Audacity – More Than a Tape Recorder
Learning a new language is all about communication. And put all the technology aside – absolutely ALL THE TECHNOLOGY! Why? Because the single best resource for learning a new language, always HAS been, always WILL be … talking with someone who KNOWS that languge! But that is not always possible.
When I first started learning French, WAY back in Grade 1 at Chinook Park Elementary School in Calgary – state of the art technology was in use – Chez Hélène on CBC!
Roll out the big B&W TV a 9:15 every morning – et voila! ALLONS-Y! I was always mad after as The Friendly Giant was on RIGHT AFTER, and Mrs. Bartholomew always turned the tv off! Still hurts! LOL!
This was state of the art .. Communication back in the ’60’s! And of course technology improved – COLOUR TV! By the time that arrived in classrooms, classrooms had also upgraded for French teachers to use newer AV equipment – slide technology paired with cassette tapes! Oh, the bells, the bells! And in a pre-cursor to my present job – guess who was always called to fix the equipment when it didn’t work! You only get one guess!
So let’s ‘Fast Forward‘ (deliberate use of Pun Technology!) a few dozen years! When The CALL Facility first opened in September of 1989, cassette technology was still the primary technology for communication outside of the classroom.
Students would make an appointment with me on their assigned day, picking a 15 minute window for their recording. I sat outside our real Recording Studio (!) and recorded their assignment on their cassette tape! Repeat about 30-60 times over a few days! Then the Instructor would pick up the completed recordings, returning them to me after about a week or even longer! Yup, state of the art!
But then … Audacity! Totally free software, easy to install, easy to learn and assignments can be done in literally minutes!
Using high quality USB headsets/microphones, a brief 10 minute class demo (with or without a CALL demo!), students can quickly record their assignment and then attach it as an .mp3 file in an email to their Instructor!
The first assignment is typically less than a minute and is typically a ‘Hi I am Greg Fanning and this is why I am taking Spanish this year!‘ … of course, in the target language!
Even Group Projects can be assigned as one headset can be used as an external microphone and one student can ‘interiew’ the other student(s). And 10 minutes of instruction has literally saved hours if not DAYS of using outdated technology! Most current students might not even recognize a cassette tape!
Practical hands-on experience, target language practice and laying the foundations for not only Instructor/Student engagement, but SUCCESS with learning another language! I would say this is a WIN WIN scenario, but it also works ….. on Macs too! LOL!
Files are generally exported as .mp3, but a variety of formats are still supported if needed. Highly customizable, students really only need to know a few buttons: Red Button will Record, Black Square will Stop, Green Triangle will Play.
And if the other buttons look familiar, they should. They are in the same positions and use the same icons as a traditional tape recorder!
So many other options too: Stereo, Multiple tracks, Multiple exports, Sound Effects (over two dozen!) including Amplify for soft speaking students and many more! And allows an Instructor to send out a message, response or feedback to both individuals and classes as a whole.
In a future blog, I will describe a ‘Next Generation‘ audio/presentation assignment that was used with great success in an upper level Spanish class!
I also keep a USB stick with Audacity install packages in my desk drawer to quickly and easily install Audacity on laptops that students own! Yes, this might actually mean a student does not come to CALL. And that is fine!
CALL/CHD staff have always offered the expertise, equipment and ability to assist individual students throughout the semester on a 1-to-1 basis. THAT is always worth assisting students in any manner that might provide them with the skills and confidence to thrive in their studies.
Some might say … TANSTAAFL, but not with Audacity! Free and it works! So in my books, that makes Audacity …..
