PortablePD.ca

Here’s a question from one of our participants.  Jane and I will be sure to get an answer up soon – maybe someone out there would like to leave a comment as well?

Hi folks. Maybe someone can help me. My students have recorded themselves reading a picture book using the digital recorder you provided us (thank you for all of the wonderful equipment by the way – side note). I plug the digital recorder into our computer and we listen and all is great…we are listening through the windows media player. Now the problem is, we are trying to put these “stories” onto cd’s to leave in our library as a listening centre for younger readers. It will not burn onto cd for me and I have tried a variety. I have also used the little laptop you provided us and they recorded using audacity. Can anyone help the “technologically challenged” as myself on how do I get all of this onto cd’s?
Thanks – Janine from MES

It just goes to show that the simple act of asking for something might, on occasion, get you what you want.

In my case I decided to leave a post on the Edublogs forums asking for audio and video comments for the blogs.  And, lo and behold, one day later, I got what I asked for.

Have fun trying it out.  Assuming you have a microphone and/or webcam connected to your computer you are good to go.  Start by clicking on “no responses yet” or “45 responses so far” after this (or any) post.  Then scroll to the bottom of the page and select either “Add Webcam Comment” or “Add Audio-only Comment”.  Click “Allow” and then close the window before recording your message. You can still leave a typed message along with the audio and video. Video, audio and typed comments continue to be moderated by Jane Smith and me.

I look forward to literally hearing, and seeing, what you have to say!

Sony has put out a new version of Acid Xpress.  This free download, now at version 7, allows users to easily create quality sounding music tracks.  Since you create the music, there are no copyright concerns when posting the music online.

Here’s the pitch:

ACID Xpress is a free, 10-track version of ACID software for music recording, editing and mixing. It’s easy to use, even if you’ve never tried loop-based music creation before. Just pick some loops, paint them into a track and play them back. Any loops you choose work together because ACID Xpress matches the tempo and pitch automatically…

Being free software, there are a number of limitations built in to entice you to buy the superior version.  You are limited to 10 tracks, can only save to a lower fidelity MP3.  The software won’t let you save to WAV format.  You will be asked to provide an email address in order to register the software.

This tutorial is meant to support those working with Windows and Audacity.  I hope it proves to be helpful.

Click here for a larger version of this tutorial.

This is one of those “It’s been a long week and I don’t need this” stories.

I had been pushing time a bit this week to get an edition of Portable Radio Point of View out in time for Remembrance Day. The students had done some really good reflecting on the topic and so I needed to get this podcast done and done now before it became “old news”.

I decided to work on my Asus Eee PC 4G computer to do the edit. Things seemed to be going well but all of a sudden I would get a friendly message telling me that Audacity was sorry but it would have to close. AAAARGH!!! Of course I hadn’t been regularly saving the work I was doing.

Start again…this time saved work, often. Again part way through the edit…Audacity was very sorry but it had to close.

I am a slow learner so it took a few of these before I clued in that I needed to alter the way that I was working. It seems that this was a memory issue. Once I started saving my work to the 8gb memory card instead of the little Asus, life improved and the work got done.

Anyway, if this sounds familiar to you you could be experiencing a memory issue. I know that I am. Did I also mention that I lost my car keys two weeks ago. Put them down somewhere and….

P.S. I think it is a really good episode of Portable Radio. Take a listen at portableradio.ca

Time to put on your troubleshooting gloves.  Or put it off and find something really strong to drink.  It all depends on how your day is going.

If you are using a USB headset microphone we suggest that you first plug them in and wait a few seconds so that the computer recognizes them. Then start up Audacity.

On some OCDSB computers, you will get a password prompt when anything USB is plugged in. The board has put out an installer called “USB Thumbdrive…”. Install that and reboot. Jane says the computer freezes after installation. Of course that never happened to me – so either way you have to restart.

If that doesn’t work or you are using a “regular” non-USB microphone go to edit/preferences in the Audacity menu. You’ll be in the Audio I/O tab automatically. Click on playback and record menus and select a different device. In the case of USB headsets, the name of that particular headset should show up in the menu. In the “regular” microphones just try picking a different one and cross your fingers.

Perhaps this doesn’t need to be said, but check that the microphone is plugged in to the microphone jack. It is often in both the front and back of the computer. Try both if you have the patience.

Another thing about USB headsets: they often come with an on/off button that is not so obvious to those of us, like me, who don’t read instruction manuals. A solid red (or blue or whatever) light means the mike is operating. If it is blinking it is not recording.

We hope there was something there that did the trick.

Is it really so dirt cheap to start podcasting in the classroom?

Absolutely.  It can be free assuming you have a computer, microphone and Internet access.  One of the biggest attractions of podcasting, for us anyway, is that it could be done with hardware and software that our school board already had, or, was freely available on the internet.  As long as you have a computer that either can run Audacity, Internet access, and a microphone you already have everything you need.  You might discover that your school has lots of unused microphones lying around from older computers and tape recorders.  They are still usable.  Easier still, your computer already might have a built in microphone.  No microphone?  They can be found at dollar stores.  I wouldn’t suggest shelling out big bucks until you know what you’re dong and if you want to invest anything more into it.

