Audacity and the City of Ember Bringing Literature

into the Light! Creating an Audio Production

with a Team of StudentsKurt Sherman – ksherman@ccsuvt.org

Dave Davidson – ddavidson@ccsuvt.org

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Where did the idea come from?

•Connection to Everyday Mathematics

•Connection to language arts

Project with decimals, percents, fractionsWriting a chapter as a language assignment

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Project Inspirations• VT Fest Workshop• Connect the Dots course project• Smaller projects• Professional examples

•Radio Lab•PHC

• Technology well-matched to the need

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Why an AudioProduction?

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Why an Audio Production?

The right level of exposure. Middle school students can enjoy performing without the angst of seeing themselves performing

Almost every class member had a speaking roleK

Why an Audio Production?

Very accessible technology that a number of students can use simultaneously to create a single production

Audacity – free, on all our computers, easy to use and full of features, and an inexpensive microphone D

Software and Equipment

• Software: • Audacity free audio recorder (see resources page for download site)• Format Factory for file conversion of audio files recorded on digital voice recorder

• Equipment: • Microphone - A good microphone is key – a Logitech USB microphone cost about $20• Digital voice recorder• Quality Computer Speakers

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Why an Audio Production?

Easier to create a high quality audio production than a comparable video production. We can’t match the level of quality of a commercially produced video.

This project followed watching a commercially produced feature film.K

Why an Audio Production?

Audio production allows the audience to fill in the details that a visual production must provide

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Why an Audio Production?

Fewer permission and copyright issues than other media. Made almost entirely of “home grown” content.

Our own script, narration, most of the sound effects and discussed creating our own music D

National Educational Technology Standards for Students

1. Creativity and Innovation - Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

2. Communication and Collaboration - Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

3. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making - Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

4. Digital Citizenship - Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.

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Creating the ProjectSteps to Follow

– Starting with entire class for discussion

– Individual teams on “search and finds”

– Reporting back to class with choices

– voting to make choices

– “insertion” teams

– Class reviews of rough drafts

– Effects applications

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Main Steps Toward Creation

• Students wrote a “next chapter” for the story.

• Class voted on which chapter would be used.

• Groups created script from chapter

• Auditions for character reads

• Recording of dialogue, sound effects, music

• Rough drafting Audacity

• Refining audio tracks

• Public relations steps to promote product

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Creating a Script

•The importance of class meetings in starting

•Scripting teams by paragraphs

•Blending for voice

•Final cuts to create a product

Organize your recording system!

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Script

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Auditioning for Podcast Roles

• What do I want to do for this project?

• Which roles will I audition for?

• Class decision-making

• Second, third and fourth auditions

• Roles for the others

Class discussion/thinking time using a tier system blind votes creating roles for others to promote full class participation

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Sound Effects: Web-based Searches

• Brainstorming with scripts before starting

• Surfing websites for possibilities

• Bringing back ideas for class meetings

• Democracy in action

• The rented warehouse approach

Class read-through using a brainstorming approach assigning teams for research playback voting drop and go saving

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Problem Solving to Find the Perfect Sound Effects• How do we create a sound effect for…

• The script comes first. What do you need? Crowd noise? A rock falling into a cave? Boats pushing off from shore? Music that evokes… what?

• Decide what you want and then decide the best way to find it, modify it or create it.

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Project Resources-Sound Effects

* SOUND EFFECTS sound effects, 2 are "Free for Non-Commercial Use”

Findsounds site –must check linked sounds for copyright regulations

SoundGator “You may use the sound effects you download in your films, videos, multimedia projects, presentations, games and just about any other project - but you are not allowed to sell, resell, license, distribute or post online the sound effects themselves. .”

PacDV Free Sound Effects -“You may use the sound effects on this web site free of charge in your video, film, audio and multimedia productions (but do not re-sell them or post on a web site for download).”

FindSounds - When you perform a search using FindSounds.com or the WebPalette feature of FindSounds Palette, you obtain links to audio files hosted by Web sites throughout the world. The sounds in these audio files may be copyrighted and their use governed by national and international copyright laws. We do not offer advice on the fair use of these files.

