Tools

I enjoyed using the tools this week. I especially enjoyed playing with Voki. Voki allows you to create and edit an avatar, change the background and record a message. You can either type or speak the message. The voice can also be changed. I tried to embed my finished project into my blog without success. Here is the link to the page https://tinyurl.com/2bs8dyq7. I choose a polar bear because I like them and also it had a strong presence on the screen. I changed the background and the eye color. I also changed the speaker voice. This was so much fun. I think students would love doing this. I could see this being used in early elementary by having the students choose an avatar that looks like a character from a story and retelling the story. Older students could choose a historical figure and tell what they know about them. This could be used across the curriculum in many situations.

Vacaroo was very simple to use. Just click the button and record. It allows you to remove background noise and adjust the volume. After recording, the file can be uploaded or downloaded. The link can also be embedded or a QR code can be created for the file. This could also be used in many classroom and library situations. Students could record themselves explaining how they solved a math problem, answering teacher questions, reviewing a book, etc. This would be simple for all ages of students. Although the very young ones may need some assistance on what to do once the recording is completed.

AudioPal allows you to record a message either through speaking or text. It also allows the voice to be changed like in Voki. While you can upload a 60 second MP3 file, I didn’t see an option for downloading, embedding or creating a QR code. The amount of ads on the page were also a little distracting. I would choose Vacaroo over AudioPal to use with students.

I liked Online Voice Recorder because it allows you to crop your recording to the section you want and to trim the silence from the beginning and end of the recording. I used the trim tool on my recording. I had to play around with it a little bit to get it to work, but in the end, it was great. This tool would be good for older students to use. It also had some ads that were distracting.

The concept of SpeakPipe allowing users to send voice messages from your website to a voicemail page and then being able to include them in a podcast sounds useful. However, I didn’t create an account to explore this tool.

I didn’t use Clyp because it required payment.

Chrome Music Lab was really fun to play with. I think students of all ages would enjoy this. I’m not a music teacher, but I believe it would be useful in a music class. Also, I would just use it as a break for my students to give them something fun to do and create. Music is very relaxing and improves mental well-being.

Ten Best Places to Get Free Music for Your Podcast is a get source of information to find music. I was immediately drawn to Pixaby because I was familiar with it and had good experiences with it before. I like that this site gives the best paid places to get music in addition to the to the free ones. This gives people many options in one place.

Podcast

I listened to a podcast from FYI which is part of Public Libraries Online. The title of the podcast was Public Library Anti-Hate Statements – an Inclusive Way to Support Community Members. The public relations manager and the adult and teen services assistant manager at the Downers Grove Public Library outside of Chicago talked about the Anti-Hate Statements the library releases in response to current events. By releasing these statements, they want to move beyond just saying everyone is welcome. They want to call out the hate and support the victims and marginalized groups. It shows that these groups are valued and accepted and their pain is acknowledged. In addition, the library wants to use these statements as a learning tool for the whole community. They want people who are not part of these groups to reflect on the privilege of not having to suffer the pain as a member of the group.

From June 6, 2020 to March 18, 2022, the Downers Grove Public Library has released five Anti-Hate Statements. They included Anti-Racism and Free Speech, Anti-Asian Racism, Support of Black and Brown Lives, Against Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, in Solidarity of the LGBTQ+ Community, and Support of African American and Black Lives. If you would like to read more about these statements and their mission, you can go to their webpage at https://dglibrary.org/edi/.

Reference

Hughes, K. (Host). (2022, January 31). Public library anti-hate statements – an inclusive way to support community members [Audio podcast episode]. In FYI. Public Library Association. http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2022/01/new-fyi-podcast-episode-public-library-anti-hate-statements-an-inclusive-way-to-support-community-mem.