Week 7: Free Audio Recording Excellent for Student Use (From Free Technology For Teachers Blog - Richard Byrne)

 Last week, Richard Byrne introduced us to three online recording tools that are truly very simple to access and use. The best part about them is they are free and students don't need to worry about logging in to anything. The three audio recording tools Mr. Byrne suggests are: 

(1) Vocaroo

(2) Online-Voice-Recorder.com

(3) Twisted Wave

Students can go to any of these three and begin recording immediately. Vocaroo and Online-Voice-Recorder.com both have very simple, almost rudimentary websites that lack visual clutter which is awesome for students understanding where and what to click on. They are self-explanatory as there is a microphone icon in the center of the screen where they can immediately start recording. Once audio is recorded, you are prompted to save it. Vocaroo does involve an extra step after clicking save; students then have to choose between a few options like downloading it to your computer, turning the recording into a qr code, or uploading it directly to facebook, twitter, email, etc. Online-Voice-Recorder.com immediately downloads the recording as an mp3 file after clicking save. I will likely use the Online-Voice-Recorder over the other two websites because of this simple feature. 


Comments

  1. Dr. ThomasMarch 3, 2021 at 7:38 AM

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  2. Dr. ThomasMarch 3, 2021 at 7:38 AM

    Evan,
    How would you use these in your class? I used to teach podcasting, but stopped after one student suggested it was dated. I am glad to see that podcasting has become extremely popular again with the success of such podcast as Serial. Avoid centering long texts as it create eye-strain.

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    Replies
    1. Evan McNairMarch 17, 2021 at 8:20 PM

      I would likely use these as a way for my students to share their knowledge instead of typing or handwriting information. Especially when writing is a long and arduous process for the student. Just recently, I tried having one of my students use the chrome extension, Mote. Unfortunately, our school district has blocked students from adding chrome extensions so the student could not use it; these recording tools may provide a good alternative. You are absolutely right about podcasts becoming popular again, I listen to them frequently. This has me thinking now of ways for students to become familiar with podcasting and possibly creating their own about topics they are interested in.

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