Audio Tools for Virtual Guests, Panels, and Faculty- or Student-Created Content TELECOOP 2007 Alice Bedard-Voorhees

Audio Tools for Use with Guest Experts, Faculty, and Students Voice Over Internet w/ recorders are now available for interviews and panels (synchronous and asynchronous). Phonecast services allow experts to call in their answers, be interviewed, or co-present. Creation and editing of audio-based content files is very achievable.

Audio Formats for Student and Faculty-Created Content Appropriate for demonstrating oral competencies (like languages). Provide a style choice. Are very humanizing, can decrease sense of distance. Have portability.

Possible Guest Formats Faculty introduce an expert and let students provide questions for guests. Students facilitate the visit. Students conduct interviews outside of class and provide a report or the experience.

Virtual Guests and Guest Panels Have been visiting via discussion boards and chats + Real World Perspective + Added expertise + Reinforcement for key principles

To This Point: Text Domination Guests and Panels: - Asynchronous: Individual or Panel Style (Synchronous: Chats and Conferencing) - Intros and organization prevent chaos Student and Faculty Created Content ( And PowerPoint)

Considerations Purpose: Guest, Panel, Individually Created Content Tech Level of Participant Editing: Immediate Communication or Polished Product Capacity of Specific Tool: Free or Paid Planning: Length, Scripting

Voice Over Internet (VOIP) Example Skype.com Skype software free, additional paid features. Up to 10 people can be on Skype at the same time. A free recorder such as Pretty May can be used to record the call. The file can be saved, edited, and uploaded for distribution at a later date.

Voice Over Internet: Recording with Skype 1) All people involved in creating the recording have Skype on their desktops. 2) One or more people do not have Skype but have landline telephones or cells. A recording client is needed for either: PrettyMay is one such application:

Recording Skype to Skype Mics Needed Tip: Close additional Windows applications

Recording between Skype and Phone Payment is required to call out to phones in Skype (called Skypeout). Prepare questions with interviewee. Tip: Close other Windows as you record. Dial out from Skype, begin to record.

Skype for Multiple Interviewees/Panels Plan Program/Panel Speaking Points/Order. Add Event Participants into the Contact List. Go to Tools: Select Create a Conference, then add all participants. Start Conference, Start Recording.

Phone-Created Content (Mo Co Zone Channel)

Phone-Created Content Example: Gabcast.com (Free and Paid Accounts) Free: A person establishes an account and establishes a site where a caller can create the content from his or her phone by calling a number and using that account number and password to create a recorded file. Limitations: Users can only create phone-based files and they need to be published immediately. Conference time is equally divided between number of speakers for a limited amount of time.

Want to Try It? Gabcast Example: New Tools for Guest Visits and Other Content Channel number: 9249# Channel password: 1171#

Additional Services with Paid Gabcast Account Allows people to create content but not publish it OR hide it from general viewing on the web. Allows content creator to link to other sound files. Allows content creator to upload files created with other tools like Skype or Desktop.

Creating Files on a Desktop File Creation and Editing Software: Audacity.com + LAME encoder (for creating MP3’s): ame-mp3 ame-mp3 Mic Script Deciding where the files will reside: Server, CMS, Web-Service

Questions for the Audience What other tools are you familiar with? What tips would you like to share? What concerns do you have about using these formats?

LINKS: Skype (VOIP): Recording Plugin Pretty May: Phone-Created Content: Want to try it? Channel: New Tools for Guest Visits and Other Content: Dial Channel number: 9249# Channel password: 1171# Content from the Desktop: LAME Encoder for saving Audacity files as MP3’s: ?s=install&item=lame-mp3 Virtual Speaker Bureaus: CCCOnline Virtual Speaker Bureau: MERLOT Virtual Speaker Bureau: “Plan Your Podcast”: MoCoZone (Mobile Content Zone) Blog and Podcast: