There is no doubt in the minds of all Educators that technology is the key to winning over this generation. This is evident in how students are now assessed-bye bye paper and pencil! The audio tools that I read about and attempted to use would be a smash for all classrooms to engage the students in their activities! I see this as a great tool for students with special needs or those students who may be reluctant to speak in front of their peers.
Voki is one that I am familiar with and the students loved using to create characters to tell a story and to emphasize a Reading skill from a story. It has also been used to dramatize historical information from a text. However, for my ancient laptop it was a challenge to access it. It requires adding Chrome, which would make changes to the programs on my laptop! Stop! Wait a minute! SpeakPipe required the same- for the 3 simple steps-start, click and download Chrome.
Lastly, I tried using Vocaroo to record, all of these tools required some type of download on my laptop. I don’t think it would be an issue on the Chromebooks at school. I decided to use my Android and was able to make 2 different recordings from Vacaroo and SpeakPipe. I think I may be able to give Gayle King a run for her money! Lol! The recordings are clear and easy to use. Downloading the Apps to my phone was not a big deal.
Sources:
- Vacaroo.com
- Reynolds, G. (2014). [Excerpt]. presentationzen DESIGN pp.78-79. New Riders.