ICT Tip: How to record your voice to insert into various ICT applications

12 Dec

Quick overview: Free software that will allow you to create digital audio recordings of your own voice to share with your students. Great for teachers who have started creating their own SMARTBoard presentations or for those Podcasting.

What does it do? Audacity is a powerful, yet easy to use audio recording and editing software application. You can use it to record your own voice or the voice of your student. All you need is a microphone and a PC.

How can it be used in the classroom: If you are a teacher who uses a SMARTBoard, you can use Audacity to record your own voice and then insert it into your own SMARTBoard presentations. More specifically, you could place a variety of written words (or whole sentences) into your SMARTBoard presentation and then link each word or sentence to a unique recording of your own voice. When the student taps on the words, they will hear your voice read aloud! In particular, this technique works great for language teachers teaching proper pronunciation to their students. If you’d like to learn how to do this, please click here to read my other ICT Blog posting.

Tech Tips: Inexpensive computer microphones can be used to record your voice with Audacity. If you need tips on setting up (or buying) a PC microphone, please contact the support person in your school or contact me by e-mail for suggestions.

Special note: While Audacity is pretty straightforward and easy to use, getting it installed for the first time can be a little tricky. To help you install and use the software, I’ve included a step-by-step video tutorial.

Video Tutorial: To see an on-line video overview of how to install Audacity, click the large play button below: