Audioblogs

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What are audioblogs?

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Blogs are online journals or diaries. Audioblogs are blogs that consist of content that is presented largely in audio.

‘Audioblogging is a variant on the blogging trend of online self-publishing, using audio to reach the audience instead of text used by traditional blogs. Audioblogs have similar form to blogs, using post-based entries catalogued by time and date. There is usually a title and brief description, but the bulk of the content is in the linked audio file. Usually audioblogs are in MP3 format.’

Audioblogging. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23 December 2005 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Audioblogging&oldid=30433608

Audioblogging can be done in various ways:

direct phone blogging (free service)
phone blogging or via PC recording (using a paid service)
using Horizon Wimba Voice Boards.

Which type of audioblog you use will depend on such factors as:

the purposes of the blog
the level of IT skills of teachers and learners
the level of access to the Internet
whether you want to use a paid or free service
how mobile you want your audiobloggers to be
whether you want to house your blogs within a learning management system (LMS).

Let us look at each type of audioblog in turn.

1. Direct phone blogging (free service)

Direct phone blogging is also called moblogging, or mobile blogging.

This method of audioblogging involves subscribing to an account with a service such as that provided by Audioblogger (http://www.audioblogger.com/).
You will also need to set up an account with a blog host such as Blogger^TM (http://www.blogger.com/start).
Once registered, you dial the audioblogging service and speak your message. The message is automatically posted to a blog that is hosted elsewhere (eg, Blogger^TM)

2. Phone blogging or via PC recording using a paid service

Phone blogging: this method involves paying an annual subscription that allows users to dial a phone number and record their message. That audio message then generates HTML code that must be copied into an editing screen in the blog.
PC recording: this method is very similar to the one described above, without the phoneblogging facility. It allows teachers and learners to record messages using a PC. HTML code is then generated that is copied and pasted into the blog space.

3. Using Horizon Wimba Voice Board

In this method, each learner enrolled in a course has a private voice board that is accessible to just the learner and their teacher.

This is only available to learners and teachers who are attached to an organisation that has a licence to use these voice boards.

Tip: if you are using voice boards outside of a learning management system they can be accessed via a URL.

If you are using the boards this way, it is advisable to set them up as having ‘registered user access’ only. This prevents outsiders from being able to access the board or blog.

Who for? Relevance to teaching and learning

Learners

Audioblogging can be suitable for learners of all types in all learning situations.

However, there are learner groups who are specifically disadvantaged by text-based online delivery and communication and who may benefit from audioblogging tools. These include, amongst others, learners with low levels of literacy and learners who prefer an oral mode of communication.

Teaching approaches that use voice tools such as audioblogs may successfully engage these learner groups as well as catering for:

learners who are required to submit work to the Internet, but who have infrequent access to Internet-enabled computers
learners in remote regions
learners isolated from other learners or teachers in distance education courses
those who have insufficient knowledge of how to submit material to the Internet.

Teachers

Audioblogging is easily accessible technology and does not require a high level of technical skill. Like many web-based tools, audioblogs can be used as an integral or complementary feature in:

online courses
blended delivery
face-to-face delivery where learners have access to computers and the Internet.

The recording and storing of voice files for later playback adds a degree of flexibility to course design. Audioblogs may provide a more effective channel of communication for some learners who may be shy in class or may prefer an auditory style of learning. And their potential for strengthening connections between learners and teachers in distance classes is considerable.

Online/distance delivery

Audioblogging can be integrated into fully or partially online courses and is extremely effective for:

posting online introductions
interviewing guest experts
providing oral reports and updates from the field
creating learning objects for lessons
recording course reflections
oral assessments.

Face-to-face/blended delivery

Audioblogging can be used to enhance face-to-face delivery where learners are required to work collaboratively on tasks, or to submit materials to a class blog for assessment.

Why use audioblogs? Challenges and new approaches for teaching and learning

Online voice technologies offer a range of opportunities to support innovative teaching and learning. Some of the available online technologies are so new that their potential application to flexible teaching and learning is just now being recognised. Audioblogs are one of these emerging technologies and a major challenge is to identify the new possibilities for learning that audioblogging offers.

The implications of these new ‘social software’ tools are being debated in terms of the new approaches to teaching and learning they may engender (see Future directions for more on this topic). However, there are a number of identified challenges to online learning that audioblogs may help teachers address.

