How to Organize Recordings: Guest Post by Chris Tachick

Here's how I process our recordings in our listening library. Modify to your situation.

• Upload recordings to computer and itunes
• Delete junk recordings, and edit out dead time in recordings (editing can be a real time waster, so I try to make clean recordings in the first place and avoid as much editing as possible. There are several good editing programs available - for a free, simple, basic one, check out audacity.)
• Label each recording (Date, Speaker, Content, and Type of Recording - more info below)
• Convert each recording to mp3 (so they interface with all of our listening devices)
• Make listening folders for each recording type (story, vocabulary, activity, sound sort) and move each file into their appropriate folder
• Load recordings to listening devices

Labeling: Types of Recordings
Greg Thompson recommends that the language learner, upon completing the Here and Now Phase, should have a streamlined listening library for future reference.  Categorizing and labeling your recordings according type - as story, vocabulary, activity, or sound sort - ensure that you will rapidly and easily retrieve the recording you want to review.