MP3 in instructional

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A. INTRODUCTION
In the modern of teaching learning english, the media must be avalaible for the
teacher to use in the classroom. English is a necessary everywhere because english is
international language. English is taught in different level of education from the
elementary school until universities. So that, the students must achieve the ablility in
using english correctly. If the teacher still use the technique and method without media, it
is difficult to reach the best achievement.
Media are various components in learners’ environment which support the
learners learn. The media is used to facilitate the teaching learning process. The media
that will be explained is the instructional media. Instructional media is anything that can
be used to transmit messages (study materials), so that it can stimulate, interests, thoughts
and feelings in the learning and learning activities to achieve certain learning goals.
Instructional media is divided into 3:
1. Audio media are the media that can be listened.
2. Visual are media that can be seen.
3. Audio visual are that involve the senses of sight and hearing.
The media is used to make the material easier to learn, increase understanding the
material, solve the lack learners’ experiences, make attractive, it supports the teaching
learning process,etc.
The language ability of english is listening, speaking, reading and writing. One of
the method to support teaching them is used media, that is the using of MP3 in
instructional especially in listening skill. Listening is never released from listen the
recording. The tools that can be used to play the MP3 is usually in handphone, computer,
laptop, language laboratory, etc.The MP3 format can be played by the tool through MP3
player, MP3 player is the portable instrument that can play the digital audio file MP3.

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Whereas, the MP3 is the audio compression file format that has the small size so that it
can be be downloaded by the internet or put in the file.
MP3 usually contains songs, but not only song it also contains other data in audio
files. The advantages of MP3 is when the students use the internet, the MP3 can be
played while streaming without download. It is avalaible to student who has access to
internet. The MP3 not only can be used in language laboratory, but also in the classroom
with the easier and practically.
MP3 is one of the audio media that can be used when teach listening. MP3 can be
contained the material of the educational necessary, MP3 can be contained recording
based on curriculum, the recording contains native speaker in coversation, reading a text,
answers-question, etc to help the listening instructional runs well in audio form that
played when teaching learning process.

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B. GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL
MEDIA IN PRACTICE TEACHING
A new direction for audio is the ability to use computer and the internet to obtain
audio files. MP3 (MPEG - Moving Picture Expert Group - Audio Layer 3) is an audio
compresion format that makes a large audio files available by shrinking them into smaller
files that can quickly and easily be captured on the internet.
Below are general guidelines for the use of instructional media (MP3) in practice
teaching:
1. Consider the entire school environment as laboratory (language laboratory or
classroom) for students' learning and the practical application of their
knowledge.
2. The entire neighborhood of the school and community resources should be
viewed and utilized as a laboratory ( language laboratory) for student learning.
3. MP3 media should be designed, produced, selected, or used as resources to
attain specific instructional objectives.
4. Considered in terms of concreteness or abstractness of experience which the
MP3 media would produce.
5. MP3 media should be selected for instructional purpose based on specific
criteria.
6. MP3 media should be utilized in the content of a variety of teaching strategies.
7. MP3 Media utilization should require learners' response.
8. Evaluating the use of MP3 media can be done through observation, individual
project, and use of questionnaire while teach listening.

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C. TYPES OF MEDIA AND THE APPLICATION IN PRACTICE
TEACHING
1. The Types of MP3 Players
MP3 is usually used for songs storage but for the educational necessary,
MP3 format can be used as media to support the instructional, especially in
listening skill. The material is not only song but also the native speaker recording
based on syllabus of each grade of educational level. MP3 format can be played
by MP3 player, and there are some of MP3 players. For knowing deeper about the
nature of MP3, there are 4 basic types of MP3 players that can be used for instructional:
a. Flash Memory Players
The flash memory MP3 player is the smallest, lightest and fewer stores songs than hard
drive players. Because it's small. And with some models boasting up to 8 GB of storage
(2,000 songs) and other models offering video and photo capability. Its batteries can last
up to 28 hours.
b. Hard Drive and Mini-hard Drive Players
Hard drive players are larger and heavier than flash memory players and offer
considerably more storage (The Apple iPod holds up to 80GB.) It can contain the music
collection (up to 20,000 songs), photographs, data, and video and allow podcast
recording, the hard drive is best. However, these features and the hard drive consume
more power, with some batteries lasting eight to 20 hours for music playback and up to
six hours for video playback.
Smaller in size and internal storage capacity, miniature-hard drive players are lighter than
traditional hard drive players, but contain less memory usually up to 8 GB.

