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Content and layout

Audio and video

Add a sound file students can play, a video from a link, or a YouTube or Vimeo film, each with a caption that tells students what to listen or look for.

When to use it

Use audio and video as the starting point of a listening or observation task: a recording to compare, a short animation that shows what was heard, a film clip to discuss.

The two work differently. Audio files are uploaded into Praktikal. Videos are always added by link: a YouTube or Vimeo address, or a direct link to a video file stored somewhere online. There is no upload for video files.

Setting it up

Audio:

  1. In a worksheet, use the + and choose Audio.

  2. Click Upload audio and choose the file (audio files up to 50 MB), or paste a link to an audio file into Audio source.

  3. Write the caption at the top of the item: what students should listen for.

  4. Click the tick when you are done.

Under Audio settings you can add a Poster image and a Transcript, set a Start time and End time in seconds, and choose Show controls, Autoplay and Loop. Under Captions, Add caption attaches a subtitle file in .vtt format.

Video:

  1. Use the + and choose Video.

  2. Paste the link into Video source and press Tab or click elsewhere to keep it. A YouTube or Vimeo link becomes that service's player; a direct link to a video file, such as one ending in .mp4, uses the built-in player.

  3. Write the caption at the top, for example what to look for or who made the film.

  4. Click the tick when you are done.

For a direct video file, Video settings also offers a Poster image, Start time and End time, Video fit, Show controls, Autoplay and Loop, and Text tracks and captions has Add text track for subtitles. For YouTube and Vimeo you can set a Poster image.

What students do

Students press play and listen or watch at their own pace, with the caption above the player. If you added a transcript, it sits below the audio player and opens when they click it.

Nothing is submitted. If students should write down what they heard or saw, add a question after the media.

Tips

  • Write the caption as a task, for example which of the two tones is higher, rather than a title. Students then know what to listen for before they press play.

  • Put the items in the order students should use them, for example the sound first and then the video that shows it.

  • Use Start time and End time to play only the part you need. These are available for audio and for direct video files, not for YouTube or Vimeo.

  • Name the source of a film in its caption, including its licence if it has one.

  • A transcript or captions help students who cannot hear the sound.