Try It Tuesday: Use the AudioBoom App to Make Audio Recordings

One of the best ways to engage young people in the classroom is by using multimedia tools. In previous Try It Tuesday posts, we've exploring the Nutshell app (which combines audio and visuals), tools for making screencasts and the PicCollage app, where you can create collages and overlay text. 

This week we're introducing you to AudioBoom, a website and app for iPhones and Androids that allows you to create and share audio recordings.

Getting Started

To get started, you will first want to visit the AudioBoom website to create a free account. 

With AudioBoom you can do recordings on the fly through your smart phone or tablet computer by downloading the app or you can record directly through the website via a laptop or desktop computer. 

If you plan to record using a smartphone or tablet, then you will also want to download the app, either by going to Google Play (for Android) or to the App Store for iPhones/iPads. 

Making a Recording

Once your free account has been created, you can record or upload audio clips of up to 10 minutes. 

To upload a previously saved audio file, follow these instructions:

To record through the website, follow these instructions:

You can also record through the smartphone/tablet app. 

• On the main page of the app, look for the red button on the top right of the screen. 

• Select the button, which will take you to the "record" screen. Click on the red Record button to begin the recording. 

• You can pause the recording and you can also use the scissors on the Pause screen to trim out any mistakes or excess audio.

• Once the recording is complete, select "Publish" and the recording will be uploaded to your profile. 

You can access the recording by logging into your account and going to your posts or through the app where you select your Account and then select "posts."

Sharing Your Recordings

To share your recordings via a blog or website, you simply go to the individual Post page, where you can copy the "Embed" code for the file, as you would with a YouTube video. You can then paste the code into a blog or a website for online sharing. 

Ways to Use AudioBoom in the Classroom

There are so many ways you could use AudioBoom to support learning and engage students, including having them:

• Do 10-minute Appreciative Interviews with each other. 

• Interview adults about their careers as part of an internship or a career exploration module. 

• Produce an audio "commercial" about themselves. 

• Create and tell a story about a personal experience.

• Produce an audio reflection piece on what they've learned from a particular experience or from classroom activities. 

• Do an audio "review" of a book, play, music, etc. 

• Do a spoken word or poetry reading. 

There are a million possibilities for these 10-minute audio clips--try asking young people how THEY might like to use the tool to express themselves or reflect on their learning!

If you use AudioBoom or a similar tool, leave us a note in comments. We'd love to hear more about how you use audio with your students!