ELTA Audio OER course

Audio resource creation for English language teaching - an online course from ELTA and ITfC

Background

IT for Change and English Language Teachers Association (ELTA) are collaborating to design and conduct an online course on “Audio resources creation for language teaching ” for English language teachers. The course is based on the National ICT curriculum theme “Creating with ICT”. This note discusses the objectives, approach, requirements of participants and expected outcomes from the course.

Objectives of the course

1. To explore the arbitrary connections between word and thought and script and sound
2. Exploring new digital methods for language learning.
3. Exploring Audacity FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) to create language resources for language teaching
4. Learning recording and editing audio using Audacity. Making audio resource richer by using multiple sources
5. Understand the philosophy of creating and adapting existing audio resources (Open Educational Resources created with FOSS)
6. Publishing created audio resource on a public repository for the benefit of all teachers

Approach

The course will be held over 5 webinar sessions and each webinar duration will be for a duration of 90 mins.

1. Session1: Overview of the course. Exploring the role of audio in language learning. Introduction to audio resources/ICT, and identification of audio resource to be created by each participant.
2. Offline activity – Install Audacity on the computer. Record audio clip
3. Session 2, 3 and 4: These sessions will be hands-on sessions. Here the participants will create the audio resource on the selected topic and will finally upload on an online repository.

Requirements from the participants

1. All the participants should have a computer (desktop or laptop) along with a good mic + speaker (headphones).
2. Audacity application must be installed on the computer. For installation instructions, refer https://teacher-network.in/OER/index.php/Learn_Audacity#Installation.
3. Only those intending to attend all 5 webinars should register for the course. To register please fill the google form http://tinyurl.com/ELTA-ItfC-Audioresource
4. The webinar is proposed to be held on the following dates July 21, 24, 29, 31 and August 4. The webinar timings tentatively will be from 5.30 to 7 pm.

Expected Outcomes

It is expected that at the end of the course, each participant would have created an audio resource, on their selected topic (poem or prose or any other resource). This resource would be published on a public repository. Participants who successfully complete the course and upload their resources on the repository will get a certificate of completion from IT for Change and ELTA.

Agenda

Webinars and dates	Particulars	Activities	Resources
Webinar 1: July 21st 2020	Role of Audio in Language Teaching Learning	1. Introduction to the course and agenda, norms 2. Exercise on word, thought, and expression 3. Listening to a Karadi story - Monkeys on a fast. Participants will identify audio and music elements 4. Participants will choose one topic to create audio 5. Installing the required software for the hands-on sessions	Learn Audacity - https://teacher-network.in/OER/index.php/Learn_Audacity Assignment - Install Audacity on your computer and record one poem, song or prose.
Webinar 2: July 24th 2020	1. Using different applications for audio recording 2. Understanding the technical specifications for audio – headphones, microphone 3. Understanding of Audacity editing tools.	1. Go through audio recording basic options in audacity 2. Go through the check list of recording a good quality audio 3. Go through the audio recording process — record pause, play, stop 4. Save as project file, export recorded audio files 5. Edit recorded audio files using basic tools as we needed 6. Get familiar with audacity project files and the audio files	Learn Audacity - https://teacher-network.in/OER/index.php/Learn_Audacity
Webinar 3: July 29th 2020	1. Effectiveness of adding audio effects 2. Understanding when and how to use audio effects to the audio's 3. Using an audio editing tool to add sound elements.	1. Use edit tools to refine audio by removing unwanted part 2. To understand what is tracks and how tracks can be used 3. Use multiple tracks to add background music for the audio 4. Use "noise removal" to clear background noise 5. File export as audio files and save as a project.	Learn Audacity
Webinar 4: July 31st 2020	1. Using an audio editing tool to enhance an audio resource 2. Understanding of using different background musics to make more effective of the audio	1. Use amplification to adjust the output volume of audio files 2. Fade in/out to adjust the audio -voice modulation 3. Use Silence, noise reduction, pitch change and echo features 4. Add different audio elements to the audio in any particular places	Learn Audacity and www.SoundCloud.com
Webinar 5: August 4th 2020	1. Understanding OER and different OER licences. 2. The presentation of participants created audio files. 3. Publish created audio's on web.	1. Understanding OER 2. Understanding the types of OER licences. 3. Understanding of SoundCloud audio repository. 4. Upload and share our created audio files on SoundCloud.	SoundCloud handout : https://teacher-network.in/OER/index.php/Learn_Soundcloud