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Adobe, Giving Voice to the Languages

If the the old saying is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, it begs the question; would the same be true if a picture could actually speak to the viewer in telling a story?  The scenario may not be so far-fetched, as a recently introduced app called  Adobe Voice does just that, by bringing photos to life with narration.  In fact, the app assisted two, 2014 Yale Summer Session language classes (see end of post for examples).

Yale Connection

Prof. Rosamaria Leon, from the Spanish department, and Prof. Carol Chiodo, from the Italian Department both used iPads abroad this summer in aiding their teaching and learning for their classes (Lima, Peru and Grado, Italy, respectively).  With the help of Adobe Voice, the students were able to easily create photo slideshows and add voice-over narration to form a very polished product where the language narrative takes center stage.  AdobeVoice
Prof. Chiodo had her students used Voice for their final project, while Prof. Leon assigned her students three assignments using Voice; one in New Haven, and two in Lima Peru.  For Prof. Leon’s first assignment, she had her students visit the Yale Art Museum, select a piece related to Latin American culture and commented on it.  “The app provided students with the opportunity to interact with art in a personal and fun way,” said Leon.  “They invented a story using Spanish vocabulary and grammar they were learning. Students took pictures of the piece and/or choose images from the app that related to the piece. They also added music themes.”   The recordings were then posted online by the students to the courses WordPress site allowing the students to comment on each others’ work.
For the second assignment, she had her students interview employees and students from Universidad del Pacífico campus in Lima.  The exercise was meant for the students to practice vocabulary while learning about the local economy and work.  “The activity provided the opportunity to interact with people in Perú, try to decode their accents, and finally present their products to share knowledge of Perú’s economy and work in a well and organized manner,” explained Leon.
The last assignment directed the students to visit the Basilica of Santa Rosa in Lima and record their own tour of the landmark building.  “This activity was an amplification of the first activity at the Yale Art Gallery,” said Leon.  “They explored the house on their own and chose their favorite part. They described their favorite site using Adobe Voice.”

The Good

Ben Lerude ’17, who took Cultural Studies of Peru (SPAN s247), liked the interactive aspect of Adobe Voice saying, “I thought the app was a fun way to practice speaking Spanish, and it’s a really creative and cool app.”

Many students found the app’s simplic, one-touch recording an advantage.  “It was very easy to use, had great sound quality and very good transition in between slides'” said Amen Jalal ’17, who took Elemenary Italian (ITAL s110 02).  Her classmate, Lily Hahn ’17, had similar sentiments.  “It took very little time to make each slide because there are only a few layout options in addition to the sound component, making it easy to work with.”


Adobe Voice Demo

The Bad

Adobe Voice’s simplistic nature may, however, be its one downfall, as it has limiting functionality.  While Kira Tebbe ’17 (ITAL s110) found the app recorded her voice clearly and she was able to add Ken Burns effects to her photos, she points out there are some limiting attributes.  “One downside of the app was that we couldn’t add our own video. I wanted to throw in little clips I had recorded, but the app wouldn’t allow it.”  Jalal had similar comments about the app who added, “The only limitations are that they don’t allow you to add more than 2 photos or to add video clips and that may inhibit your project depending on its scope.”  While Bowie Xu ’17 from Span s247 liked the theme and music choices offered by the app, he found Adobe Voice could add improvements to the post-production features which are nonexistent.  “It’s frustrating not being able to edit or crop a recording. If you messed up, you would have to redo it.” Said Xu.

The Results

While the verdict is still out, and the app has some shortcomings, most of the aforementioned students who used the app found it helpful for their classes.  According to anonymous survey feedback,  72% of the students in both classes replied the app was helpful for their language studies, with may comments highlighting ease-of-use and an active way to practice speaking the language.

 

Here are few examples of Adobe Voice in action.

Lily Hahn – ITAL S110

“It took very little time to make each slide because there are only a few layout options in addition to the sound component, making it easy to work with.”

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Amen Jalal – ITAL S110

“[Adobe Voice is] an app I would recommend to anyone undertaking projects similar to mine.”AmenVideo

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Ben Lerude – SPAN S247

“…[Adobe Voice] definitely mixes things up a bit and makes for more exciting projects than simply writing about a topic by hand.”

 leafwebding2

Stephanie Rogers – SPAN S247

“I definitely became more analytical using the app because I began to dig deeper into the story behind the images I was showing.”

leafwebding2

Kira Tebbe – ITAL S110

“…the main learning aspect [is] hearing my own voice to hear the accent and pronunciation…”

 leafwebding2

Howie Xu – SPAN S247

“Using the program allowed us to practice our speaking skills for Spanish, whereas a written response would not.”

August 15, 2014   Matthew Regan
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