Using sound clips with MS Word

Hi Ad-Ed Glos!

I was very pleased to participate in a hands on demo of interactive multimedia usage in Ad-Ed teaching and RARPA at Wyedean School last Wednesday.

I teach many multi-media based and related subjects (DTP, Photoshop, Web Design with Dreamweaver, photography etc). I had recently run a successful saturday workshop on using portable devices with your PC. This workshop allowed students to bring devices with them. These included:

• Cell phones
• MP3 palyers
• Memory sticks
• Cameras
• An MP2,3 and 4 player

I also demonstrated the olympus voice recorder. I particularly like this device as it can be used as a high quality stereo audio recorder, voice dictation machine and MP3/WMA player.

It is great for adding sound clips to web sites or PPP's. I also explained that it could be used to help writers in recording story lines, plots or even RARPA observations.

So do you just record your notes and listen to them???

No, you can actually include your audio clips as audible notes within MSWord. I haven't produced any screen shots as many of you are using versions from 2005, 2007 and 2008 but they all work the same way.

Having uploaded your audio clips to a file in My Documents (maybe creat a new one "My AVClips") proceed as follows from MS Word.

• On your open page, choose the insertion point (position the cursor) at which you want to insert your clip.
• Choose the Insert Menu.
• Choose Object.
• Select the Tab "Create from File.
• Then choose "Browse for file".
• Find your audio clip and Insert.

You also get the options Link to File: play the file if checked otherwise embed the contents. You can also display an icon (or just the clip title).

Try it, once you have become familiar with the method, you may find you are hooked! Especially good for story-boarding when planning a movie or mini video doco.

Those who have older MS systems can still achieve this but would need to use the OLE Object Linker and packager tool (but that's history)!

All the best: Bill-E