Media Literacy: Audio Information and Categories

Media and Information Literacy (MIL)

• Audio Information and Media is a component of Media and Information Literacy.
• The presentation covers various types and categories of audio information.

Audio Information and Media

• People media, audio, text, visual, motion, manipulatives/interactive multimedia are all elements within the scope of this area of study.
• The slide presentation includes graphics of various forms of audio and media such as phones, social media icons, podcasts, etc.

Types and Categories of Audio Information

• Radio Broadcast: Live or recorded audio sent via radio waves to reach a broad audience.
• Music: Vocal and/or instrumental audio combined to produce harmony, emotion, and form, intended for aesthetic, religious, or ceremonial purposes.
• Sound Recording: A recording of an interview, meeting, or any environmental sound.
• Sound Clip/Effects: Sounds not related to music or speech, used artistically in presentations to create a dramatic effect (e.g., storm sounds, creaking doors).
• Audio Podcast: Digital audio or video files part of a themed series, downloaded from a website to a media player or computer.

Different ways of storing Audio Media

• Tape: Magnetic tape used to record sounds.
• CD: A plastic, circular medium for recording, storing, and playing back audio, video, and computer data.
• USB Drive: External flash drive small enough to carry on a key ring; used with any computer with a USB port.
• Memory Card: (Flash memory card, storage card) A small storage medium used for storing data like text, pictures, audio, video, especially for portable or remote computing devices.
• Computer Hard Drive: Secondary storage devices that store audio files.
• Internet/Cloud: Websites or file repositories to retrieve audio files; files stored in datacenters with servers connected to the Internet.

Different Audio File Formats

• MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer 3): A common consumer audio format. It's used as a standard digital audio compression format for music transfer and playback on most devices.
• M4A/AAC (MPEG-4 Audio/Advanced Audio Coding): A newer standard for lossy digital audio compression designed to replace MP3. Generally creates better sound quality at similar bit rates compared to MP3.
• WAV: A Microsoft audio file format standard that stores audio bitstreams on PCs. It's commonly used for game sounds among other applications.
• WMA (Windows Media Audio): Audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft and used with Windows Media Player.

Hearing VS Listening

• Hearing is the act of passively perceiving sound by the ear; it happens automatically.
• Listening is a conscious act of actively processing auditory information by focusing on the meaning being conveyed.

Sound Characteristics and Purposes

• Characteristics (S) of audio include: Volume, Tone, Pitch, Loudness
• The presentation mentions elements and principles of sound design (e.g., dialog, sound effects, music, silence) to give information about how sound artists use elements for desired effects.

Elements and Principles of Sound Design

• Elements: Dialog (speech, conversations, voice-over); Sound Effects (all non-music or non-dialog sounds); Music (vocal or instrumental audio combining to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion); Silence (absence of sound or audio).
• Principles: Mixing (combining, balancing, and controlling multiple sound elements); Pace (time control in editing; linear, non-linear, or multilinear); Transitions (how one segment or sound element moves to the next); Stereo Imaging (using left and right channels for depth).

This quiz explores the various types and categories of audio information as part of Media and Information Literacy. It covers essential concepts such as radio broadcasts, music, sound recordings, and sound effects, providing a comprehensive overview of audio media. Test your knowledge on the different forms of audio information used in communication and presentation.