Audio/ Video recordings in education

Audio technology (radio, pod casts, microphones, tapes etc) is considered a rather archaic knowledge compared with the outstanding possibilities and popularity of video technology (television, you tube, cameras, 3D visualization etc). Nevertheless, audio recordings still continue to constitute a practical and cheap method of collecting data with many advantages, such as the easy placement of a tape recorder among people and the capturing of any conversation within the range of the recorder. But, on the other hand with the audio recordings significant data- related to the visual information- may be lost, while with a camera, both moving images and sounds can be recorded.). 

Audio Recording
Video Recording
O

Records only sounds
O+N
Records sounds+ moving images= audiovisual


Consequently, audio recordings don’t capture any detail about the spatial environment, like the arrangement of the furniture, the lighting and spaciousness of the interior space, the location of the entrance, and the length of the corridors, which in many cases constitute important information for a deep and profound understanding of a unique school case.

Audio recordings don’t provide information about the spatial environment

So, since the microphone can’t record anything visual, all the silent human activities remain absolutely unknown for the researchers. Thus, a microphone can’t capture for example a specific skilfulness or a manual dexterity, like the swimming skill, the motor skills, the cutting, sticking, writing etc.

Audio recordings don’t provide information about the skill’s learning
Skills, like the cutting skill or the skill to assembly the toy parts can’t be captured by a typical audio recording apparatus.
Moreover, audio recordings lack of the significant feature to give any information about any unspoken form of human expression and communication like the facial expressions, the body language, the movements and gestures of the hands, the nervousness, the friendly smiles, the mood, etc. Furthermore, microphones don’t record the external, physical characteristics and appearance of the people, like the color of race, the physical disability, the extreme stylistic choices, etc, which in some cases constitute an essential detail.

Audio recordings don’t provide information about the unspoken expressions
Audio recordings can’t record the expression of the face, which is a mode of nonverbal communication among people.

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