April+Podcasting+Assignment

=Podcasting =

==== Previous attempts at podcasting have met with mixed success. You have proven you can locate information, write up a simple script, and complete the recording, but the finished product is stale. You podcast like you are writing an open response. A few students have made a switch to a more conversational style, but as a group you need much work. To that end this attempt at podcasting will deal with issues you are comfortable and familiar with. Each student will have 4 days to create 3 short podcasts with sound effects. The podcasts will deal with a variety of topics. This is geared more towards the process of completing the podcast rather than the content. You will still have to provided some sort of research and documentation for each recording and meet a series of technical benchmarks, showing minimum proficiency at using the software. Hopefully this project will help you understand a podcast has to be more than reading facts off a sheet of paper. It will also highlight the differences between written and spoken English and how to effectively transition from one to the other. Potential Topics ====

Favorites: Pick any Two

Actor/Actress Athlete Book Food Movie Singer Song Sport Subject TV Show Vacation Spot Video Game

Current Events: Everyone must complete Pick a news story and create a short summary in the style of a news cast. You will need to find at least two independent sources of information on the story and reference both of them in the podcast. Your podcasts will be graded according to the following criteria: Technical requirements will be: 1) Opening Audacity on the IRC Computer   2)  Creating a folder in the student drive to store podcasts 3) Recording a podcast   4)  Locating and downloading music and sound effects 5) Adding and sound effects music to the podcast   6)  Mixing and leveling the volume 7) Splicing voices from more than one speaker in to a podcast   8)  Using the timer to insert sound effects in precise locations 9) Saving the finished prodcast   10)  Exporting the Podcast as an mp3 11) Posting the podcast to the wiki in two formats

Podcasts must: 1) Be of 60-90 seconds   2)  Have an introduction 3) Discuss a topic appropriate to school in a serious manner   4)  Contain at least one reference to published information on the topic 5) Contain music or sound effects   6)  Involve more than one person speaking in at least one of the four 7) Be posted to the wiki by the end of class on Thursday Schedule

Tuesday: Create a folder on your drive, create a new wikispace, pick the topics you are going to podcast and record one podcast

Wednesday: Edit and add sound effects to the first podcast, record and add sound effects to the second

Thursday: Finish editing second podcast, start and complete the third, upload the podcasts to the wiki in two formats

Friday: Complete Podcast Rubric for at least 4 of you classmates podcasts and offer suggestions for improvement.