Low levels of computer literacy

Some learners have little or no computer and/or literacy skills and who may be required to submit reports or assignments remotely.

Access to the Internet

Learners are required to submit work to the Internet but do not have easy or frequent access Internet-enabled computers.
You would like your learners to be able to publish content to the web without the need to log into a password-secure environment.

Lifelong learning

You would like learners to be able to publish content to the web and retain access to that content after the conclusion of the course.
Learners are interested in experimenting with learning through mobile technologies.

Remote learners

You need to provide access to content and support for learners in remote regions.
Learners in distance education courses need to be connected, not only to course content and learning activities, but also to each other and to their teachers as part of the learning community.
A learner may be absent from class for a period and would like to keep in contact with the class.

Why use audioblogs? New practices: how audioblogs can help meet the challenges

Audioblogs may provide an effective online channel of communication for some learners who may be shy in class or who prefer an auditory style of learning. They can also be an attractive learning option for learners (particularly younger learners) for whom mobile technologies are an integral part of their lives and daily communication.

Audioblogs:

Are very flexible. You can post by phone to an audioblog from anywhere. You do not need Internet access, IT or high level literacy skills.
Can be attractive and media rich. You can add graphics and personalised layout (eg: colours, font, banners, etc).
Can be personalised. They can function as a simple means of creating personal or interactive webpages and they remain active after a course is finished. They can function as a type of e-portfolio for learners indefinitely.
Are very accessible. They can be made available to the public domain for wider participation. Learners can keep in touch with each other during periods of absence during the course or after the course has finished. They can be used to strengthen a learner’s social and professional networks.

Audioblogging may be a suitable alternative:

where learners with little or no computer and/or literacy skills are required to submit reports or assignments remotely
if you want learner-content posted to the web automatically without the need to log into a password secure environment
where you would like to maintain contact between a learner who is absent from a class for a period, and who may not be within easy reach of an Internet connection and the rest of the class.

Audioblogging or voice boards?

While voice boards are an effective discussion tool for learners enrolled in courses, audioblogs are

more flexible. You can post by phone or PC.
more attractive and media rich. You can add graphics and personalised layout (eg: colours, font, banners, etc).
more personalised. They can function as a simple means of creating personal or interactive webpages that also remain active after course is finished.
more accessible. They can be made available to the public domain for wider participation.

New practices for teaching and learning

Audioblogs offer access to new ways of reaching learners with low levels of computer literacy, those who prefer an oral mode of learning or those in remote locations. They also provide teachers with creative ways of engaging learners (particularly younger learners). Some practical examples of new practices using audioblogs are described below.

Guest speakers: pair work

Teacher has guests prepare and submit audio files to class blog.
Teacher assigns pairs of learners a particular post.
After listening to their designated posts, the two learners interview each other about what they have learnt from that post.
These two learners post their interviews back to the class blog.
Teacher provides feedback as necessary.

Distance learners: reflection

Distance learners are required to submit a weekly reflection on their field work.
Every alternate week, learners submit an audio post by phone to their blog. In this scenario, the blog could be a private or a class blog where all learners could listen to each other’s reflections.
Teacher provides feedback as necessary.

Language learning

Learners record themselves at home reading various types of texts aloud (eg: academic, creative writing, selected conversations with peers, selected pronunciation practice exercises).
Learners post these examples to their own private blog.
Teacher comments as necessary.
Periodically, learners are asked to comment on their own ‘oral progress’.

‘In addition to encouraging those learners who are reluctant to participate in class to overcome their inhibitions and do some oral practice on their own, it [audioblogging] also gives them a way of monitoring their own progress over the semester and it allows the teacher to track not only their global speaking and reading fluency, but also to isolate and target specific pronunciation items and individualise instruction accordingly. The requirement is straightforward as long as the tasks are well-chosen and the instructions are clearly specified.’

(Note from paticipating language teacher)

Informal Interviews

Out-of-hours, a teacher finds themself in conversation on a topic that would be valuable for their current class to hear.
Teacher does short phone interview and posts to class blog.
Resource is used in class when appropriate.

Creating learning objects

Learning objects can be created in situ.
With a digital camera and a mobile/telephone, blog account teachers and learners can post a commentary of physical locations and assemble voice and photo as learning objects or class learning materials. These are then posted to a class blog.

See http://mikecogh.blogspot.com/2005/04/mobile-learning-object_27.html for an example.

