Week 1 - Talking Photos

Assignment Title: Talking Photos with Fotobabble.
Uses in the Classroom
Fotobabbles have multiple uses in the classroom that may not be apparent on first glance. The common thought with a talking picture for use in the educational setting is to use this solely as an introduction tool. The idea of putting a picture and a voice to someone who may only be a name or a small avatar is an appealing one, especially for the issues faced by distance education or correspondence only courses. This is ofcourse a very compelling use for this software, and in my opinion is a must have for any distance learning course. 

However, the software could have uses for other more traditional educational settings too. Often when I think of technology that brings in a human element I draw back to my early teaching placements where part of my job was to teach religion courses. Although the sterotype is that these courses often involve the study of religious texts, the realitiy is that they're mostly based on morality and moral responses to certin situations. I think in this context a fotobabble could be easily used to conveigh emotion, vocal tone, infection and word use could easily help understanding and help students remember concepts when talking about topics like poverty, descrimination or human rights. 

Fotobabbles offer us a unique way to connect with each other on a visual and audio level. This connection could be used whenever an emotional connection is needed in the classroom to really drive home understanding and insure that students remember. 

 Issues to Consider
I hate the sound of my voice recorded...anyone else in the same boat? Most people do, I've been told it's common with everyone but I still can't escape the feeling that I don't sound right on a recording. This, and other issues around self esteem are huge when dealing with this kind of a multimedia. The act of recording voice for posterity and the ability to replay it many times at will is, for some, a scary and stressful thought. This is something teachers need to take into account when working on assignments like this. 

On another purely technical note, the sale of webcams and microphones are often an after thought for anyone not buying a laptop. School administrators might not be inclined to order extra parts when already springing for new computers.
 
Copyright: Images and multimedia shared in this post are original creations of Ian Thomson