Soundcloud
There are numerous apps available on the iPad to collect, edit and share podcasts with others using ICT tools. These include: GarageBand ($4.99), Audioboo (Free), Smart Recorder($4.99), Recorder (Free), Audio Recorder ($0.99), iTalk Recorder (Free). All of these tools look fantastic, and come with high recommendations from others online. In reviewing materials and apps for this session, I have come across a tool that I think surpasses all of these...Soundcloud. Soundcloud is an online network that allows people from all around the world to record, edit, share, and comment on audio recordings. An account is not needed to listen to most of the recordings on Soundcloud...an account is needed to create, or comment on clips in Soundcloud. Depending on the rules and regulations of your building...you may consider creating a teacher account and using this for all Soundcloud activity you use with students. Soundcloud can be installed and used as detailed here on the iPad, iPhone, Android phones, Android tablets. It can also be used on computers and laptops with microphones.
One note of caution...Soundcloud is a healthy, active social network full of vibrant artists and their work. Your students may listen to other tracks on Soundcloud if you send them to the website to listen to tracks.
For this session, we will create audio podcasts of a poem of your choice. Given more time, or later in your own classroom...create audio podcasts of your own poetry works. These are to be listened to by students, and allow students to respond to the poems...you may think about having students listen to the podcast without having text copies available to read along with. The podcasts can be played for an entire class...or by individual students on mobile devices, MP3 players, or online.
1. Create a Soundcloud account. Download and install the app and sign-in on whatever mobile device you chose. The remainder of instructions on this page will focus on the iPad...although will also work on the other devices listed above.
2. After you log in to Soundcloud, you can navigate around to view other artists and their clips on Soundcloud...you may also view genres of music and podcasts available...you may also edit your account. If you click on the icon on the left that looks like a heart in a quote bubble, it will bring you to record a "sound." Clicking on the red/orange REC button will start recording, pressing the square Stop button will finish the recording. After recording your clip you will be presented with a button to save your recording.
3. The next screen after you save will give you an opportunity to "Add some context and share info." Add in a title and location where the recording was collected. Under this information is an opportunity to make the sound "Public" and share to various social networks....or "Private". I recommend selecting "Private" and then not indicating who to share the sound with. Next click on "Upload & Share" on the bottom.
4. The next screen shows the red/orange REC button again...and on the bottom of the black screen, in black words it says "Your sound was uploaded. Have a look at it." Clicking on this link will bring you to a list of all of the sounds that you have recorded. Click on an individual clip and to the right it will show the clip, icon, and description of the clip. Click on the orange "Private" button and you can again enter email address for individual people you would like to share the sound with. The second button allows you to create a "Secret Link" and shorten this link for the sound that you have created. You can send your students this link, and they will be able to listen to your podcast. The benefit of keeping your recordings private, and using "Secret Links" is that the sounds do not appear on your list of recordings to all listeners and users of Soundcloud. This may be very important as you use the tool with your students.
5. Logging in to the Soundcloud website also allows you to review, edit, and share all of the sounds you recorded on your iPad or mobile device. You may chose to direct your students to your page on Soundcloud to listen to the podcasts...but this opens them up to the other recordings available there. You can also obtain an embed code for the sound and embed it to your blog, classroom website, etc. Finally, the website allows you to download an MP4 of the sound and share this with students as they download them on classroom iPod Touches, or MP3 players.
6. Now that you have the ability to create audio podcasts...find a poem and create an audio recording of your poem. The student learning objective would be to have students listen to...and respond to the audio recording. You may ask them to comment on affordances of the audio version, as opposed to textual or multimodal content. You may also provide opportunities for students to write their own poetry and create an audio podcast of their own creative work.
For more information on this process:
Secret Sharing with Secret Links
What you always wanted to know about privately sharing your music
A video tutorial on the process of creating and sharing an audio clip in Soundcloud:
A video tutorial on the process of annotating an audio clip in Soundcloud: