Wimba Voice Tools
Definition
With Horizon Wimba Voice Tools, instructors can easily incorporate synchronous and asynchronous voice recordings into teaching and learning activities that traditionally are text-based. Four of the tools are available as "PowerLinks" through the WebVista and Moodle course management systems in use on campus:
- Voice Board enables instructors and students to engage in audio-based threaded discussions.
- Voice Direct enables instructors and students to engage in audio- and text-based chat sessions.
- Voice Email enables instructors and students to send voice recordings with e-mail messages.
- Voice Recorder enables instructors and students to create voice recordings that can be posted online.
The College of Liberal Arts Language Center piloted the use of Wimba Voice Tools at the University. Horizon Wimba partnered with WebCT to enable the PowerLink in WebVista. Access to the University's WebVista service is provided by the Office of Information Technology. For more information about WebVista, see our WebVista page. For more information about Moodle, see our Moodle page.
Educational Uses
Language instructors have long used audio in the classroom. Audio clips of foreign language speakers provide students with opportunities to learn vocabulary and sharpen their listening and comprehension skills. In the language classroom students are often required to create recordings in order to practice their speaking skills. Wimba Voice Tools make it possible for instructors to easily post customized audio clips and for students to post practice recordings. The recordings can be retrieved anytime and anywhere.
While Wimba Voice Tools have many uses for language courses, they have other pedagogical uses as well. Since many technologies that are used for teaching and learning enable instructors and students to communicate primarily through visual images and text, audio-based tools such as Wimba can help instructors accommodate students with different learning styles or visual and print disabilities. Because spoken voices often convey more immediacy than written text, audio discussions or audio announcements from the instructor can contribute to the strengthening of relationships in the classroom. Moreover, significant elements of face-to-face communication—the nuances of voice—that are missing from text-based online discussions can be recaptured, contributing to greater clarity and understanding in online discussions. Since the Wimba Voice Tools are easy to use and easily accessible, creating a quick audio recording may be more convenient than composing an e-mail or threaded-discussion post. In addition, Wimba Voice Tools enable instructors to gather online students' spoken audio assignments. Instructors and students also may talk with each other online in real time.
For example, instructors can use the tools to:
- conduct live audio discussions between students and teachers, anytime, anywhere;
- teach pronunciation, rhythm, stress, and emphasis;
- embed recordings of the instructor's voice in course site pages to enhance instructor presence;
- annotate course-related examples with voice recordings;
- add spoken announcements to course sites;
- engage in audio-based threaded discussions;
- hold online office hours; and
- send voice comments on papers and assignments.
Issues
Instructors should be aware of some issues when they use type of technology for teaching and learning.
- Although Wimba is easy to use, instructors should work with students to ensure they have access to the necessary equipment/technologies.
- Audio quality settings are optimized for speech; the tool is not recommended for musical uses.
- Instructors should provide students with guidelines for creating recordings that are appropriate to the assignment and grounded in principles of public speaking. For example, instructors might create guidelines about the length of the recording and some tips on delivery.
Examples
See the following for examples of how others are using this type of technology to enhance learning.
Ideas for Teachers
This section of a page on the College of Liberal Arts Language Center site includes several links to documents describing how instructors have used or might use the Wimba Voice Tools. Please note that the Oral Assessment Builder is not available in the Vista PowerLink version of Wimba Voice Tools.
Teaching Spanish Online
This article in portable document format (PDF) explains how Santa Monica College's Maria Erickson has used Wimba Voice Tools in her hybrid Spanish course.
Resources
The following sources may help you use and teach with this type of technology.
Beyond Digital Audio
These are materials presented by Dr. Ganna Kudyma and Ted Liu of the UCLA Center for World Languages at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages 2005 convention.
Horizon Wimba Support
Instructors can access live and archived training sessions, technical documentation, and a user group forum on the Horizon Wimba site.
Using the Wimba Voice Tools
This page on the College of Liberal Arts Language Center site includes links to documents about how to set up, log in to, and use the Wimba Voices Tools; demonstrations of how the tools work; and more.
Research
The following research literature has been published about the educational uses of this type of technology.
Felix, Uschi. "Performing Beyond the Comfort Zone: Giving a Voice to Online Communication." In Beyond the Comfort Zone: Proceedings of the 21st ASCILITE Conference, edited by Roger Atkinson, Clare McBeath, Diana Jonas-Dwyer, and Rob Phillips, 284–293. Perth, 5–8 December 2004. http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/
perth04/procs/felix.html or http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/
perth04/procs/pdf/felix.pdf.
According to the author, Web-based tools for improving second-language speaking skills have not been available until recently. This article provides an overview of applications such as Wimba (a voice bulletin board), Traveler (voiced chat), and Lyceum (audiographics). The author takes into consideration what these applications have to offer the instructor who wishes to take a constructivist approach to teaching.
Field, John. "Skills and Strategies: Towards a New Methodology for Listening." ELT Journal 52, no. 2 (1998): 110–118. http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/52/2/110.
Field outlines significant shifts in the way listening is understood in the context of learning. Listening is no longer subordinate to content and is valued as a skill; practice listening in a classroom setting is related to "real-life" listening, and instructors focus more on motivating students to concentrate and listen. Accordingly, teaching practices must change to accommodate this shift in perspective, and Field revises traditional listening lessons that motivate students, provide feedback on mistakes as well as correct answers, and incorporate authentic materials.
Vandergrift, Larry. "Facilitating Second Language Listening Comprehension: Acquiring Successful Strategies." ELT Journal 53, no. 3 (1999): 168–176. http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/53/3/168.
"Listening comprehension is anything but a passive activity.... Listening is hard work, and deserves more analysis and support" (Vandegrift 168). This article highlights the practical—efficiency and utility—and psychological advantages of developing good listening strategies when learning languages. Based on a review of the literature, Vandegrift provides an overview of specific metacognitive and cognitive strategies that can help language students become better learners.
Vandergrift, Larry. "From Prediction Through Reflection: Guiding Students Through the Process of L2 Listening." The Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes 59, no. 3 (2003): 425–440.
In this small-scale study of two groups of second-semester beginner-level French students, Vandegrift explores the effectiveness of different listening tasks used for learning the language and for improving students' listening skills. The article provides an overview of psycholinguistic aspects of listening and the effectiveness of metacognitive strategies such as prediction, problem-solving, and collaboration with peers.
