audio is usually in good quality and reasonably long. There are also comprehension questions included, as well as, pre and post listening excercises. You can also find the trascript to the audio, so it is easier for the teacher. The only problem is you cannot download the audio.
excellent for basic language practice.
Vymazathttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
OdpovědětVymazatThis TED talk focuses on education and its methods. It's a good way to test your english skills and also think about different ways to teach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgWie9dnssU
OdpovědětVymazatThis video is very usefull for learning english and it is fun to watch. Very informational and educational. It is a TED Talk by Jennifer Golbeck about social media. Our english teacher showed it to us and I liked it a lot so here it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_zk2DpgLCs
OdpovědětVymazatWe used this in mr. Laue´s class and it´s quite an interesting story a rich vocabulary, allowing us to furter expand our languagy skills while at the same time we are introduced to a real life story with a deep meaning making us think about our life priorities.
Marek Jäger, Bekai Hanin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arj7oStGLkU
OdpovědětVymazatI chose this TED talk because I find it very useful and relatable. It talks about the mind of a master procrastinator which I think we all are adn our generation is kind of notorious for tihs. We are used to complete assigned work right before the deadlines and not in advance.
-David Řehák
https://elllo.org
OdpovědětVymazatAlso one of the competitors and useful sites with good listening excercises. Elllo have over 3,000 free listening lessons for all levels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra3fv8gl6NE
OdpovědětVymazatThis podcast segment focuses on artificial intelligence. Joe Rogan has a conversation with Elon Musk who is concerned about it. It is informative. I approve :)
NASA offers lots of authentic materials of popular science - e.g. Curious Universe podcast.https://www.nasa.gov/mediacast/the-invisible-world-of-gravitational-waves
OdpovědětVymazatThis is quite a good site for english listening test: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening
OdpovědětVymazathttps://youtu.be/5MuIMqhT8DM
OdpovědětVymazatWe've researched this video with Mr. Laue & we find it very useful for a student to manage well his time and schedule, to combine leisure and studying; the goal is to find balance and study more effectively.
Steven Pinker: Linguistics as a Window to Understanding the Brain
OdpovědětVymazathttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-B_ONJIEcE
"Steven Pinker, renowned linguist and Harvard Psychology Professor, discusses linguistics as a window to understanding the human brain."
A very insightful lecture on language & its aquisition.
https://busyteacher.org/15102-esl-listening-material-7-great-places-to-look-for.html
OdpovědětVymazatThis web has many options to choose a site with materials - for many topics and in many forms like quizlets, short news, listening lessons and other easy audio and video formats to use.
Every web there is in its own a source of listening/teaching materials, for example: https://www.elllo.org/class/A1/A1-01-Be-Verbs-Jobs-Family.html
Vymazatis a listening material for beginner A1, that has engaging video format and even written script
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyur9r0ekZY
OdpovědětVymazathttps://www.ted.com/talks/raymond_adkins_how_do_airplanes_stay_in_the_air/transcript
OdpovědětVymazatEducational video about how can planes fly and stay in the air at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsMWbVrjucg
OdpovědětVymazatVideo from Ted ED which is explains the phenomena of the filler words like like, ummm, i mean, you know. It could help the students with understanding that these words are used even by native speakers and that it is naturally occuring in every language with every speaker.
I chose this TED talk, where they talk about the bilingual brain and what advantages and disadvantages it has. It´s interesting how the bilingual brain actually works. We can also find a lot of other educational videos on this web, which are very well done.
OdpovědětVymazathttps://www.ted.com/talks/mia_nacamulli_the_benefits_of_a_bilingual_brain?subtitle=en
Every masterpiece has a predecessor. Therefore this one is like the old testament predecessor to the holy trinity. As it is easier to learn once you know the content by heart.
OdpovědětVymazathttps://www.ted.com/talks/iseult_gillespie_the_norse_myth_that_inspired_the_lord_of_the_rings
This peculiar TED talk brings forth a two-fold challenge: a heavy accent and an impressive variety in terms of vocabulary. Also of note is the intriguing topic covered. Now you will know what makes math so sexy.
OdpovědětVymazatThe link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc0Kthyo0hU
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL279CFA55C51E75E0
OdpovědětVymazatRecorded lectures from Yale university about the Old Testament. There are many more on the channel.
https://www.ted.com/talks/lera_boroditsky_how_language_shapes_the_way_we_think?referrer=playlist-the_pursuit_of_curiosity_and_understanding&autoplay=true&subtitle=en
OdpovědětVymazatLera Boroditsky presents several examples how different languages shape our way of thinking. Understanding this topic might be of crucial importance because it makes teachers aware how it affects our experience, which can foster learning process, especially in the multicultural surrounding.
https://www.ted.com/talks/laura_vanderkam_how_to_gain_control_of_your_free_time?language=en
OdpovědětVymazat--- How to gain control of your free time ---
I think this video is interesting due to being relevant in our daily basis. It could benefit both the adults and students with the question of spending their time effectively and with a goal, self-satisfaction. It is important when making choices to keep in mind that our time is our choice. By setting priorities, we divide our time knowingly. By making list of three categories a year ahead, we are more in control. Students will learn new vocabulary and maybe it would help their personal and educational growth. TED Talks has many interesting streams with relatable topics, you can switch on subtitles to English or different languages for better understanding for your listeners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mfir8F2lpE
OdpovědětVymazatA TED talk about using educational games to teach children. Making sure the kids are participating in the education instead of just listening to the teacher monologue.
Karolina Dlouhá
OdpovědětVymazathttps://www.ted.com/talks/peter_norvig_the_100_000_student_classroom
Class is not primarily about information. More important is motivation and determination of our students.
Use of short videos during our lectures can be an efective way to catch their attention.
Less useless information can lead to more practice in class. Which is more usefull for our students.
https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity/comments I really recommend this ted talk because of the fun way of how Mr. Robinson addresses a huge issue, which is the side effect of how our educational system kills the childrens creativity.
OdpovědětVymazat"The benefits of fostering beginner's mind"
OdpovědětVymazat"Many of us typically disengage or even double down on our beliefs when we encounter opinions at odds with our own. Our biases tell us we have all the answers but, according to psychology grad Cecilia Guan, this mentality only stifles the marketplace of ideas. Combining Zen Buddhist practices with psychological concepts, Guan suggests fostering our "beginner's mind"—a way of engaging with the world without preconceptions—to seek mutual understanding in a polarized world."
https://www.ted.com/talks/cecilia_guan_the_benefits_of_fostering_beginner_s_mind
This podcast doesn't specificaly target English teachers, but the information is useful for everyone. It can help us be more open-minded when interacting with people who have different opinions, or make it easier for us to put ourselves in the position of a student, or person only learning something we already learned and understand.
https://www.ted.com/talks/gareth_gaskell_how_do_our_brains_process_speech?subtitle=en
OdpovědětVymazatGood video on how do our brains process speech. Important for students learning language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTFEUsudhfs&t=469s
OdpovědětVymazatThis video is a part of the syllabus for English Seminar 3, it is a TED talk of Salman Khan - the founder of the Khan Academy. Although it is quite old, some teachers can still learn a lot from it. It could inspire some teachers / schools.
I think Frank Skinner's Poetry Podcast is great. He explains ways to read poetry of different authors. It could help a teacher or a bit advanced student as a guide, to get into poetry and to exercise listening.
OdpovědětVymazathttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgWie9dnssU
OdpovědětVymazatGreat video for learning english. We used to watch this kind of videos with mister Anthony Laue and that is also why I chose this video.