It is not a coincidence that in the last few years anything “audio” has become big business, from audiobooks, to podcast, to voice assistant technology with smart devices that you can control just using your voice.   

On your Microsoft Office documents you can engage dictate and pronto you can have text written just by talking, in fact that is what I have done just now to write this short piece. If you have been paying attention you have also noticed that audio is popping up in a range of other places with little audio icons showing up next to text from Google translate to educational tools like Wakelet (view all my cheatsheets on Wakelet).

There are many reasons why audio has become so popular, but one in particular that is important for us to consider: it is mobile friendly. Yes indeed, listening to something on a smartphone or mobile device while doing something else is something that seems to fit well with a world on the move, why not then think of harnessing this in our teaching? 

There are so many ideas you can explore in integrating audio in your teaching, from podcast lectures to audio commentary on weekly topics and assessment feedback. 

We will soon publish a couple of cheat sheets on audio and podcast for teaching and learning but in the mean time you might want to explore this article about voice technology in education. 

https://yourstory.com/2020/07/innovations-voice-technology-reshaping-education-learning/amp 

Cheatsheets:

• Audios for Feedback, Marking and Personalising