Resources For Teachers: Audio Toolkit


Audio Toolkit: What you need to know to listen to audio in your class

To listen to these audio files, you need to have a Flash plugin installed. The box below tells you if you currently have Flash plugin installed.


How do I install the Flash Player onto my computer?
If you do not have Flash Player installed, you can download it here:
http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

For specific questions related to the flash player, you may wish to refer to this FAQ: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=tn_15511

Where can I get more help with the Flash Player?
Click here for the five steps to clear up most problems with Flash Player:
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=tn_15511#fixall

Click here if you have installed Flash Player but still see no content:
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=tn_19166

What if I have a firewall in my school? How does this affect the Flash Player?
You should be able to access Documenting the American South's audio content using the included Flash player. However, depending on the setup of your school's network security policy, you may not be able to run the Flash player in Internet Explorer. Check with your systems administrator or other tech support specialist to see if this presents a problem. Also, some Internet utility software performs operations similar to a firewall (Norton, etc.). If you have difficulty running the Flash player, check the settings of such software on your local machine.

How do I turn up the volume on my computer?
Windows: The Windows operating system has a speaker icon that usually appears on the taskbar in the bottom right corner of the desktop. This allows you to adjust the volume. Also, many media players, including the one designed for this project, include a volume control.

Apple: The speaker icon in the upper right hand corner of the desktop menu bar can be used to adjust the volume. Additionally, many media players have a volume feature. The Flash player included on this site has a volume control.

What equipment do I need to be able to play this audio for my class?

It depends on what works best for you. We suggest choosing one of the following methods:
  1. Use a computer lab where a computer and a pair of headphones are available to every student.
  2. Play the audio from a single source in your classroom.
    --From a computer using external speakers with adequate volume control.
    --From a CD player, where you have burned the audio onto the CD.
  3. Do not use any audio equipment. Print out the transcripts and have students read them aloud.

How do I download this audio to my computer to listen to or play later?
To download a complete MP3 audio file:

Windows: Right click on the MP3 link and select 'Save Target/Link As..'
Apple: If you have a one-button mouse, press 'control' while clicking the MP3 link and select 'Save Target/Link As'

How do I burn the downloaded audio onto a CD?

Where will the audio be saved?
If saved using the aforementioned method, the file may be saved wherever you like on your computer.


What will the file name/extension look like?
You may call the file whatever you like, but must use the .mp3 extension.


Do I have to do anything special to get it ready to be burned? Or can I just drag the audio straight to my audio burn program?
This will vary widely depending on operating system and CD burning software. Keep in mind that you will not be able to play back MP3s on older conventional CD players found in stereo systems. You will be able to play back MP3s on computers and CD players designed to read the MP3 codec.

Will the audio stop/start/freeze/skip while I am listening to it in streaming format?
This is a possibility, depending on your network connection speed. Streaming means that the audio will play while the file is downloading. However, if playing speed exceeds download speed, the audio will stop until more data is available. If skipping or stopping is a problem, you can pause the audio while it's streaming to wait for the file to download completely.

Can I pause the audio and then resume?
Yes. Click the pause button on the player to halt the audio, and play to resume.

UNC logo