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c. MP3 CD Players and MiniDisc MP3 Players
There is a type of CD players available that plays MP3 and other digital files. These MP3
files are burned to CD-R/RW discs from the old CD collection and used in the MP3 CD
player. A CD can hold about 10 hours of music. A CD burner is necessary for those
buying an MP3 CD player. The MP3 CD player is cheaper than the flash memory and
hard drive memory players
MiniDisc digital music player is supports MP3, WMA and WAV formats. It is like
walkman. The 1GB Hi-MD discs can also store and transfer loads of PC data files
(PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets,etc) store up to 600 songs and are re-recordable.
d. The Hybrid Players
MP3 is no longer just a stand-alone technology. Technology companies are now offering
MP3 capability in other consumer products, including satellite radios, personal digital
assistants, DVD players, sunglasses, swim goggles and even a combination Swiss Army
Knife-MP3 player. Most notably, the iPhone from Apple crosses a cell phone with an
iPod and Web browser, along with a variety of other features.
These types above is so variety, but it is just the basic types of MP3, the MP3
player that often used in this period is computer/laptop (winamp/windows media player)
and CD player in language laboratory but for make easier the material that MP3 form can
be put in handphone or flashdisk and then play with the speaker in the classroom when
teaching learning process or examination.

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The example of MP3 player
It is also make the students and the teacher easier when study listening out of
teaching learning process or just for practice. The user can listen the recording repeatedly
while study based on the book or module.
2. The Application of using MP3 in instructional (Listening)
a. Using Recording in MP3 format
If the teacher and the students usually use cassettes tape in language laboratory.
There is no mistake if use MP3 media to support appropriate the modern period. Listen
the talks and conversations in recording is harder for undersatnding. However, recording
has advantages, to help make a listening more reliable. If the teacher give the same talk
on different occasion, it would vary a lot.
It is possible to use the (recorded) voices of native speakers or fluent speakers of
English. It is possible to play recording of conversations involving two or more speakers-
something which is far better than the teacher trying to read aloud the voices of different
speakers.
b. The Process of Listening with MP3 Media
1) Listen and do
This technique is also called ‘following instruction’, which is self explanatory, where the
students follow the recording’s instructions, such as: stand up! Come here!; Sit down!. In

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order for the students to enjoy the test, the teacher can ask them to play a game called,’
Simon says’. The purpose of the game is that only when the teacher begins his instruction
with ‘Simon says’ that they have to follow the instruction.
2) Listen and draw
Tell the students that they do not have to be a good painter, and that the beauty of the
picture they will produce does not count. After that, the recording plays a text and ask the
student to draw a picture based on the text.
Ur (1984) uses the following story for elementary level students.
3) Listen and choose
This technique requires students to choose one out of several pictures that best matches
the description they hear from the recording. Puzzle is one version of this technique. The
teacher can choose a description of an animal such as: ‘I has four legs, it is big. You can
ride it. What is it?’ If the pictures available (for them to choose) are a goat, a horse, a cat,
and a rooster, the students are expected to choose the picture of a horse. Blundell and
Stokes (1984) exemplify this technique using a dialogue as follows.
Fiona : Hello.
Stuart : Hello.
F : Oh. Is that Stuart?
S : Yes.
F : Hello Stuart. It’s Fiona.
S : Oh. Hi Fiona.
F : Hi. Erm…is Judy there by any chance?
S : No. I’m sorry she’s just popped out to the shops.

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F : Oh dear. Erm … could you possibly leave a message?
S : Yes. Yes. Just a second, let me get a piece … bit of paper.
F : Thank you.
S : OK.
F : Er…. The thing is we’ve arranged to play tennis this afternoon (Mm-mm) at 3 o’clock
(Yes) … erm … but I’ve got a problem because the string on my racquet’s broken
(Mm-mm) but I think that Judi’s got an extra racquet ( Yes I think she has) and so I
was wondering if you could ask her to bring the extra one along.
S : Yes. OK. I’ll do that.
F : OK and .. er…. oh yes one other thing. She borrowed a book from me (Mm-mm) and I
think she’s probably forgotten all about it. I wonder if you could possibly remind her
to bring that along as well.
S : She knows what it is , does she?
F : Yes, yes. It’s a novel.
S : Yes. OK. So bring extra racquet and,,, er…the book that she
borrowed.
F : That’s right. (OK) 3 o’clock.
S : I’ll tell her.
F : Thanks very much Stuart.
S : OK. Cheerio.
F : Bye.
S : Bye.
Below is the student’s worksheet.

