This player reads the text for this posting.
Click the controls above to operate it.
Hey, it’s me. I’m a Codebaby. We use this software to create animations for our online courses. The animations introduce units of study within the courses. It’s possible to get the characters to walk and gesture. We give them mannerisms of the speakers, such as scratching their noses or checking their watches.
Within the courses, we complement the text with audio files. In readthewords.com we copy and paste the course text into a converter that makes an mp3 file of the text. While the voice sounds computerish, it provides the means for a student to listen to the text or read along with the text. By clicking the player above, you’ll be able to hear the text of this blog entry as read by a file generated by readthewords.com.
Both of these items allow us to add multimedia to our courses, but more importantly, they give students the option of how to learn. Non-readers are not hindered by their low reading levels.
See you again, sometime soon.
[Author’s note: Notice that no where in this posting have I written anything about “tools” or “technology integration.” The goal is to give students the opportunity to choose their modality of learning. They can read the text, read along with the mp3 file, or listen to the content — stopping or starting as they think is necessary.]