Audio tools seem like a great way to give students a hands on experience when learning the content. I have taken several professional development classes that are meant to help incorporate more technology into our lessons. One of our technology instructors really prides herself with keeping up on the latest "technology in the classroom" trends. She introduced me to Voki, so I had a little experience with that program in the past, but this time I was able to take my time and really explore it. I visited http://www.voki.com and created an avatar that I had recite information about different classifications of arthropods. Next, I handed over the microphone to my four year old and she filled several recordings while talking about her upcoming gymnastics recital! So the program was very easy to use! I could see using the avatars to explain scientific concepts or giving historical speeches in the classroom.
The next program I explored was https://clyp.it/. The program seems very basic. I was able to record my voice and save the file. This program lacked the flashy additions that I have seen in other programs.
The next program I tried out was Blabberize. I had heard about Blabberize from another teacher but never used it myself. As a test run, I downloaded a picture of a flower and had it "talk" about where pollen is created. I could see myself using this program for several units of life science, including a cell talking about its organelles and the functions of the organelles (example: "This part is the nucleus, and it holds the DNA so it's the control center of the cell!"). We could also use it when classifying organisms or describing the characteristics of vertebrates and invertebrates. Students could also take pictures of our scientific equipment and have the equipment "blab" about what it's used for and how it can be used safely in the science classroom (example: "I'm a compound light microscope and I have 3 different objective lenses to help you magnify your view. Carry me on the arm and base for safety!")
I used blabberize.com to create a talking flower that describes which part of the flower produces the pollen. The image was found at
I never thought about using the audio tools for science. I think it would be mesmerizing for the parts of a cell or the parts of a plant to introduce themselves to students. This would be a great way to help students remember the information. They will never forget the day the flower talked in science class!
ReplyDeleteI never thought about using the audio tools for science. I think it would be mesmerizing for the parts of a cell or the parts of a plant to introduce themselves to students. This would be a great way to help students remember the information. They will never forget the day the flower talked in science class!
ReplyDeleteI really liked Blabberize too. I like you Science application. I think it would be fun to do a series of these for students to view. How did you get yours to embed? I could not for the life of me!
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