Monday, August 17, 2009

SlideShare

Well I am feeling very frustrated as I am writing this post. I have just spent the last three hours trying to convert an audio file, that I created in a program called Audacity, into an MP3 file with no success.

I set up an account with SlideShare and uploaded a PowerPoint presentation, saved it and then embedded the code into my blog. This all seemed to work well so I moved on to the next requirement which instructed me to make a narration audio file. I downloaded Audacity and after a fair bit of playing around I recorded and saved my first audio file. It was saved as an .aup file so I clicked on the 'Export as MP3' selection under the file menu and was instructed that I needed to download a LAME MP3 encoder (whatever this is). I searched in Google and found that I needed to download this through a site called SourceForge but again I had no success.


At this point in time I realise that I need to move on and, contrary to my motivational quote by Winston Churchill, have given up for now. I am feeling disappointed that I was not able to link an MP3 file to my SlideShare presentation as I know that adding audio to visual information is a more effective way of teaching and learning (Stansbury, 2008). I would appreciate any feedback if there are any 'Digital Natives' out there that have had success.

Just briefly, SlideShare is a website that allows individuals and organisations to upload presentations, share their ideas and connect with others (SlideShare, 2009). Presentations can be embedded into blogs and websites and you can even add audio to your slides (lol). SlideShare is an elearning tool that aligns with connectivism as it provides a source of information that can be accessed when knowledge is needed but not known (Siemens, 2004).

References:

Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Retreived August 16, 2009, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

SlideShare. (2009). About Us. Retrieved August 17, 2009, from http://www.slideshare.net/about?PHPSESSID=cdcd1c967d45a922f503f2147b6d3902

Stansbury, M. (2008). Analysis: How multimedia can improve learning. Retrieved August 17, 2009, from http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=53243

4 comments:

  1. Hi Nari,

    That frustration you are feeling, I know exactly how it feels. I am exiherated about my learning journey through the E-Learning world and have some fantastics highs. But unfortunately I also get very frustrated and have some very cranky lows as well.

    I guess they are all for the greater good in our journey. One thing I can tell you is that we are benefiting from our experiences and our teaching quality will be that much better for the experience. A little bit more sleep would be good though.

    Regards,

    Kellie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Nari,

    Wow, i can really relate to your thoughts. I am yet to do a SlideShare post (although i have covered it in an earlier topic) as i cannot get it to work! I have followed the directions, i have followed colleagues directions and i have followed Scot's directions, all to absolutely no help! What am i doing wrong?

    I have uploaded my PowerPoint just fine and tried every possible option available to me from there. Finally, i gave up. I agree with Kellie that this is all a learning journey and we will be better for it.

    Until next time,
    kerri : )

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi girls,
    I'm sure that we will all breathe a sigh of relief once we have submitted the assignments on Friday. The workload has been enormous and just one little hiccup seem to put you back hours.

    I have no idea what I did wrong with the audio and as a Digital Immigrant just wanted to be able to pick up a book and follow directions. Sometimes even with the wealth of information on the internet, you still can't find what you are looking for.
    Regards,
    Nari

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi girls, well I am glad I am not the only one struggling with this one. I too had problems with the audio part and after much hairpulling and wanting to throw th ecomputer out the door, I gave up and decided to move on as there are plenty more things that needed my attention. So how can we defuse this sort of thing in the classroom as we will know first hand what it feels like being a digital immigrant. But as you say Kellie it is a learning curb and there are other things to learn. Good Luck
    Wendy

    ReplyDelete