English Listening Teaching Assisted by the Audio Editor Run-Mei ZHAI
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2017 2nd International Conference on Education and Development (ICED 2017) ISBN: 978-1-60595-487-5 English Listening Teaching Assisted by the Audio Editor Run-Mei ZHAI The School of English Education, Beijing International Studies University, China [email protected] Keywords: English listening, Class teaching, GoldWave. Abstract. The paper mainly introduces how to use the audio editor Goldwave to solve some problems in English listening teaching, and provides more tips for English teachers to apply the software to facilitate English listening teaching. Introduction With the widespread application of multimedia technology and network resources in teaching, it has been changed drastically how we teach and what we teach. Traditionally English listening teaching mode is tape-recorder plus cassette tapes, which is a history already. The arrival of the multimedia computer in the early 1990s was a major breakthrough as it enabled text, images, sound and video to be combined in one device and the integration of the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.[1] Now digital language labs and multimedia classrooms have become ubiquitous on campus whose role of assisting language teaching is undeniable; however, there are increasingly high demands for English teachers to possess the multimedia technology and CALL skills at the meantime. Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning.[2] CALL embraces a wide range of information and communications technology applications and approaches to teaching and learning foreign languages, from the "traditional" drill-and-practice programs that characterized CALL in the 1960s and 1970s to more recent manifestations of CALL, e.g. as used in a virtual learning environment and Web-based distance learning. The current philosophy of CALL puts a strong emphasis on student-centered materials that allow learners to work on their own. Such materials may be structured or unstructured, but they normally embody two important features: interactive learning and individualized learning. CALL is essentially a tool that helps teachers to facilitate the language learning process. It can be used to reinforce what has already been learned in the classroom or as a remedial tool to help learners who require additional support. [3] Take the English listening class for example, teachers need to collect a large number of audio files and edit them into different types of listening exercises. During the process of preparing lessons, many problems arise. For example, some audio files can only be played online and can’t be downloaded, or some files do not have proper format, right volume, or good quality, and the like. Moreover, there are some classic old listening materials are in tapes, and it is not convenient for teachers to use them in class, for they have to use the tape recorder which is rare now and fast-forwarding and rewinding the tape to the right place do waste some class time and lower the class efficiency. Nowadays students use computers or cell phones so often that teachers need to provide more audio files with appropriate formats for them to study on their electronic devices and autonomous learning platforms. Therefore, the mastery of multimedia technology and CALL skills is essential for English teachers. Through my own practice, I have found that the audio editor GoldWave has such powerful functions that it can help English teachers to solve all the problems mentioned above and offer great aid to English listening teaching. In the following parts I will illustrate in details how the audio editor can be used to assist English listening teaching. 263 Introduction to the Audio Editor GoldWave GoldWave is a sound editor, player, recorder, analyzer, and converter. Simply download the self-installing file online and run GoldWave.exe. It can be used to play, record, and edit sounds, and it includes a complete set of effects and editing features for professional sound production. With the help of GoldWave, English teachers can create as many and varied high quality audio files as they can for the use of listening class teaching and after-class autonomous learning. Its main functions are as follows. Recording: recording from the line-in, microphone, and the Internet audio etc. with no time limit. Editing sounds: deleting, copying, pasting, connecting sounds, or mixing sounds etc. Effects: raising volume, reducing noises, removing vocals, or changing speed etc. Converting format: saving files as different formats such as wav., mp3 and so on. The Application of GoldWave in Listening Teaching In this part the detailed steps of using GoldWave to assist listening teaching will be illustrated. Converting Format Use the Save Sound As window to save a sound under a different name and/or convert it to a different format. You can convert a file from stereo to mono, .wav to .mp3, and a wide variety of compressed formats. To convert the sound to a different format: Choose Save As from the File menu. Type in a new name in the File Name box. Choose the new file type from Save as type list. Choose an appropriate set of attributes from the Attributes list. Choose OK. Adjusting Volume and Improving Sound Quality Some audio files downloaded from the Internet have some problems, such as, low volume, poor sound quality (with some noises) and so on. To adjust the volume: (see Fig. 1) Choose Effect / Volume / Maximize Volume. Drag the button right forward to raise the volume, or left forward to lower the volume. Choose OK to save the adjustment. Figure 1. How to Adjust the Volume. 264 Editing the Sound We can use GoldWave to delete the useless parts, connect several sound parts, and create a new file. Before we do any editing, the first step is to select a part of a sound file. Click the right mouse button to display a menu where you can choose Set Start Marker or Set Finish Marker. The selected part is shown as the highlighted part of the sound graph between two vertical markers. The vertical markers are located at the far left side (start marker) and far right side (finish marker) of the graph in the Sound window. (see Fig.2) Figure 2. How to Select a Part of a Sound File. After selecting the part, editing like deleting, copying or any operation can be done. The method is the same as the operation used in most other Windows programs. An example of creating a dictation file will be given below. Dictation is a very good way of practicing listening. In Test For English Majors (Band 4), there is a dictation part: a passage will be read to students four times in which the first time and last time it will be read at normal speed, and during the second and the third time reading the passage will be read sentence by sentence with an interval of 15 seconds in between and students are expected to write down every word they hear. With the help of GoldWave, teachers can transform any ordinary one-time passage into a dictation. To create a dictation: (see Fig. 3) Play the file of the passage you are going to modify. Play the file, and we can find a vertical line is moving forward in accordance to the playing process. When the first sentence of the passage is finished, press Pause button and the vertical line stops as well. Click the right mouse button to choose both Set Start Marker and Set Finish Marker. Choose Edit / Insert Silence. Put the time duration you need like 10-15 seconds. Choose OK. Select the sentence with the inverted interval and have it copied and pasted after the sentence. Do the operation to every sentence, and then you get the passage read for the second and third time. Paste the original passage before and after the edited passage, and the final four-time passage is made. 265 Figure 3. How to Create a Dictation. We can also edit and connect the sounds to create a complete listening exam file, including all the parts we need, such as the oral instructions, short conversations, long conversations, passages, spot dictation, dictation and so on. Mixing the Sounds GoldWave can be used to mix two sound files together. It can also be applied in English listening class. Teachers can ask students to read a poem or an essay and have it recorded, then they may choose a piece of soft music and combine the two files by using GoldWave, which may stimulate students’ enthusiasm of learning English and help them appreciate the beauty of English in a more attractive and relaxing way. Now let’s take an example of mixing a poem with a song. First Click the "Open" button to find and load the poem and the song audio files. At this point, you have two sound file windows (“Poem” and “Fireflies”) To create the poem with music, mix the first file into the second file. Select the "Poem" and click "Copy." This command puts the whole poem into the clipboard. Select "Fireflies", then select Edit / Mix. Choose OK and it is done. (see Fig. 4) Figure 4. How to Mix Two Sound Files. Recording Goldwave has very good recording functions. It may be used to record from the line-in or microphone. Connect the cassette tape recorder, radio, CD player, or other audio device to the computer's Line-in socket. Or connect a microphone to the Mic-in socket. Use the File / New command to create a new file. Play the cassette tape, or record your own speech, and at the same time press “Record” button to start your recording. Sometimes we find very good listening materials on the Internet, but they cannot be downloaded.