Improvements... (1)
Textivate has been simplified so that audio / video / big
picture data can now be stored in the resource itself, via the "Extras" tab. See this example (which deals with adding video).
Improvements... (2)
Another change this week has big implications for students accessing textivate via the shared student log-in (Premium or Group accounts):
Parallel texts, image, video or audio can now be viewed alongside non-uploaded or non-saved resources -- you no longer need to upload your resource to take advantage of these features.
What's that got to do with student users?
Well, this means that students can now add a parallel text or an audio link to their own texts, which they can save as local storage or copy and paste in via their webmail or word etc.
So students can save a block of text which can include...
- The text they are learning
- Matching info for the text they are learning, so that they can learn the vocab as separate items
- A parallel text (translation in English? notes or prompts for oral reproduction?) for the text that they are learning, so that they can have this parallel text to refer to as they attempt to complete the textivate activities
- A link to an audio file so that they can listen to their text, have a model for oral reproduction, train their ear to link spelling with pronunciation etc.
AND they can save this complete resource in local storage; or save it as a word doc or text document, or in google docs, or in drop box, or send the text to themselves in an email, etc, etc...
Good for teachers too...
And it means that teachers don't need to upload the resource to textivate at all if they only want to view it on an interactive whiteboard.
Good, eh?
:0)
N.B. Any audio / image / video attached to a textivate resource needs to be uploaded somewhere online. See this blog post and follow the links in it for more information about how this works with the different media types.