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Multiple choice, which is the most frequently used technique in testing listening, can
actually classified as ‘listen and choose’, because while listening to a statement, a
dialogue, or a monolog, the students are required to choose one of the four options
provided. Hughes (2005) suggested that if multiple choice to be used, the alternatives
(options) must be kept short and simple.
4) Listen and arrange
Like ‘listen and choose’, ‘listen and arrange’ needs a number of pictures. The difference
is that the former requires students to choose only one picture, whereas the latter requires
them to arrange al the pictures to represent the text they hear from recording. The more
pictures to be arranged by the students, the more difficult the task will be. Ur (1984) a
monolog as the tape script’ and nine pictures for students to arrange as follows.

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The student’s task is to arrange these pictures while listen recording of the text above.

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5) Listen and write
The term ‘write’ in this technique is not writing a paragraph, but rather a sentence, a
phrase, or even a word as the answer to a particular question. A sample task of this
technique is when the recording play a complete text, and at the same time, the students
complete the same text, some words of which have been removed/deleted. In other words,
the students complete a gaped text while listening to the complete version of the text.
Another example given by Richard (1990) using a conversation as the ‘tape script’ as
follows. How long have these people been in Britain? Listen and write the number of
weeks, months or years they have been here.
1. A. How long have you been here?
B. Let’s see. I’ve been here for about six and a half weeks
now.
2. A. Have you been living in Briton long?
B. Yes, I came here sixteen years ago.
3. A. Have you lived here long?
B. For about three and a half months now.
4. A. And you’ve been here for about three months?
B. No. I’ve been here for nine months now.
5. A. So when did you first came to the UK?
B. Oh, let me see now. Mm, it was about 26 years ago.
6. A. Did you arrive in UK recently?
B. Yes, I’ve only been here four and a half weeks.
7. A. How long have you been living in England?
B. Mm. This is my fifth year now.
8. A. Have you been living here for very long?
B. No, only five weeks.

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6) Statements, questions, and short conversations
These require students to listen to statements, questions, and short conversations and
then to choose the correct written option from a choice of four. Examples are given here
of each type of them.
Statements
Students hear:
Tuti wouldn’t be late so much if she knew she’d we punished.
Students read:
A. Tuti is often late and is punished.
B. Tuti is often late but is never punished.
C. Tuti is rarely late and is never punished.
D. Tuti is rarely late and thus isn’t often punished.
Questions
Students hear:
How did you do it?
Students read:
A. No I don’t.
B. I’m fine, thanks.
C. About half an hour.
D. By loosing the screw.

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Short conversations
Students hear:
Man : Can I have an appointment with Dr Lawson tomorrow?
Woman : Let me see. He usually gets here at nine in the morning and he’s free for ten
minutes then. Otherwise it’ll have to be ten-twenty.
Man : In that case, I’ll be waiting for him as soon as he arrives.
Students read:
At what time does the man want to see Rd Lawson?
A. 9.00 a.m
B. 9.10 a.m
C. 10.00 a.m
D. 10.20 a.m
7) Study Listening By English Song
In the syllabus of junior hifh school and senior high school, there is the
material about song. Not only sing a song but also listen songs and comprehend it.
Below are the steps by steps procedures in applying english song as media in teaching.
Before starting the class activity by using song on mp3, the teacher should select the song
that fit to the teaching learning process. It means, the teacher should consider the age and
interest of students in correlation with song which will be given in the class. The steps of
teaching by using song:
1. The teacher hands out the lyric of song to the students or write it in the board.
2. Then the teacher explains the meaning of lyrics and tells the way how to
pronunce it.
3. The teacher asks the students to read the text aloud.

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4. Let’s the students listen to the songs three times. The first time students
purely listen, the second time sing with the text, and the last time sing
without text.
5. Ask the students to do exercise.
Based on listening of english song, the teacher ask the students to write down the lyric by
fill in the blank (filling gap), or write the words that related with the material that is
taught and translate them, and make a message of the song.

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D. CONCLUSION
From the explanation, the authors conclude :
1. The media that can be used is MP3 media as audio media.
2. MP3 (MPEG - Moving Picture Expert Group - Audio Layer 3) is an audio
compresion format that makes a large audio files available by shrinking them into
smaller files that can quickly and easily be captured on the internet.
3. Types of MP3 players are:
a. Flash Memory Players
b. Hard Drive and Mini-hard Drive Players
c. MP3 CD Players and MiniDisc MP3 Players
d. The Hybrid Players
4. The Process of Listening with MP3 Media
a. Listen and do
b. Listen and draw
c. Listen and choose
d. Listen and arrange
e. Listen and write
f. Statements, questions, and short conversations
g. Study Listening By English Song