Playing with Media- Chapter 3 Reflection

In the third chapter of Playing with Media: Simple ideas for powerful sharing, Fryer discussed the different uses of Audio in education and the reasons this sort of technology can be beneficial to a classroom.

            The first point I want to reflect on was a thought that I had never continued. Whether you asked your students to make a video, video their friends, or publish some sort of visual work with a camera, it can be very intimidating. Although visuals are pleasing to the eye and great ways to make a point or present a topic, placing yourself or students in front of a camera can be nerve-racking and potentially ruin the experience. However capturing audio can be just as effective without the intimidation factor. A microphone or speaker is a lot less “in your face” than a camera, and the words spoken can be just as effective and capturing.  Fryer also raised other good points about the benefits of audio use. For example, audio recordings are small files an dare easy to access and upload, audio recorders are inexpensive, privacy is not as big of an issue with audio recordings, and old and new computers are compatible with most recordings (Fryer, 37).

            Another point Fryer made that caught my attention was the fact that audio can help students practice the skill of listening.  Listening is a powerful tool, however gets lost in pictures, videos and texts. When audio is the only technology used, it forces us to listen intently to learn the lesson being taught or hear the story being told. One example lesson Fryer encouraged to try with students was a read aloud audio projects. Instead of asking students to get up in front of the class and read an essay or a story, have them bring in a recording of them reading their piece or work. This gave the students the ability to share their essay with more people, via email or a class blog and it minimized the nerves that come with getting up in front of a room full of people.

            Fryer listed programs that can be used to ease the process of using audio, for example AudioBoo. All you need is a built in or plug in microphone. It is as easy as making an account on AudioBoo.com, accessing your microphone, and recording your project. You can do multiple recordings, give your project a title, adding an image and you are set. AudioBoo even allows you to share your recording with other users. Other programs like Cinch and iPadio are all free, easy to use, and more often than not, can be accessed through a Cloud.

            This chapter was jam packed with a lot of information, and all though it was overwhelming at times, it was also very interesting because when I think technology in the classroom I think Ipads, Smartborads, and computer programs, but rarely audio. It opened my eyes to the continually growing list of technology uses and their pros and cons and I am excited to play around with them in my future classroom!