3 Audio Tools
Voki ↗
Voki was very interesting to look through. I’m not used to experiencing a lot of audio tools in general. You are not required to create an account in order to use this program. You can pick many avatars, including non-human characters, which would be great for children in a classroom or library setting. You can also customize the color of the clothes the character is wearing and even the makeup. I thought that this was pretty well made. For the audio, you are able to type in the words (shown in the picture) and choose a particular voice or record your own voice which the character will move their mouths depending on what you say. This program would be great for projects where students can create a mock interview of a specific character they have read in a book and use Voki to create a scene where it seems like they’re answering the questions.
It was also interesting to see different languages available. I chose a character that was wearing Korean traditional clothes (Hanbok) and decided to try out the Korean language. This is my attempt of typing in Korean and the character to speak Korean! There were only two voices available (female and male voices); however, I thought this would be a great tool to create diversity within the classroom as well.
Vocaroo ↗
Vocaroo has a simple interphase. Like Voki, you did not need to create an account to start recording. The page had that red record button to start recording. If you click on the little gear button, you can toggle to remove background noise and auto-adjust volume. It works the same way as recording yourself from the ‘Voice Recorder’ on your phone. I honestly thought this was necessary to use when we have easier ways to just record our voices on our computers or phones. It does seem a bit outdated and doesn’t have any special effects available like Voki did. After recording you are able to listen to the recording and save it. As mentioned, I’m not sure if this is necessary needed to use in a classroom or library setting but if it is needed to record from a computer directly this program would be great to just record right away.
AudioPal ↗
AudioPal is a bit similar to Voki but it just doesn’t have a character speaking over the words. You are able to add your own audio or create your own message for the audio to speak it for you. It looks like the specific voices that you could pick were very similar to Voki. You have a limit of 600 characters (which is the same for Voki as well). Unlike Voki or Vocaroo, you have to provide your email address for the file to be “saved”. They do mention that no signup is required but I thought that was a bit tedious. Under the page, it does say if you do want a character to speak for you they do offer SitePal which is much like Voki but it provides a 15 free trial and after that, you would have to pay for the service. Voki did not have a way for the audio to just play right away. You would have to create a character in order to save the recording; however, for AudioPal you are able to just save the recording so I thought that would be a great way for students to embed the audio on their webpage to read a part of their blog or project.
Podcast
https://librariansguidetoteaching.weebly.com/
The podcast I thought would benefit me most is called “The Librarian’s Guide to Teaching” by Amanda Piekart. This podcast is hosted by two instruction libraries that share their experiences in teaching information literacy and librarianship in general. I want to work as a school librarian and am aware that I would need to at least teach in a classroom setting. You are able to listen to this podcast through Shopify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more. Most of the podcasts aren’t longer than 30 minutes so I thought it would be great to listen while on the drive to work or when I’m resting at home. I listened to the episode that talks about lesson planning and how time management may affect it. They discuss different tips on how to properly manage your time. The castors spoke clearly so I was able to understand what they were saying and made the episodes compact and informative.
June 12, 2022 at 3:15 am
First of all, you’re a WordPress wizard. I had no idea you could post in columns. Second, I also appreciated Vocaroo’s ability to eliminate background noise, especially since my house was very active while I experimented. Thanks for sharing!
June 12, 2022 at 1:20 pm
I love your columns in your post. I never thought of it! The voki is great – even though I didn’t understand it – what did she say?
June 12, 2022 at 2:27 pm
I agree with Kat, using three columns on your blog was smart. It helps to visually organize the information you’re trying to explain in a logical way.
I also chose to review The Librarians Guide to Teaching because that’s a large part of my current job. If you enjoyed the podcast, I would encourage you to listen to the first episode about Imposter Syndrome (IS). If you’ve never spoken or taught in front of an audience, you might benefit from their perspective on the subject.
June 12, 2022 at 3:48 pm
I like the layout of your sandbox; it helps break down your three selections nicely. I thought what you did with the Korean character was a wonderful idea. What a unique way to show diversity to the students.
June 13, 2022 at 2:50 am
I really like how you have this set up so you have the visual and the description. I did something like it but it did the visual next to the description instead of making columns. I will have to give that podcast a listen. I am still going back and forth about if I wanna go the school librarian track or not but I imagine that this will still be useful information to have.
The mock interview is a wonderful idea for kids! It’s another way they can talk about the book they just read without just doing a book report.
June 14, 2022 at 8:52 pm
I also thought to do an interview using Voki is a great idea!