SoundCloud for Teachers
Host Audio for Worksheets and Lessons
Once you've recorded a listening activity in Audacity, you need somewhere for students to actually play it. SoundCloud is a free option for hosting that audio online — upload a file, and within seconds you have a shareable link that plays directly in a browser, ready to pair with a worksheet.
Why use this tool?
SoundCloud makes the upload process almost effortless: create an account (Google or Apple sign-in both work), drag your audio file in, add a few basic details, and it's live. That link can then be connected to a worksheet in a few different ways — pasted directly into a digital PDF, turned into a QR code with a tool like Bitly, or simply played on a monitor or shared during an online lesson over Zoom.
It's a flexible host for more than just worksheet audio, too — usable for podcasts, lecture recordings, or any other lesson audio content. There's a limit to how much you can upload on the free tier, but for individual worksheet recordings this is rarely an issue.
How to use it
- Create a free SoundCloud account. Sign up using Google, Apple, or another supported option.
- Click Upload. Drag your finished audio file (for example, one exported from Audacity) onto the upload screen.
- Fill in the track details. Add a track title, choose a genre (Learning works well for lesson content), and optionally add tags (like "ESL Listening") to help keep your uploads organized.
- Add a description if you'd like. A short note about the content — for example, what the listening task is about — helps you and others identify the track later.
- Finish uploading and view the track. Once the upload completes, click View Track to get the finished, shareable link.
- Connect the link to your worksheet. Paste the link into a digital worksheet, turn it into a QR code, or simply play it directly during an in-person or online lesson.
This pairs naturally with the Audacity and Canva workflow covered elsewhere on this site: record the audio, host it here on SoundCloud, then link it to the worksheet via a QR code so students can access it from their phones.
