I’m always interested in iterative shifts; small steps taken to work towards something (hopefully) better. Usually over the last decade that’s been something I’ve been very good at helping faculty do. The challenge I’ve run into time and again, is the fear that technology will replace lecture, or the role of the instructor. I’m sure most of you who are reading this will not be fooled at all by this statement – this age-old boogeyman.
So I’ve been using Soundcloud for probably two or three years now. It’s essentially a web based application that you can save or record audio files to and share with others. It has brilliant and immediate application for second language learners, and I think could serve as a multimedia resource for other areas as well. How great would an essay replacement with a radio play be? It would engage the creative side of students; perhaps a theatrical debate to reframe the classic argumentative essay.
What about a way of recording discussions between students? The Soundcloud app (Android/iOS) can do that. I was playing around with it for the Android platform, and it really is a remarkable application where you record from your phone, and it’s available in minutes.
Soundcloud often gets pitched as something that has great web tracking/analytics, however that’s a for-pay feature.
Sorry I’ve been quiet lately, work has been very busy and I haven’t really been sharing what goes on here as I’m still sorting that out. I do have a couple of things in the hopper, not quite yet ready to go – more in the edtech vein that I’m usually writing in, but practical in nature.
Happy New Year as well, hope yours is as good as mine will be.