Woman recording audio

In the pantheon of instructional media, audio is sort of the shy step-child that everyone  takes for granted. Text, video, and live presentation seem to garner all the focus of materials development. You rarely hear teachers say, “We really need to create great audio content.” While there are surely some teachers who do produce ample amounts of audio, the truth is that most teachers rarely do, if ever.

Unlike other mediums though, audio has some strong pedagogical advantages that are often over looked. Let’s look at some reasons why teachers should make audio content for their students.Learner Types

The three most common types of learning strengths are visual learners (seeing), auditory learners (hearing) , and kinetic learners (movement). Naturally, audio helps auditory learners greatly because it allows them to hear content and accentuate their learning strength. Additionally though, audio is also very useful for kinetic learners because, in the age of iPods, iPhones and MP3 players, it allows them to move when they study. The can walk and listen and do multiple tasks at once. The recent rise in the popularity of podcasts proves this because people can listen as they work out, commute to work, or walk in the park, while learning at the same time. Tone

Audio is great for adding meaning to information. Think about how often people get the wrong message from an e-mail. Text is an ambiguous form that people can take multiple ways. The reason is that tone is missing. Audio, on the other hand, is the straight-forward messenger that “tells it like it is”. Audio allows content creators to add emotion, humor, seriousness, and feeling to the message being conveyed. Cognitive Load

Of all the faculties, listening is often the easiest to do. You never hear someone say “My ears are tired”. Reading and viewing by contrast can be taxing on the eyes, and thus tiring. With audio, you can listen with your eye-closed or while looking out the room. The other faculties, especially sight, do not need to be fully absorbed to retain information.Mobility / Convenience

In a world of tight schedules and busing lives, students seem to find less and less time to study. With the use of MP3 players, students can study while they commute, wait for the bus, or clean the house. Audio allows students the ability to multi-task while still devoting time to study.

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