Preparation
- Watch the VoiceThread about Podcasting.
- Read the following
For this week's project, you will probably need to draw heavily on the learning new technologies skill sets we've been developing throughout the semester. Below are some technologies that you may not be familiar with. Before you begin trying to complete the project, I highly recommend you seek out some resources to get a better understanding of how to use these technologies. To focus your research a bit more, I have identified some of the specific skills you will need to use each of the technologies below.
- Audacity: For this project, you will need some kind of a sound recording software. Audacity is a free download and is user-friendly. Be sure as well to get the LAME encoder so that you can export your file to .mp3
- Skills you will need
- How to download and install Audacity and the LAME encoder
- How to record projects
- Basic sound editing with Audacity
- How to export project to .mp3
- You will also need some kind of video-editing software. Most computer already come with this software. For PCs, look for Windows Movie Maker, and Mac users probably will want to use iMovie. Please email me asap if you do not have access to a video-editing application.
- Skills you will need
- How to locate these files on your computer
- How to import files to work with
- How to move files on to the timeline/storyboards
- How to resize/edit clips
- How to save movie in podcastable formats.
- iTunes or another media aggregator
- Skills you will need
- How to download and install
- How to subscribe to podcasts using iTunes.
For our project this week, we will be creating both an audio and a video podcast. As far as content for your podcast, please develop a 2-3 minute mini-lesson for students of a specific grade-level. As you have done in the past, identify the specific grade-level you are intending this for as well as at least one grade-level expectation that your lesson would help satisfy.
There are numerous ways you could go about completing this project. If I were doing this, here's how I would probably go about it.
Creating the Audio Podcast
- Create a new folder on your computer where you are going to save everything for this project.
- Develop a polished PowerPoint with images that you would use to teach students during your 2-3 minute mini-lesson (Don't use animation in the PPT; it won't come through in the video version). You can use your own photos, create your own screen-captures, or draw on CC-licensed works. Be sure to save this PPT in the file you created.
- Open audacity and start recording. Minimize audacity letting it run in the background and then view your PowerPoint, narrating each slide. When you are finished narrating your PPT, click back into Audacity, stop the recording and save your project to the project folder.
- Because of switching between Audacity and PPT, you will have a bit more audio at the start and beginning of your audio. You can cut those segments out of your audio.
- Export your audio to .mp3 and save the .mp3 to your project file. Next, upload this file to your afs space. If you need help uploading to afs, check out my FTP to afs space handouts from here.
- Once the file is uploaded, be sure to check to make sure you can access it. My "FTP to afs space" handouts will help you figure out what the appropriate url should be for it.
- Go back to your PPT, and Choose File-"Save As"--"JPEG" and tell it to save all of your slides as jpegs to your project folder.
- Open up Windows Movie Maker or iMovie, and import the jpegs of all your slides as well as the .mp3 audio file.
- First, lay down your .mp3 file on the timeline, then pull down each of your slides in the order they should appear.
- Listen to your audio to figure out where each of the slide transitions should occur. You can resize each of the slide clips by dragging on their edges.
- Once you have the audio and the images aligned properly, you can save your movie to your computer. Be sure to save your movie as either a .wmv (Window Movie Maker) or .mov (iMovie).
- Upload your movie to your afs space the same way you did with the audio file. Again, test your address to make sure it routes to your video.
- Please identify the grade-level this mini-lesson is for as well as the grade-level expectation that it meets.
- In a paragraph or two, discuss how teachers might use podcasting in their classrooms. In order to complete your podcast, you will need to create links (embedded please) in your post to both the audio file and the video file you uploaded to AFS. The act of creating the link is what enables the files to be available through your RSS feed.
- Please link the permalink of this post to the Wiki Gallery under the "Podcast" column.
- If you've done everything right, you should be able to acquire both your audio and video podcasts through a media aggregator such as iTunes.
This assignments pulls together many of the technologies and ideas we've been developing across the semester and it probably is the most complex project to date. While I want you to see what you can do "on your own" so to speak without jing videos that walk you through step-by-step, I also don't want you to struggle unnecessarily. Ask for help when you need it; remember, that, too, is part of our learning new technologies strategies.
Please have this week's assignment completed by midnight Saturday evening/Sunday morning.
Best of luck.
Cheers,
Joe
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