Since I enjoy listening to the audio content of this course while walking around, I focused on using audio for learning in this update.

Audio content has many advantages.

• It’s a very ubiquitous, flexible learning tool. A student can use a phone to listen to a recording on the bus, just made by a teacher spotting something interesting while walking home.
• One of the advantaged mentioned in an article on CourseArc (2017) is that audio contains prosody (changes in pacing, pitch, and rhythm in speech). For difficult-to-understand texts, this can aid understanding. Audio alco can provoke emotions. You might use this, for example, to reinforce positive feedback.
• Audio containing good storytelling and a professional narrator can invoke more attention from students, suggested in an article of Colin Gray (2017) on the website Podcasthost.com.
• Audio is (obviously) useful for students with reading disabilities.
• Audio recording devices are relatively accessible for students and editing is not difficult, giving students more time to focus on the content.

Listening versus reading
Audio and written text seem to have similar affordances. For example, they both are able to provoke your imagination. However, while searching, I came across a discussion about what is the preferred method for learning: reading or listing to audio.

Some examples:
In a video of Youtube-channel ‘BroLessons’ the narrator suggests that reading might be the better choice for difficult content, because when reading you are an active participant, and you are able to reread passages that contain difficult content. Audio is more unforgiving. The narrator basis this on research of Daniel Willingham (2016), a professor of cognitive psychology who has written a lot about reading comprehension.
Research of Rogowsky (2016) contrast this. She found no significant differences in comprehension between reading, listening, or reading and listening simultaneously. She does add that e-books were used for reading, which might have different outcomes than printed books.
In research from Friedland, A, Gilman, M., Johnson, Fraser, S., M., Demeke, (2017) it is suggested that reading and listening at the same time might enhance learning outcomes.

Mostly I found that one is not better than the other. Listening and reading are different modes, that can be used separately or together for different purposes. Ideally, we use the right mode for the right purpose, and switch between modes regularly like is being said it this e-learning module.

So, for what purposes can we use audio?

Audio can be very useful for specific learning purposes. For example for practicing communication skills over the phone, interviewing skills or storytelling.

Audio might be also the better choice when creating multimodal content with animation or video. Clark and Mayer’s design rules (2008) tell us that text and animation, which both use the visual channel, can inhibit learning. Audio narration is preferred.

And off course, we can use audio for active knowledge making.

A fun way of active knowledge making with audio is described in an article of Michael Ridley (2019). This article describes students creating a live radio broadcast. An advantage of this technique, is that students have to be ready to answer and explain themselves. So they need to be very well prepared. Another technique that is mentioned is creating 60 seconds podcasts. This encourages students to create well thought out scripts, think about effective storytelling and selecting the essence of the information they would like to convey.

The latest developments in using 3D/8D audio can perhaps be used to our advantage as well. An example can be seen in a video from Youtube-channel 8D Era (2019). In combination with VR, but maybe for other purposes as well. What do you think this can be used for?

References

Websites

Gray, C. (2017). Podcasting in Education: What Are the Benefits?. Retrieved from: https://www.thepodcasthost.com/niche-case-study/podcasting-in-education/

How Audio Can Improve Online Learning? (2017). Retrevied from: https://www.coursearc.com/how-audio-can-improve-online-learning/.

Ridley, M. (2019). Making Radio: Using Audio for Student Assignments. Retrieved from: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/radio-student-assignments/.

Willingham, D. (2016). Is Listening to an Audio book "Cheating?". Retrieved from: http://www.danielwillingham.com/daniel-willingham-science-and-education-blog/is-listening-to-an-audio-book-cheating

Articles

Clark R.C, & Mayer, E.R., (2008). E-learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. San Francisco: Pfeiffer

Friedland, A, Gilman, M., Johnson, Fraser, S., M., Demeke, (2017). Does Reading-While-Listening Enhance Students' Reading Fluency? Preliminary Results from School Experiments in Rural Uganda. Journal of Education and Practice, Vol.8, No.7, 82.

Rogowsky, B.A., Calhoun, B, Tallal, P. (2016). Does Modality Matter? The Effects of Reading, Listening, and Dual Modality on Comprehension. september 2016. Research Article

Video's

BroLessons (2019). Why AUDIOBOOKS Are NOT The Same As READING | Audiobooks VS Reading. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr4FoRs4xIY

8D Era (2019). Post Malone - Circles (8D AUDIO). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfCJhLq2CSE