Voice First

Digital audio can be used at all levels, in a variety of ways with students to help them make sense of their learning. Oral language has often played second fiddle to reading and writing in our teaching practice yet it is the corner stone for all language development and also for constructing learning in a meaningful way.

• It enhances the learning experience by giving students, who are still developing their writing skills, an opportunity to demonstrate their true level of thinking.
• ‘Audio E-Learning’, used regularly, develops a repository of audio evidence demonstrating the development of an oral language and thinking.
• It gives students the opportunity to construct and clarify knowledge through language that might not occur if students are not proficient writers.
• Many of the Applications that students use on a regular basis will have a way to add an audio reflection.
• The audio files that students produce in their work can be quite different from the written material for the same presentation or can be the main form of communication.
• The hardware required need not be expensive

VoiceThread is a versatile online tool that can help students demonstrate their learning using still images or movies and voice. It is similar in some ways to Photostory but with huge potential for asynchronous global collaboration. It is ideal for publishing in class blogs or wikis.

Voicethread, Livescribe Pens, Skype, and podcasting, are just the tip of the iceberg of the plethora of digital tools that make audio an engaging and efficient way of constructing meaning in an authentic way for students. Digital technology provides the tools to easily utilise students' voice in their daily program and to even up the oral language component over the traditional written emphasis. It offers all students a means to clarify and crystallize their learning in an efficient and more natural way.

Many of these tools are also a means to share learning and collaborate with global partners. The digital conferencing tools that are available now give students and teachers access to many learning partners locally and globally but once again the emphasis is on oral language. "Voice First" is about creating meaningful learning through oral language and the increasing importance of developing verbal communication as we move into an era of global classrooms.

This presentation will cover some of the reasons why it is important to use audio in classrooms, practical examples for the general classroom and more detailed explanation of how Voicethread, Skype, and other online tools can be used to develop verbal communications and global collaboration.

The link to Prezi is : http://prezi.com/xymyff5avyyy/
The link to my blog with "how to" for VoiceThread and AudioTouch is http://loisath.edublogs.org

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