Note to self and anyone else who may be reading this, about podcasting.... Check your equipment before you start whatever it is you are doing. Why you ask? No, I am not trying to stream from China! Just a simple video. I am the master of video. This week, I presented a really super (Well I think so, because I made it! :) ) slide show about Moodle and how it can be used in the 1 computer class as well as for many other reasons... for our Tech Week Fair. I decided, hey.. wouldn't this be a wonderful opportunity to create my very first podcast (video podcast none the less!) for this class. So, I took one of our video cameras, the tripod, the plugs..etc. and schlepped them up the stairs to the computer lab I was presenting in. I had the video camera all set up perfectly, just on me and the screen. Well, on goes the video camera.. yeah! I am excited to share this video with you.. well boo hoo.. The video contained 4- 1 inch lines all across the screen and the voice would not come through to the iMovie program when I tried to download it. Arrggggg... who knew the video camera is broken.. this must have been from last year.. I can't even get the sound to come through so I could save it that way...
So lesson learned.. Always check your equipment first.
Any how, I am excited to use my 8th grade class as the test group for the pod casting I am going to start working on. Each student is required to write a reflection for their web pages that they create. If they are working on their math web page, the reflection would be about when the student was in elementary school, think back to a teacher or a favorite project you had in math. What was special about it? Why do they remember this project. Then they do the same reflection for the middle school years. Also, the students have a final overall reflection page to their website. This reflection is to make the students think about their overall education so far in their lives, as well as the person they have become. Where do they see themselves at Pinkerton and beyond? What is important to them educationally and personally. Then they write this. So far, I have been having them create a PDF version and then linking it in to their HTML hand coded web page. So, now, I want them to record it as a pod cast and we are going to embed them into their page. HOW EXCITING! :) I think so anyway. Let's see the kids reactions and then I will confirm for you !
So, a few open questions:
1) How do you eliminate background noise when recording?
2) When you say a microphone panel, is this something where all microphones are connected together to record at the same time?
3) How much space does a podcast really consume on a server for example? Just the small size of the shrunken MP3 file once it is exported out of garage band into iTunes right?? Small? Of course video would be bigger, but if you saved as quicktime and webstreaming size, it is pretty tiny..
Again, people are in the "old fashioned" mind set with personal beliefs running things.. so I am going to go with the advice and go for it,.. ask for forgiveness later! Wish me luck! :)
Some podcasting sites I thought would be helpful:
Podcasting 101
Video Podcasting - CNET
iTunes Podcast Site
Oh, by the way, I love iTunes podcasts, you can find awesome yoga and meditations there to put on your iPod to listen to..Don't drive and listen though! They don't mix! :)
Also, there is everything you can think of under the iTunes podcasting sections.. The education site is wonderful on iTunes..podcasting. Now, my next thing is to look at audacity even though I have garageband.. I wonder if audacity is easier to use?
Plein Air Salem MA
My Dad's Art work
2 comments:
Absolutely the day in the life of a "techie" wouldn't you say :)? I'm so glad you are so happy with your Moodle presentation and sorry about the hardware issues, it’s always the way. I cannot wait until I have the time to play with Moodle more. Your podcasts and reflections with your eighth graders is wonderful and very exciting, what a great idea. You are breaking the barriers, and I don't think you realize it, but you are :)
Audacity was a piece of cake, but also on my pc. It has tools to eliminate background noise, good editing tools; it actually reminds me a lot of imovie. It removes clips, unwanted noises and you can add cool effects. I found a great online audacity tutorial that got me moving right along http://www.yum.vic.edu.au/toolbox/sound/so06.htm. I used http://www.podomatic.com to create my podcast but it is not intuitive, at least, I didn’t think so, for example, if you check my blog on podcasts, the link to my podcast brings you to my homepage before you can play the podcast. I tried every option I could find to have it link directly to the podcast to play or download with no luck. On the upside, it does have 500 mb of storage. You might need a few accounts.
I look forward to seeing your podcast video. Nice post as always.
So funny how we all live to laugh at each other. We've all been there. Everything perfect, you're excited...and then something breaks or you forget a piece and you go from high to low in a matter of seconds....you gotta love technology!
Your questions:
1) How do you eliminate background noise when recording?
It depends on the mic you have. There really is no way to eliminate background noise you just get different mics for different purposes. But if you use a built in mic on a computer just know it is designed to pick up everything. So you'll want it as quiet as possible. In computer labs we have some really good headsets that do a good job of only picking up the sound of the person talking and not sound around them.
2) When you say a microphone panel, is this something where all microphones are connected together to record at the same time?
Yes...a mixing board. I think every school should buy a small four mic mixing board. We use a Yamaha mixing board MG 10/2. It's about $100 nice and small and pretty portable. Then all you need is some mics. From there you can run a line out of the mixing board into the headphone jack of your computer and record with any recording software. This year we bought one for each division at my school. It hasn't taken off yet, but if I was staying here it would be something I'd love to do. To create a podcast show from your school with students I think would be such a fun project.
3) How much space does a podcast really consume on a server for example?
Good question. It all depends on the settings when you encode it into an mp3 file. For example CD quality is encoded at 192kbps and a 4 minute song is about 30mb (all rough numbers). But for most of us that podcast we don't need that high of quality and most of our mics can really record a pure enough sound that you would want that. So I recommend encoding your mp3 podcasts at 64kbps. This are a lot smaller files and most people can't tell the different in quality. This is what I encode our On Deck podcast at. An hour podcast comes in right around 20mb..which is a good size for an hour podcast.
For video podcasts read up at itunes but they recommend using the H264 encoder for videos to go on iPods.
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