As professionals in education, we must continuously be updating our style and innovativeness when teaching. We must constantly look for new ways to get and keep the interest of our charges. One way of ensuring we keep their attention is by using different forms of delivery when teaching. A software program that will prove helpful in this regard is 'Audacity'. This audio software has a number of features that will make an interesting podcast.



There is a recording feature, as well as an option to import music from other sources. The audio can be mixed in with varying pieces, using a variety of styles. It allows editing, fading in and out, the filtering of background noise and the changing of speed, pitch and tempo. Discovering these features and how to use them is certainly a fun journey.



There is the advantage of adding interest to any lesson. In my recording, I read an exerpt from "How Mrs Feathery Solved Her Problems", a folktale written by Michael Anthony. I uploaded some music and used the recording feature to record different voices to represent the characters. I would not be able to use these effects if I was just simply reading the same story in the classroom . It also gives the option of playing back certain sections of the recording during an oral comprehension exercise after students have listened to the story.
Click on the link labelled "Audacity" on the right of this blog page, to hear about Mrs Feathery and Mr Hawk.

I found out about this software in my Educational Technology class, and decided to give it a try. If I can successfully use this, trust me, you can!

Reference: http://download.cnet.com/audacity/3000-2170_4-10058117.html



I found this site to be one of the more comprehensive information sites.

SMARTDRAW - Great desktop publishing software!

In my search for software that would be really useful in my career, I came across SMARTDRAW. This software is perfect for persons, like myself, who are a bit challenged in the area of drawing. SMARTDRAW has every imaginable chart, graph and map that may be use ful in lesson plans - bar graphs, pie charts and family trees are just a few of the graphics found in this fantastic software. There are even templates for timetables, forms and certificates, all of which may prove useful in organizing and making the classroom environment and the duties that go with it more efficient.

The fact that the this drawings can be easily exported to powerpoint, microsoft word and microsoft excel only adds to its appeal. I attempte to try their free download. As expected, only limited use was allowed, but I was impressed with the quality and quantity of graphics and the possibilites. I look forward to using this sofware in the future.

More can be learnt on http://www.smartdraw.com