• General Info

    • The Big Idea

      Welcome to Tech Tips! Tech Tips was created as a space for instructors to find new ideas for incorporating technologies into the classrooms. Please read the below information before you begin. Additionally, find the Forum section so that you can share your experience with other instructors.

      Technology is a fun and exciting way to change some of your classroom curriculum. However, before jumping into it, it's important to note the difference between a technology-centered and a learner-centered approach. Richard Mayer, one of my favorite Multimedia theorists, explains important differences between following a technology-centered approach as opposed to a learner-centered approach.

      A technology-centered approach involves asking which technology would be best for presenting information (Mayer, 2009). For example, if I have a camera and an ipad, I will decide to use one or both devices to enhance my curriculum. 

      A learner-centered approach involves asking whether a given technology enhances human cognition (2009). For example, if you choose to play a video while also playing a radio behind it, it probably won't enhance student cognition because the audio with the radio and the video will clash. 

      The main takeaway from this short post is to question why you are going to use a given technology. You should not use the given technology if your answer is consistent with the mindset of a technology-centered approach. Instead, you should question how that technology might enhance student cognition? 

      Thanks for taking the time to read this! 

      Source: Mayer, R. Multimedia Learning. Santa Barbara: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Print.

       
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Audio

  • Audio

    • The Big Idea

      Audio* is a flexible and fun form of multimedia that can be easily incorporated into learning. Turn on a recording software and edit the captured audio into a podcast, interview, fake news program, case study and more. Students can access audio through KPScholar and download it to their mobile devices to listen on-the-go. Or, students can record the audio and upload it to KPScholar for instructor feedback. 

      When asking students to record audio for an assignment the audio will most likely be in the form of verbalization. If this is the case, it is important to consider the type of cognitive skill that the learners are being asked to present. According to the research presented in Metacognition in Education, Theory, and Practice, one of the most effective forms of learner verbalization is when learners provide reasons for a series of tasks that they are going to perform (Hacker, Dunlosky, and Graesser, 2009, p. 33). One example for providing such an instruction would be to ask the learners to verbalize where they would position themselves before taking an x-ray and then explain their reasoning behind it.

      *Keep in mind that audio is more effective when combined with visuals. Please refer to Richard Mayer's Dual Channel Information Processing System to learn more.  

    • How To:

      Three steps for using audio in the classroom include:

      Step-one involves having the students record the audio using their mobile devices or computer software like Garage Band or Audacity.

      This can be accomplished by visiting these general instructions for mobile devices. Or by visiting these general instructions for Garage Band and these general instructions for Audacity. 

      Step-two involves editing and outputting the audio as mp3 files (smaller files for easier upload).

      Students who record audio with their mobile devices should send the audio to their emails and download it on their computers so that they can edit it in Garage Band or Audacity.

      Edit audio in Garage Band by reading this manual or in Audacity with this tutorial. 

      Save the audio as the mp3 option. If your version of Garage Band doesn't let you, open the edited file in iTunes and follow this tutorial for creating an mp3 file.

      Step-three involves uploading the file into KPScholar by clicking the week you would like to use the assignment, clicking add new activity, clicking file, and upload the audio.

      Or, if the students are the ones uploading the file then create a new activity, choose assignment, and have them upload their podcast files to that week's assignment.

       

    • How To:

      Recording Audio with the H5 Zoom

      The IIDL Department has a very nice external audio recording device

      called the H5 Zoom. Please watch this video to understand how to use

      the device and how to record it onto your computer using Garage Band.

      Click here to watch the video.
    • Podcast Example File

      This is a podcast example from Chapter One, Introduction to Body Structure and Organization of Pearson's Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology Plus MasteringA&P with eText -- Access Card Package, 10th Edition. 

    • Resources

      Web Links:

      Download Audacity for free: audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

      Download Garage Band for $15.00: https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/

      Record Audio on a mobile device:

      http://www.wikihow.com/Record-Audio-on-a-Mobile-Phone

      Recording Audio in Audacity:

      http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tutorial_recording_and_editing.html

      Recording Audio in Garage: Band: 

      http://images.apple.com/ca/education/docs/teachers/Apple-GarageBandQuickStart.pdf

      Editing Audio in Audacity:

      http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tutorial_editing_an_existing_file.html

      Audio Editing in Garage Band: 

      https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/0/MA708/en_US/GarageBand_09_Getting_Started.pdf

      Convert a song to a different file format:

      https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204310

      Citations 

      Hacker, D.J., John Dunlosky, J., & Graesser, A.C. (2009). Metacognition in Educational Theory and Practice. New York, NY: Routledge.
       
      Mayer, E. R., & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine Ways to Reduce Cognitive Load in Multimedia Learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 43–52.  Retrieved from: http://portal.ou.nl/documents/25460761/0/Mayer+%26%20Moreno+2003+-+EPigxrG8CM.pdf. 

      Marieb, N.E. (2011, November 27). Introduction to Body Structure and Organization [Science Podcast].In Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology Plus MasteringA&P with eText -- Access Card Package.(10th ed).  San Francisco, CA: Pearson.
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