Celebrity message

Teacher arranges for high profile member of the community to post messages to a class blog over a set period (eg, one week).
This member of the community (eg: sports personality, local Member of Parliament, media celebrity, etc) could post a phone message for a class.
Teacher edits the post and has it ready for class to hear next day.
Learners could either reply in text using the comments feature or the audio by creating a new post.

General discussion

Audioblogs can be used as another form of asynchronous discussion (similar to voice boards).
Teacher creates a class blog on a set topic.
Learners or teachers post to this blog as part of an ongoing discussion.
Comments or replies to earlier posts are made via text comments feature or by posting a new message in audio.

See http://npaudio.blogspot.com/ for an example.

Absent learners

Learners who will be away for an extended period can send a post via phone from anywhere in the world to the class blog:

– to keep in social contact with classmates
– to do any assignments that may have been posted on their class blog.

How? Integrating audioblogs into teaching and learning

Audioblogging is a relatively new phenomenon and there are as yet few examples of audioblogging in teaching practice. If you are thinking of integrating audioblogs into your teaching practice, some of the things you will need to consider are listed below.

There are several methods of creating audioblogs.
The existence of other means of recording and submitting audio asynchronously (notably: voice email and voice boards).
Podcasts - there is considerable overlap and consequent potential confusion with podcasting. In simple terms, an audioblog is an audio file that has been placed on a blog to be listened to on the web. An audio file that is designed to be downloaded to a mobile device is better referred to as a podcast. So, audioblogs are listened to primarily on the web; podcasts are listened to primarily on a mobile device.
All blogs have a comments feature. Hence, blogs whether text or audio, imply an interactive element. In educational settings, it is assumed that the intended audience will respond (via the comments feature or by creating a new post) to your message.

By contrast, podcasts are a recent form of broadcast that is not ordinarily replied to. There are several examples of audio in blogs that their authors have labelled as podcasts, but as long as that audio file is being listened to on the web – rather than on a mobile device – and there is a reply facility, then that audio is really being used more as an audioblog than a podcast.

Audioblogs and your organisation

There have been cases where teachers using blogs outside of learning management systems with learners have experienced conflict with their organisations.

As audioblogs are typically hosted off campus (ie, on the Internet), some educational institutions will not approve their use with learners enrolled in recognised courses.
Audioblogs are very individual spaces and may not fit the organisation’s style guide
Audioblogs are not behind network firewalls and may be considered a firewall risk. Local IT staff may not provide any helpdesk assistance if there are problems.
There may also be issues relating to intellectual property.
- – Who owns the content published to a personal blog by a learner enrolled in a course at an institute?
- – Who owns the content published to a personal or class blog by a teacher delivering a course?

Setting up

Before setting up audio (or text) blogs, a few key questions need to be considered. Do you want:

a class blog that everyone can post to?
a teacher’s blog that only teachers can post to but that all learners can reply to?
learner blogs that everyone can post to (ie, public) or private learner blogs that only teachers and the learner who owns the blog can post to? Learners can also invite other class members to contribute to their private blog if they wish to.

Blogging software is very flexible and allows all these levels of access and configuration.

A class blog can become heavily populated very quickly. With learners and teachers on an equal footing everyone has equal posting rights.

A teacher’s blog can be very useful for presenting study materials and for summarising units of work.

Learner blogs (except in WebCT® or Blackboard® where one voice board can be marked as private), in effect, house multiple private blogs in the one place. This option is very time consuming to set up. Each learner needs to set up their own blog and it may mean you have to visit multiple blogs to view each learner’s contributions. However, for learners to get a real sense of what it means to blog (and to promote ownership of the publishing process), they would ideally have their own blog.

Tips: what to watch out for so you don’t trip up

Direct phone blogging (free service)

Advantages:

no computer skills needed
no Internet access required to make posts
you can post to your blog wherever there is a phone line (mobile or land-based) – it does not have to be your phone, or the number you registered with
immediacy – posts can be created on-the-spot as the occasion or thought arises
account can be shared with any number of participants
though posts are made via international dialling, calls are relatively low cost (typically no more than AUD$2/post for up to 5 minutes)
service copes adequately with several simultaneous postings
posts can be reviewed before posting
you can post supporting graphics and text.

Disadvantages:

number to be called is a US number (though still relatively low cost)
service is occasionally down for maintenance without prior warning
when registering the number has to be a number with a US area code prefix (note: if you live outside the US, do not register your real phone number as Audioblogger will not accept it)
teacher or some other person has to log in to the editing area of the blog to give the post a title and to add any other written text and graphics
limited to 5 minutes per post
respondents can only post written text replies in the comments field.