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Choosing Music Clips from the Web

• Mood choice ideas from script review

• Team searches from music websites

• Bringing back sound bites for review

• Democracy in action

• The rented warehouse…again!

Read through brainstorming searching by committee voting for choices drop and go saving

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Project Resources - Music

* MUSIC - Students knew what they wanted for music BEFORE they began looking and how they would modify it during different parts of broadcast; considered creating their own

Royalty Free Music.com The Royalty Free Music Clips, Royalty Free Music Loops, Royalty Free Beats, Royalty Free Bumpers and Stingers, and Royalty Free Sound Effects, posted on this page may be used, in Educational, student and personal, not-for-profit projects, free of charge.

Musopen is a 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on improving access and exposure to music by creating free resources and educational materials. We provide recordings, sheet music, and textbooks to the public for free, without copyright restrictions.

The Free Music Archive is an online library of audio and video content that the public, including music fans, webcasters, and podcasters, may listen to, download, or stream for free. D

Where’s the Warehouse? (Audacity)

• Getting beyond the “GULP!”

• Audacity is like your bedroom when you were 12

• Starting to clean things up

• Exploring tools

• Condensing tracks

• Class meetings, playbacks and being “thick-skinned”

Selecting for initial success how not to panic with file overload condensing tracks sound effects for quality being critical friends K

Audacity• Free open-source software for recording and editing sound•Audacity may look intimidating (all the wave patterns, etc.) but it is a VERY user-friendly program•Audacity’s strengths

• Free • Easy to use• Many useful features that students can discover on their own

• For this project Audacity was used to: • Record and edit narration and sound effects• Import and edit music and sound effects• Mix and merge narration, music and sound effects

• It’s a great program for students to use to create a new sound from one or more recorded or downloaded sounds.

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Audacity Basic Controls

Basic controls for recording and listening; you need to stop before making changes; can listen to one section by moving to that section or highlighting;

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Audacity – Tool Box

For our project we only use the selection, timeshift and zoom tools D

Audacity - Simple Editing• Delete an unwanted section of a track• Play only one of many tracks Adjusting volume • Move a track

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Listen to this Credits file in AudacityD

Audacity – Advanced Editing

• Adding Effects • Combining Tracks• Exporting as an MP3 File

For our project we only used the echo and fade in and fade out filters D

Audacity – Advanced Editing

Advanced Editing Master Backup Part 2 Example in Audacity D

 

Bringing Components Together

•Being a believer in the project

•The importance of frequent review

•Always ask for feedback

•Make group work selective

Always ask for feedback/opinions keep the project on the front burner participation means investment in ideas learn how to be expeditious

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Promotion

The Escape Podcast Web SiteD

Promotion

The Escape Podcast Web Site

An audio production Web site gives you:

• an established presence that people can be directed to• an easy way to deliver your audio production• an opportunity to fill in the back story• a chance to add images, thank people and give credit• a place where your visual artists and writers can shine

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Finding an Audience

Locating classes; is this how you begin a project or end a project? looked for a class that had a connection to the book or movie, they listened to our podcast; read back story on the Web page- Maine; EJ - read City of Ember;

• Who would be an appropriate audience for this production?• Too much effort not to be shared• The benefits of feedback• Celebrity status – a younger audience may be a more appreciative audience• A class who has had a similar experience will realize the effort involved

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Connecting with an Audience

Skype; questions in both directions; speaker in central spot; celebrities for a few minutes

• Video conferencing to connect classrooms• Skype, a projector and a quality Webcam• Have a “hot seat” where students sit to answer and ask questions• Voicethread would be an asynchronous option if time zones and schedules interfere

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Resources• Our Podcast Page• Our Resources Page• Audacity Tutorials

• Audacity Manual• Another Excellent Audacity Manual• Audacity Training Videos

• Software• Audacity Audio Editing program• LAME Encoder mp3 encoding software• Format Factory file conversion program

• Equipment• Logitech USB Microphone from B and H• Blue Snowball USB Condenser Microphone• Sony MP3 - Digital Recorder from B and H• Bose Computer Speakers

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