Audio in Education

This is the first installment of an issue that I have been working on for a while--using audio technologies in education. Students learn language skills, for real purposes and audiences, as they collaborate, research and interact with people inside and outside the class. There are several educational applications, based on your subject and grade, and the technology is fairly simple, accessible, and inexpensive (an $8 microphone). I would recommend using Audacity multitrack audio editing software...it's a free, open source, and well respected program. I have a tutorial that can be used for students in grade 4 to adults.

Here are two sites that can be models for educational applications. I've developed work from both of them and we will do some of it at our workshop.

Radio Rookies --a program by WNYC to cultivate teenage radio broadcasters. The program just won a Peabody award for journalism

Art Mobs --a project for art students to create original, engaging (and occasionally subversive) audio tours of art galleries.