Tips:

enter the number as a speed dial in your telephone’s address book
listen carefully to the automatic prompts before and after recording your post (note: if you end the call before you have posted your message, you cannot retrieve it)
do not submit too many posts without going into the editing screen to give them a title as it becomes unwieldy to go back and identify more than about 6 untitled posts
keep a copy of your registered number and ID with you at all times (eg: in diary, mobile contacts, or PDA)
if you intend to reply to audio posts, have pen and paper handy to make notes of the main points while listening to a post.

Phone blogging or via PC recording using a paid service

Advantages:

no computer skills needed
no Internet access required to make posts
you can post to your blog wherever there is a phone line (mobile or land based) – it does not have to be your phone
immediacy – posts can be created on the spot as the occasion or thought arises
all posts are stored in one web-based location for easy editing and re-use
you can post supporting graphics and text
depending on where you live, phone blogs can be made using a local phone number (currently there is a UK and Australian number for non-US-based users of InstantAudio. http://instantaudio.com/)
though a paid service, it is still very affordable for individuals or organisations (price ranges from US$8 - $30/month).

Disadvantages:

teacher or some other person has to log in to a web-based account, copy and paste the code into the editing area of the blog and add any other written text and graphics
fairly advanced IT skills required to edit and post blog
not a free service
learners may need to pay for costs incurred using their own phone to post messages
respondents can only post written text replies in the comments field.

PC recording

Advantages:

quality of audio recordings better than phone posts
posts can be reviewed and edited before final submission
all posts are stored in one web-based location for easy editing and re-use
account can be shared by multiple individuals (eg, a whole class)
supporting graphics and text can be posted
more attractive interface with pause, back and fast-forward buttons for easier playback.

Disadvantages:

teacher or other person has to log in to a web based account and copy and paste the code into the editing area of the blog
fairly advanced IT skills required to edit and post blog
not a free service
respondents can only post written text replies in the comments field.

Using Horizon Wimba Voice Board

Advantages:

when used within Blackboard® or WebCT® blogs can be integrated into the course interface
no extra login required for learners
teachers can use private messaging facility to create one board for multiple learners (teacher sees posts from all learners; learners only see their own posts and replies from teacher)
respondents can easily post spoken replies
threading format makes it easier to follow longer discussions
posts can be easily exported to PC for storage and re-use.

Disadvantages:

cost of a licence may be prohibitive for individuals or smaller organisations
no phone or mobile blogging facility available
cannot post supporting graphic material
cannot be accessed by a wider audience outside of the LMS.

Tip: If you are using voice boards outside of a LMS, they can be accessed via a URL. If you are using the boards this way, it is advisable to set them up as having ‘registered user access’ only. This prevents outsiders from being able to access the board or blog.

The comments feature

Although blogs typically have a comments feature, it is not possible to use audio in the comments feature in many audioblogging services.

Responses made using the comments feature need to be made in text.
If you would like to post a spoken response you need to create a new message and title the post appropriately (eg, reply to Andrew’s post).
Note: some audioblogging tools do allow spoken comments (eg Loudblog: http://loudblog.de/), but they need to be set up with a PHP server. This requires a greater degree of IT knowledge and is outside the scope of the current guide.

Assessment

Audioblogs are a form of journal. They are dynamic documents that tend to reflect process rather than finished product.

They should not be used to assess learned facts or a set body of knowledge.
If they are used for assessment, it is to assess a learner’s progress on a learning journey (ie, how they feel about the course, interview skills, to monitor their current thinking on a particular issue, how well they can express themselves orally).
It is important that any assessment serves to encourage ongoing participation in the blog, and does not make learners feel concerned that they are ‘wrong’, or ‘falling behind’.
It is also important that any assessment of audioblogs not stifle a learner’s desire and willingness to express themselves orally.

For all these reasons, it is very important to explain the purpose of the audioblog early in the course and to discuss the variety of related issues thoroughly.

Technical notes

Audioblogs are used together with standard text blogs.

There are several audioblogging services and while they are all similar in principal, the process of creating and posting audioblogs varies depending on:

the method you are using, and
the blogging service you have registered with.

For more detail on how to use various audioblogs see the Audioblogs: technical guide.