Submitted
by Tina L. Thomen
SLM: 521:
Telecommunications & The Internet
Elective
#5
This guide offers resources for integrating sound into secondary
English or
Current Events Audio
National Public Radio - This site offers on-demand auditory interviews, book reviews and
commentaries on a variety of topics such as Hurricane Katrina, news, politics
& society, business, people & places, music, and arts &
culture. As an English teacher, I could
develop activities to support lessons about persuasive writing and oratory
debate skills. The site offers timely
debate topics - sports etiquette controversies, the role of FEMA in
Historical Music & Context
Library of Congress –
With over 30 musical collections, the Library of Congress provides teachers
with a vast supply of music to support American literature. Examples include selections from
African-American gospels, folk music, Hispanic songs, Civil War ballads, and
Native American Pow-Wows. The musical
link is located at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/browse/ListSome.php?category=Performing%20Arts,%20Music. In addition to the musical link, many primary
historical sources such as slave narratives are offered in auditory format within
some subtopics. When available, search
by clicking on the “browse by audio titles” within each category.
<http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/browse/index.html>
History and Politics Out Loud – Although not as expansive as the Library of
Congress, this site broadcasts famous political speeches such as FDR’s and
JFK’s inaugural addresses and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sermons. Several of the
infamous Watergate discussion between Nixon and Haldeman are available. One challenge of this site rests with its
coverage gaps in certain decades such as the 1950’s and 1990’s. Yet teachers could still draw from a wealth
of examples to discuss rhetoric and oratory skills. Date visited -10/12/05 <http://www.hpol.org/>
UC Berkeley Recordings – This site
provides audio of famous Berkeley guest speakers such as Aldous Huxley, Ursula
LeGuin, Ralph Nader and James Baldwin.
Students could access this site to understand the historical context
direct from the primary source. Date
visited -10/12/05. <http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/audiofiles.html#huxley>
Poetry Recordings
The Poetry Listening Booth – No other
poetry site offers such a comprehensive selection of 150+ poetry
recordings. I have used this site
repeatedly to support lesson plans and assignments. Simply click on the phonograph icon and “Hear
It.” In general, the
Sonnet Central Listening
Room – This offers a very limited selection of poetry recordings, but the
site promises that more are coming soon.
The site does list many more online written texts in addition to these
auditory versions. RealPlayer software
is required and can be downloaded at no cost.
Date visited –
Multi-Cultural Music
Shoutcast
– After downloading a free program called “winamp,” teachers can access radio
stations from all over the world. The
multi-cultural genres include African, Middle Eastern, Asian, Latin, European,
and Reggae/Island. In addition, students
can listen to multiple radio stations that play diverse styles ranging from
blues, jazz, rock, country, instrumental and classical. Date visited –
Online Dramatic Productions
Wired for Books – Developed by
HarperAudio! –
Harper Collins Publishers maintains this site with a limited, yet richly
diverse, variety of authors. One can
listen to the satirical Kurt Vonnegut or to an adaptation of Anne Frank reading
her diary. Some of the classics such as
Shakespeare are available as well. These
files opened in the “winamp” program.
Date visited -10/12/05. <http://town.hall.org/Archives/radio/IMS/HarperAudio/>
Audio Productions: Literature Dr. Richard Nordquist from the
Office of Liberal Studies at
Virtually American – The drama! The music!
This entertaining site adds intriguing and powerful sound effects to the
readings. The site contains six basic
categories: science fiction/horror, comedy/musicals, detective/suspense, social
satire/human jungle, classic radio, and drama/war stories. Specifically, I will someday use the
recording of Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart
or H.G. Well’s War of the Worlds to
express the mood and tone of these famous works. Although selections are limited, the quality
is supreme. Date visited –
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