Every September, teachers often share good digital resources that they came across on a teacher CPD summer course. One such resource shared with me recently was Vocaroo.
Vocaroo is a simple free online tool that allows users to record, send, and download voice messages. Teachers and learners can use Vocaroo in different activities, such as podcasting, digital storytelling, broadcasting, and giving feedback. Recordings can be downloaded, sent, or even scanned with a QR code reader.
Vocaroo is a simple, free voice recorder that allows users to create an audio recording with just a few clicks. Once recorded, the audio file can remain on the Vocaroo servers and be easily transmitted via a link, or it can be downloaded into several different file types, including MP3, Ogg, FLAC, or WAV. Additionally, it can be shared by QR Code, embedded onto a blog or website, or shared via several social media buttons. Since Vocaroo is web-based, it’s an ideal companion for the Chromebook classroom or any web-based environment.
I especially love the fact that this tool can be accessed directly without logging in to an account.
Students and teachers can easily record and share their thoughts with each other. The audio recordings become great opportunities for formative assessment and feedback as well as a great way to have students double-check their writing for errors. From a teacher’s point of view, there are three main uses for this free, easy-to-use tool.
Formative Feedback
Students can record 30-60 seconds of audio feedback about a new concept, and teachers can then collect links to the audio recordings in a Google Form or via a Padlet wall. Within 30 minutes, teachers could have a pulse on how well their students are understanding the ideas shared.
Peer Feedback
As students give peer-to-peer feedback using the comments function in a Google Doc, they can easily insert a Vocaroo link to provide an audio comment. This is especially helpful when they want to share ideas that are too lengthy to type. Teachers can do the same as they provide feedback to students about their work.
Read Aloud to Catch Mistakes
Prior to submitting a draft of an essay, teachers can require students to read the essay aloud in a Vocaroo recording to catch mistakes and hear their essay. While teachers often encourage students to do this on their own, requiring a link to them reading it aloud would ensure that students see the process through. The link to the recording could be shared in a comment within the Google Doc or even added at the top of the essay. This simple task can help support students’ oral reading fluency and help them catch potential mistakes that they might not have caught by reading their work quietly to themselves.
