ISSUE
10
2011
Laptop Essentials
PRACTICALADVICEFORHUNTERCENTRALCOASTTEACHERS
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Creating a Simple Podcast in Audacity
Podcasting is the process of recording audio or video to share with others. In the commercial world, podcasts are shared via the internet and can be streamed online or downloaded to a computer or MP3 player. In the educational setting, podcasts can be a valuable tool to enhance student learning. Podcasts allow students to capture their learning experiences and share their learning with a wide audience. Podcasts make learning portable and provide opportunities for authentic and meaningful assessment. Audacity is a piece of software which allows users to record and edit audio, insert existing sound files, and export to MP3 or WAV files. This issue of Laptop Essentials will focus on the use of Audacity to create a simple audio podcast. Ideas for Podcasting There are many ways that Podcasting can be used for learning. Here are a few suggestions to get you started: Report on fieldwork or the outcome of an experiment Record a classroom performance or speech Create a radio style advertisement Conduct an interview on a controversial topic Planning for your Podcast Before making a podcast, create a plan for the recording. This may involve writing a script, selecting backing music or creating sound effects. Audacity will allow you to put these elements together to make an engaging audio recording. All DER laptops have a built-in microphone input. Test the microphone before you begin your podcast. The microphone settings can be found in the Sound option of the windows Control Panel. Creating your first Voice Recording in Audacity Adding Music to your Podcast Backing music can be added to your podcast by importing it into your project. Music can be imported as a WAV, MP3 or AIFF file. You will need to have a copy of this file ready on your computer before you can import it. To import a music audio file, click on the Project menu and select the Import audio option. Browse to find the file on your computer and click Open. A new track will be added to the project below the voice track that you recorded (see below).
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Above: Two audio tracks in a project Trimming an Audio Track Trimming is useful when you have parts of a track that you need to discard. To trim a section of track, highlight the section of track that you need to trim and click on the cut button Adjusting the Volume of your Audio Tracks So that your voice recording and backing music work well together, you will need to adjust the volume of your tracks. On each track is a Gain Control . Move the gain control slider for the backing music to the left to lower the volume. This will allow the voice recording to be heard clearly over the backing music. Fading In and Out Fading allows you to gradually increase or decrease the volume of an audio track. This is particularly useful where the backing music of a track needs to be faded out as the voice recording begins. To apply a fade in or fade out to a track, first select the part of the track that needs to be faded. In the Effect menu choose Fade In (or Fade Out). The changes will be applied to the audio track and will be visible in the waveform. Publishing your Project Publishing the project will bring all of the tracks together into a single audio file (rendering). To publish your podcast, select the File menu followed by Export As MP3 (or .WAV). Choose a location to save your podcast and click Save. Further help UCreate an Audio Podcast -> click HERE Tools 4U: Audacity -> click HERE UCreate a Video Podcast -> click HERE
Next Issue: Creating an image slideshow in Adobe Captivate
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CONTACT DETAILS Grant Ward (Author)
DER Project Officer Hunter Central Coast Region Adamstown Office E: grant.ward@det.nsw.edu.au P: (02) 4904 3919 M: 0447 107 946
1.
Open
Audacity
from
>
All
Programs
>
2. Press the red Record button to begin the recording. 3. Speak clearly so that your voice can be picked up by the microphone. A new audio track will appear in the project window. A blue waveform display indicates the level of audio that is being recorded.
Justine Abell
Rel. Regional Strategy Support Officer
Above: The blue waveform of an audio track 4. To pause the recording presses the pause button This will allow you to add further audio to the one track. 5. When finished, press the stop button . This will finalise the track. * Make sure that you save your project via the File menu.
Hunter Central Coast Region Adamstown Office E: Justine.abell@det.nsw.edu.au P: (02) 4904 3915
