One of the great features of the Smart Notebook software is that it allows you to play a sound by clicking on an object. This is a great feature to have and it really adds to the overall effectiveness of a lesson if used appropriately. I especially like using sound in conjunctions with animation to provide an additional form of feedback to the students.
However, one of the challenges for teachers is where to get sound files that will not only work with Smart Notebook but are engaging and appropriate to use in the classroom.
To use a sound file in Notebook, it must be a "mp3" formatted file. This is not the biggest issue since there are various websites that will convert other types of sound files like "wav" into "mp3" formatted files. My favorite site for converting audio (and video) is called Media-Convert. It's free, it's fast and you do not need to download any software.
The biggest challenge for teachers who wish to use sound in their Notebook applications is where to find the files. Here are a few places where teachers can go look for sound files:
1. SoundJay.com - This is maybe the easiest site I've seen to download "mp3" formatted files to your computer.
2. SoundBible.com - This is a good site for searching for sound files. Just type in what you're looking for in the search field. Very easy to download files.
3. Soungle.com - This is a great site that functions as a sound search engine. Just type in a keyword and it will provide you with a list of sounds that you can listen to and download. Many of these sound files are in "wav" format and will need to be converted to "mp3."
4. Wavcentral.com - Don't let the name fool you. This site is full of mp3 files and is one of my very favorite sites for finding short clips from TV and Movies. You'll get a few pop-up ads but nothing too concerning. Here are some new ones I just downloaded:
5. MovieWavs.com - Another great resource for Movie and TV sound bites
6. Lit2Go: MP3 Stories and Poems - This is an incredible site that has hundreds of stories and poems that you can download in "mp3" format. You can also download and view the stories in text format to accompany the audio. This could be one of the most valuable resources for audio media I have ever seen.
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