But I really want to spend money on shiny gadgets

OK.  Fine.  Just for the sake of not going completely overboard, let’s say that you have money to burn or your principal or some mysterious benefactor has given you $1000 to spend on some sort of podcasting kit.  What would you include?  Jane and I have put a great deal of thought into this very topic (Some of this stuff goes on sale so there’s a good chance it will come out a little less than $1000):

Sony ICD-UX70S MP3 Recorder

-    plug and play (no proprietary software)
-    built in USB (no lost cables)
-    single AAA battery
-    relatively inexpensive
-    similar to the model Jane won in another grant
-    really important: it saves to the MP3 format

Battery Charger

- help avoid that infuriating moment when your students are set to record and you have no batteries

- make sure it charges AA and AAA

AAA rechargeable batteries

- most voice recorders run on AAA

Eee PC 4G

-    once Audacity is installed, you can use it as a student editing station
-    small enough for students to use at their own desks
-    inexpensive enough to include in a kit like this
-    plug in a USB headset microphone, or use the built in microphone to record your students
-    install iTunes to listen to and subscribe to more podcasts

Mouse

- because the eeePC keyboard is really tiny for adult hands

- Audacity can be used almost entirely with a mouse

8GB Memory Card

-    we found a Kodak SDHC card for $20
-    also available in 16GB and 32GB, probably will keep increasing in memory and decreasing in price
-    triples the memory of your Eee PC 4G
-    allows you more flexibility to store and edit audio and install other programs

USB Headset Microphone

-    USB simplifies things, don’t have to fiddle with sound settings
-    quality recording for a single user
-    students are less tempted to bump microphone around resulting in a cleaner recording

Stereo Headphones

-    allows for quiet sound editing
-    we suggest you get at least four sets to allow for more that one student to edit audio on a computer or listen to podcasts

Headphone Splitter

-    allow for two headphones to connect to one headphone jack on a computer, CD player, MP3 player, etc.

Kidcast: Podcasting in the Classroom
by Dan Schmit  (FTC Publishing)

-    detailed overview of how to start up a podcast in the classroom
-    information for both Mac and PC users

FTC SoundPak
(FTC Publishing)

-    CD contains over 3,400 sound effects, music loops, and other sounds created specifically for the classroom.
-    feel secure in the knowledge that you are respecting copyright

Our Class Podcast
by Jane Smith and Nathan Toft (Scholastic)

-    handy way to introduce podcasting to your class
-    six copies in package allow you to meet your Guided Reading requirements at the same time
-    part of Scholastic’s “Moving Up with Literacy” guided reading series
-    well known and respected authors

We recently purchased a new voice recorder for our students to use.  It’s the Sony ICD-UX70S MP3 Recorder.  Its advantage over the Olympus models we have used up to now is the fact it records directly to an MP3 format.  That means there is no need to use software to convert the audio format.  With the Olympus models (and most other voice recorders) you first have to convert the audio files to MP3 to allow audio editing software like Audacity to use it.  Now, all you and your students have to do is plug it directly into the computer’s USB port, launch Audacity, and import the audio directly from the voice recorder.

This voice recorder comes equipped with built in stereo microphones. Its sound quality is at least as good, if not a little better than the other voice recorders we have used.  If you are after something with better sound recording, the Zoom H2 Handy Recorder would be the way to go.  This is what Jane and I use to record the Portable PD podcast.

Like the Olympus WS-320, its USB is built in.  This is a very handy feature to have as it will save you from having to search for the right cable while surrounded by impatient students who will inevitably find other, less constructive, things to do with their time.  It also comes with a pair of earbud headphones, a short USB extension cable and a bag.  Like all voice recorders, it is very light and small and its casing is plastic.  The price was fairly reasonable (we got ours for around $70 from Staples) and our ten year old students haven’t had any difficulty figuring out how to use it.

Tracey Nicholson from Jack Donahue Public School sent us some questions her students had about Audacity.  Jane and I have encountered these obstacles in the past and thought it would be worthwhile sharing:

Hi Nathan:

We are having trouble with exporting our “Audacity” file into a mp3 file.
We are also having trouble with coping and pasting Audacity files.

If you can help us that would be great.

I’ll take a crack at answering these questions.

“We are having trouble with exporting our ‘Audacity’ file into a mp3 file.”

When you export an Audacity file to MP3 you go to File/Export as MP3.  The purpose of doing this is to create a much smaller sized audio file that can easily be played on everyone’s computer over the Internet.

You will run into trouble if a file called the LAME MP3 encoder was not installed along with Audacity.  For copyright reasons this file has to be installed separately.  It’s simple enough to do if you are using a home computer or have permission to install software on your school computer.  Just follow this link and follow the instructions there.

“We are also having trouble with coping and pasting Audacity files.”

As far as copying and pasting files, I’m assuming the problem happens after you’ve saved your Audacity project and you decide to copy the Audacity files onto a flash drive or move it to another folder.  When you go to open up the copied Audacity file much of the sound is missing.  Aaaargh!

There’s a simple way to avoid this and, once you’ve done it, it stays in the software’s settings, meaning you probably won’t have to do it again.

Here’s what you do:

1.  In the menu select Edit the Preferences.
2.  Click on “File Formats”
3.  Select “Make a copy of the file before editing (Safer)”

This will make sure all of the bits and pieces of audio you need are included the folder you copy over.

I hope this is useful.

^credits

Audacity: Freeware that allows you to record, import and edit audio files before export them as MP3s.

Ethical Guidelines for Editing Audio: This was posted by Mary McGuire, journalism professor at Carleton University.

Levelator: Balances the levels throughout your show so that listeners are not constantly adjusting the volume.

Recording Your First Podcast by Jody Colvard (PDF)

Skype: Free software that allows users to make free phone calls over the internet to other Skype users. Skype also allows for text messaging, video conferencing and file transfer.

PowerGramo: This is free software that allows you to record your conversations on Skype.

Zamzar: A free online file conversion program. It works without needing to download software to your computer. It does take time so be patient.