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EXPLAIN HOW AUDIO CAN BE PRODUCED FOR USE IN THE CLASSROOM.PREPARED BY:DHARSHINI D/O KRISHNAN MORTHYUTILIZATION OF AUDIO MEDIA FOR THE TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESSESAudio - a range of sound waves that can be heard by human ears. Helps students who are poor in their reading skills to get an overview without reading the lengthy text. EG : The narrative element such as storytelling, reviews and dialogue between characters makes the presentation more lively and interesting. The appropriate use of background music and sound effects makes a scenario appear more realistic. Besides placing emphasis on certain idea and concepts, it is able to create certain mood, arouse emotion, and challenges of the students imagination.

Appropriate use of audio media enable to train the students to build good listening skills, to speak fluently and communicate effectively. Active listening is an essential skill which enables the students to understand the message and develop mutual understanding between the sender and the receivers. This may result in effective behavioral change and lead to team building (Rogers & Farson, 1987). Active listening involves the following habitual behavior:- Paying attention to the speaker or the teacher, including the verbal and non-verbal language. - Actively participate in the communication by giving appropriate responses.- Delay making any judgment before the speaker had finished telling his story.Good listening skills bring about effective communication where by the students will be able to understand the verbal massage as well as the intention and emotion behind it.

TYPES OF AUDIO EQUIPMENTThere are several categories of audio equipment based on their respective function:Audio recording equipment.Output devices which enable us to listen to play back of the audio production.Storage devices which keep the audio production in the reusable format.Equipment or software which enables us to do audio editing.Basically, we classify the audio media into two formats, the analogue digital formats.

There is different equipment involved when we intend to record, edit and to store the different audio file formats.

EQUIPMENT FOR AUDIO RECORDING We may use the audio cassettes and audio tape recorder to record analog sound, or using the computer, MP3 recorder, iPod, mobile phones, and digital camera to record the digital audio. All of the above devices need a microphone to input the audio signal into the audio recorder. Example of audio recording devices.

Audio FormatTypes of recorder requiredAnalogueMagnetic tape recorderCassette recorderDigital computer Digital voice recorder iPodMP3 recorderiPodMobile phoneMultifunctional digital cameraTYPES OF MICROPHONES ACCORDING TO ITS USE.ShotgunIt is normally used for the video camera.LavaliereIt is attached to the body or on clothing.HeadsetIdeal for studio recording and on stage performance whereby the artists need to move about frequently form place to place. Wireless It enables the speaker to move freely in a wider area.

MICROPHONES LOUDSPEAKERSThe loud speaker (speaker) enables the audience to hear sound playback by the audio recorder. There are three types of drivers in a speaker system:Tweeter > The driver which produces the high frequency sound in the stereo speaker system. It is the smallest in size. Midrange > It reproduces sound in the middle frequency.Woofer > It reproduces sound in low frequency (bass). It is the biggest driver in the system.

AUDIO MIXER AND AUDIO EDITORThe audio mixer helps to depict the scenario and creates the mood for a story, drama, explanation, etc.For the analogue sound format, the audio mixer combines and controls the output of various audio signals in order to achieve the desirable sound effects. Whereas in the case of digital audio, the editor and mixer is the computer application software which is able to remix and edit the sound file according to ones need and preferences.

AUDIO FILE STORAGE

The sound file may be saved and edited repeatedly when need arises. The storage devices for analogue audio format are mainly the magnetic tape and the audio cassettes. The digital audio files may be saved in the computer hardware such as the hard discs, audio discs, memory card, optical discs like the CDs and DVDs.

PLANNING AND THE PREPARATION OF AUDIO MEDIA

If you failed to plan, you have planned to fail!The planning and preparation stage is the key to successful audio production, especially if you aim at conveying the educational messages via the audio media.The planning and preparation phase involves:Identify the objectives and learning outcomes By referring to syllabus and standards, we can identify the objectives and standards, scopes of the contents, the types of learning activities, and values which should be included in the audio presentation. Analyze the learners (or the target audience) Bear in mind what could be the prior knowledge, ability and preferences of the target audience before we can identify the appropriate approach, style, the scope, examples and elaboration which may effectively capture the students attention, arouse their interest and convey the essential massage successfully. Obtain the information (The topic, skills, content)and the relevant resources (sound effects, background music, CDs, etc.)Preparing the script Clearly define the sequencing of the content, the relevant sound effects for a particular scenario, when and how the background music should come in, when to pause, phrases which needed emphasis and alike.The script is a guide for the producer, the talents as well as the production crews. It helps the team to visualize how to act out a scene, to pin point the appropriate time to dub in the background music and/ or the sound effects and so on and so forth.

RECORDING AND AUDIO EDITING The procedures for audio recording include: Prior to the actual recording session, make sure that all of the equipment is in good condition. Find a place which is free from unwanted noise, preferably a sound studio.During the actual audio recording session, ensure that all the sound level of the microphone input and speaker output are set to the optimum level, which neither too loud nor too soft.It is advisable to record the narration without the sound effects and the background music so as to save the audio editing and remixing in later stage from complication.Play back the recording to identify any segment that needs second take, etc.

AUDIO EDITING

The digital audio file may be recorded and saved in various format. It may be edited and play back using audio editing software. Example of the commonly used editing softwares includes Windows Sound Recorder, Soundforge, and Audacity.You may need to find out the meaning of certain technical terms related to audio editing such as fade in, fade out, cross-fading, amplify, silence, echo, change pitch, change tempo, etc.

It will be helpful to have a glimpse of the so that we may be able to identify the appropriate play back application program and equipment.

Digital audio formatFile extensionIts characteristicsWaveform Audio File Format.wavThe standard audio format for computers which use the Windows operation system. It is uncompressed; hence its file size is relatively large. MPEG Layer-3format.mp3The most popular audio format for downloading and saving audio files for Internet. Musical Instrument Digital Interface.midIt is a list of musical notes acts as the standard commands that allows the electronic musical instrument, performance controllers, computers and related devices to communicate, and to play back the sound, very much like the human reading the music sheet.Audio Interchange File Format.AIFFAudio file format which is normally used for Apple Macintosh.AUDIO FILE FORMAT CONCLUSIONThe audio media production for the teaching and learning processes involves planning and preparation prior to the actual audio recording. This is to ensure that the audio media contains the necessary information which leads to the attainment of the learning outcomes. Knowledge about the type of audio recording and editing equipment adhere to the principles of effective audio production helps to generate an effective audio media that delivers its massage precisely and accurately. It in turns helps the students to get a clear overview of the topic and arouse their interest to do further literature review.