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Using digital audio in the languages classroom
If you are unsure about any of the technical references made in the information below, ask your technician (or one of your students!) to help.
What is digital audio?
Digital audio is a term used to denote sound that is produced, played or edited in a digital format. The term “digital” denotes information stored in a binary format: that is, made up of ones and noughts which can be understood by a computer. A key feature of digital audio is that it can be created, played or edited on computers. It can also be transferred to other devices such as mp3 players or imported onto computers from CDs, or minidisks and saved in file formats such as mp3 or wav. Recordings on cassette tapes can be transferred to a computer where they are digitised as mp3 or wav files.
Key features
Digital audio is of great use in the modern languages classroom for a variety of reasons:
- Ease of use: it is easy to make and edit digital audio recordings
- Storage: recordings can be stored on a network or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
- Versatility: audio recordings can be used in a range of contexts such as electronic worksheets, or presentations
- Portability: digital audio is transferable to devices such as mp3 players
- Accessibility: podcasts, mp3 recordings placed on the Internet, can be downloaded to computers or mp3 players very quickly. Podcasts can also be made easily by students and teachers
