This I believe continued...

Well, the activity turned out pretty good as far as recording, editing and uploading to SCORE. The problem arose when we tried to have students in pairs access the audio files of their peers to post comments based on specific questions. Bandwidth was an issue! Only 1 or two students were able to listen while the others waited to see if they could open the files. We tried partners, small groups, moving kids to desktops and still didn't have much success. The students now will be required to listen at home or during school hours when they can access a computer and will post to the discussion board then. Their deadline is Monday, Dec. 8. It was unfortunate that this was not able to be done during class time but now maybe some students will take off with this activity and listen to more than the minimum required 1 essay.

This I Believe Activity

I worked with a teacher on a project that I think went really well. She had students write essays to make a statement based on "This I Believe" through NPR. After students finished the essays we had them use Audacity to record them. I showed them some minor editing features in case they made a mistake or two. Once they finished the audio fies we uploaded them into SCORE in a merged course so all of her students could listen to any of the finished products. Their requirements now are to listen to at least 3 and post to a discussion forum based on their beliefs. I thought the kids did a nice job with their essays and I have enjoyed listening to some of them to this point.