When used effectively, technology can be a fantastic tool for MFL teachers.

Audacity is a free sound recording and editing piece of software, which you can download here. We recommend that you ask your IT technician to install it across the school network. Coupled with headsets and microphones for each pupil (which can be bought very cheaply as sites such as www.cpc.farnell.com search for headphones with a microphone for £2.95 for one or £2.66 for 25 or more) you can transform an ordinary computer suite into a multimedia lab.

Pupils can record raps or songs they have created. Very usefully, they can edit them to cut out unwanted noise, play backing tracks and sing to accompany them, and even change the pitch and speed of what they have recorded.

Teachers can pre-record speaking questions in audacity, generate silence and save it as an audacity project. Pupils can open it up, save their answers, and export the finished version as an .mp3 or .wav file. For more information and Wendy Adeniji’s training courses showing you how to do this, go to www.trainingforlearning.co.uk.

Vokis are a free and fun way of using previously recorded sound (ideally using audacity and then edited) to create a personal avatar which speaks. It is easy to use and self explanatory, and pupils can create avatars, save them and put them up on a website. Go to www.voki.com and register for free.

Sam:
Get a Voki now!

Kirsty:
Get a Voki now!