Just as you can add a video to your textivate resources, as explained here, or an image (see here), you can now add an audio file to a textivate resource so that students can listen to it as they complete the activities.
As with video and image embedding, there are 2 methods:
1. Via the "Extras" tab
Simply click on the Extras tab and type or paste the link to your audio in the "Audio url" box.
N.B. This method does not require you to upload your resource -- it can be used for activities "on the fly", locally stored resources, modified resources etc. (Provided you have a browser that supports local storage -- so no internet explorer 7)
2. Via the additional information box on the upload screen
Alternatively you can include a link to an audio file along with the additional information for your resource when you upload your file (see the image below)...
N.B. This method only works if you upload your resource to textivate.
Format
Must start with http:// or https:// and it must be an mp3 file.
And what do you get?
Doing either of 1 or 2 above will add an audio icon like this...
...to the top of all of the activities for your resource. (See the embedded activity below -- click the play button to view the activity.)
If you click on this audio icon, the activity opens in a new window or tab, embedded along with the audio player.
See this example of what it looks like. (And see the image below.)
You can even see the audio player along with the menu screen, and then access all the activities while listening to the audio.
Adding an audio to your resources adds all sorts of possibilities: it allows your students to focus on sound-spelling links, provides an audio model for spoken reproduction, and adds a range of scaffolded dictation activities at a variety of levels.
N.B.: The audio needs to be one hosted elsewhere on the web -- you can't upload them to textivate. If you want to use your own audio files, simply upload them to dropbox or any other file sharing site that provides a public url for your files, such as JukeHost (see the notes below).
NEW! JukeHost (01/10/2020)
Many thanks to Will Caston for finding this for me! Juke Host is free to register, lets you upload your own audio files, and it provides a URL link that works beautifully in Textivate!
You simply go to https://jukehost.co.uk and register for free. Click on Library > Upload to upload your audio files either by browsing your computer or by dragging and dropping the files. And then click on the copy button (see image above) to copy the URL. Although the URL doesn't end in an audio file extension, it still works in Textivate. I'd truly recommend this as the best audio option for embedding audio on Textivate right now, but if you want an alternative, there's always good old DropBox...
Files hosted on Dropbox
If you have audio files hosted on Dropbox, note the following:
Files in your "public" folder: you should be able to copy a public link for the file and paste it into the audio box. The link should start with "https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com...." and end with ".mp3".
Here is an example: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14384839/enlacafeteria.mp3
Files NOT in your "public" folder. You can copy a Dropbox link to your file. N.B. For the audio to stream to textivate, you need to change the link so that it ends with dl=1, NOT dl=0. (dl=0 means "do not download", so the link is to the page on dropbox rather than to the audio file itself).
Here is an example: https://www.dropbox.com/s/92t54bcprz4dh96/enlacafeteria.mp3?dl=1
Clyp.it : No longer available for new uploads :(
For audio files, one site we recommend is clypit - https://clyp.it/ - which is free to use and is a simple way of getting a url for your audio files. After recording the audio, click on "Share" then select "Advanced" and copy the share url. IMPORTANT: you must add .mp3 to the end of this url and then you can use it to add audio in textivate!Here is an example: https://clyp.it/wmylnyso.mp3
Clyp have changed their terms of use. You now need to have a Pro account in order to get direct file links for newly uploaded files. Our previously uploaded files continue to work, for the time being at least.
Podhost.de
Podhost is a good way of uploading audio content, and is especially good if you speak German (which I don't...) because, well, the site is all in German. I managed to understand it by translating the page into English using Google Chrome's built in translator. If I understand it correctly, they allow you 30 MB of uploads per month. Once you have uploaded a file, you can click it and get a direct mp3 download link, which you can copy and paste into your textivate resource. There doesn't appear to be a built-in voice recorder, so if you want to record your own voice, you'll have to do that using another tool / app, then upload the mp3 to podhost.
Edit, July 2020: this doesn't appear to be an option any more.
Any other suggestions?
Hopefully JukeHost will stick around for a while and remain free to use. In the meantime, if you come across anything else / better that allows you to upload audio and access it via a direct link to the mp3 file, please do get in touch and let us know.
:0)
- Scaffolding listening activities
- Reading & listening comprehension
- Dictation
- Adding video, audio, image, parallel text
- Text-to-speech (TTS)