One Web 2.0 tool that I have found, and am ready to take straight to my class next year is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) called Myna. It is a very easy to use audio recording program that allows students to use up to 25 tracks to record messages, podcasts, readers theater, read aloud or any other aural presentation students might want to create. The program is part of the digital creation bundle on a website called aviary.com.
Like so many new great cloud based programs, the folks at Aviary set up a class account for me for free. This means that my students each get there own account to create different types of programing.
The way it works is students can call up a recording window that will allow them to talk into a usb microphone that goes straight into the cloud. The program takes what the student inputs and records it onto an audio track. Students can then use a variety of audio effects such as reverb, chorus, delay, and pitch change to augment their recordings.
Myna also has a complete set of open source audio loops for students to use to put many different types of background music to their production. I can’t wait to teach my students how to use this program and see what they come up with. Students can store up to 2gigabytes of information on Myna as well as download their final projects.
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| Two students creating a read aloud podcast. |
They can also link their projects to our class Edmodo page. My Challenge Based Research project is centered around students creating projects using academic language. I can see this program quickly becoming one of their favorite. I know it is one of mine.
Very cool stuff. I simply am amazed at the variety of programs out there. Even though I thought I combed over most of the things available on the Web 2.0 site, there always seem to be more things that I missed. Glad you found some great audio stuff to work with Greg.
ReplyDeleteGreg, thank you for this post. It was impressive how you were able to focus on your use of the product and not get lost in the many features. It has given me a great idea for a project for my son (headed to fourth grade) and his friends this summer. We're all spread out across the nation, but I think they would enjoy making music and podcasts to share with each other online. I hope to create a class account, like you, so they can develop their own creative space and share with each other without the parents worrying about privacy. Hopefully this will bridge the summer gap, and keep the boys close.
ReplyDeleteGreg, You did an awesome job reviewing this tool. I can see how effective it could be in the classroom especially with all the students having an account. I think letting the students work with audio in this fashion will branch out into other areas as well. Thanks for the info.
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