Recording students' reading using Audacity

Audacity allows students to record their speaking, and using the fusion page, they can upload the MP3 recordings for you to open.
1. Download the beta version of Audacity from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/beta_windows 
Select "run." This will take about two minutes.

2. From the same page, find "Optional Downloads" and look for the "LAME MP3 encoder." This will allow you convert the recorded files from Audacity into a file that can be uploaded to the fusion page. Without LAME, you won't be able to save the recordings as an MP3.

3. Continue to click on the links until you reach the page that looks like this, and then select "run."

4. Now open Audacity do a short test recording: Just click the red recording button and begin speaking.

5. Select File, Export and then find Libraries, My Music. From "Save As Type" select MP3 files.

6. To allow students to upload their audio files, create an assignment on the fusion page.

7. After students have submitted their files, they can be deleted from the "Libraries."
Variations: Students may record themselves individually, or as a group. I record the classes' reading of a scene from a play and played it back for them to hear; this allows us to have a discussion about how intonation and other speaking skills can be improved. Then we make another recording and assess the improvement of the second round. Using audio instead of video recording (which I also use) helps the students focus on listening to their fluency.