Reflections on Blogging

A brief reflection on my first posting "Why Blog?"
Listen to the audio file.

Greeting (created with Gabcast)

Converting .wav file to .mp3

I used Audacity to convert a .wav file to an .mp3 format. Being new to this, I quickly found out that I needed an encoder to complete the process. I then downloaded Lame 3.96.1 and unzipped it to get the critical lame.enc.dll file.

All in all, the process was quite simple and well worth it. The file size changed from 160k to 115k after converting!

Listen to the audio file.

Gabcast Overview

Gabcast! Technology Integration #1 - Gabcast Overview

'Just some initial thoughts on Gabcast after using it for the first time...

Audio Discussions

Audio dicussions can be used to enhance classroom interactions on a number of levels. Any time that learners have to present their work for scrutiny by peers, they are extra careful about what they say and do. As a result, more rigorous discussions emerge and learners are more likely to acquire new knowledge from the interactions.

A starting point for gauging the impact of any new tool would be to gather some information by asking:

• What do you like best about the tool?
• What do you like least about the tool?
• On a scale of 1(=Least Satisfied) to 5(=Most Satisfied), rate interaction by this tool.
  

Integrating Audio into Online Courses

Enhancing online courses with audio should be encouraged as it breaks the monotony of reading text. Like other media, audio accomodates the needs of a certain class of learners, in this case, the ones who prefer hearing rather than reading information.

As is often stated, if a technology is NOT easy to use by techies, then faculty buy-in is not to be expected. An easy to-use tool for producing audio such as Odeo Studio, allows instructors to become independent producers of their own audio content. It is important to observe the recommendations for audio length and usage, and obtain learner feedback in order to determine the "best practices" for integrating audio for a particular class.

RSS Feeds to the Rescue of Web Search Fatigue

From the readings about RSS feeds, I have been able to answer my own initial thoughts about "Why Blog?" Among other advantages, blogs provide a convenient space for sharing information and collaborating. When RSS feeds are integrated into blogs, they enrich the process, with their capacity to amass relevant resources from the Web while significantly reducing Web search fatigue.