21st Century Educator/Skype

PDF file for PowerPoint 21st Century Educator

NOTE: Reflections will be posted each week to your group blog. Responses to other groups reflections on their blogs will be a comment post to those reflections. Please see rubric for Reading Reflections.

Covers Chapter 4, Strategies for Discovery, of Reinventing Project-Based Learning, p. 59 to 74.

Your reflection should include:

1. Discuss the potential pitfalls in project design.
2. Discuss the features of a good project.
3. Discuss where project ideas come from.
4. Discuss the steps to design a project.
5. Discussion on how concepts in this chapter relate to your topic/project.

DUE DATE: Reflection is due by Friday, February 15, 2013. Responses to two other groups' reflections are due by Monday, February 18, 2013.

Collaborative Podcast

You will create an informative Podcast, using Audacity. This podcast will identify and describe several aspects of your project to share with parents and others. Each team member will be required to discuss a different area of your progress. You will also be required to pull out at least two concepts from the textbook.

NOTE: When you first open up Audacity, please go immediately to Edit, Preferences, click on the Tracks link on left, then change the Default View Mode (click on arrow on right to bring drop down) and choose Waveform (dB). This is the only way you will be able to edit once your have recorded. It will have to be done EVERY time you open up Audacity.

Requirements:

1. 3-5 minutes in length.
2. You must include several aspects of your project -- a different one for each member of your team.
3. You must include at least two concepts from the textbook
4. Background music. Your music must be louder at the beginning of the podcast then fade to a quieter level while you are talking and then increase after you finish talking and before your podcast ends.
5. The volume of your voice and the background music should be well balanced. It should be easy to hear your voice, while at the same time hear quiet music.
6. The podcast should be professional sounding and something that you would feel proud to use in your classroom.
7. You must use Audacity to create your podcast and export your finished podcast as an MP3 file BEFORE submitting in Desire 2 Learn eLearning System in Module #5.

Procedure:

NOTE: When you first open up Audacity, please go immediately to Edit, Preferences, click on the Tracks link on left, then change the Default View Mode (click on arrow on right to bring drop down) and choose Waveform (dB). This is the only way you will be able to edit once your have recorded. It will have to be done EVERY time you open up Audacity.

• Create a script or note of what each team member plans to say. This may be done individually but needs to be reviewed by other team members.
• Open Audacity.
• Go to the Project Menu and select “New Audio Track” (For newer version, you start by clicking on the Record button).
• Record your script. Make sure that you do not sound like you are reading and feel free to record yourself a few times until you get one that you really like. Minor ummms and pauses can be edited out.
• To edit minor ummms or pauses, use the cursor tool to highlight the area you would like deleted then press the delete key on your keyboard.
• Choose your music and sound effects. (See * below for combining tracks if you are working outside of lab.)
• Click on the Project menu and “Import Audio”. (For newer version, go to File, Import, and then find your music to import).
• Once you have imported your background music, you can use the fading tool from the top middle in the tool selection area in the top left of your screen. (For newer version, it is found in group on the right of the Record button). Click once where you would like the music to start fading out and then click where you would like the music to be faded out. At the second point you can pull down and the second part of the track will get thinner.  Do the same for the end of your podcast.
• Your vocal track can be moved to fit in the center of your audio track by using the move tool in the bottom middle of your tools. Click anywhere on your track and move it left or right to fit into your background music.
• To insert a sound effect, you may first need to insert silence into your vocal track. You can do so by using the cursor tool to select where you would like the silence to begin. Then click on the Generate menu and select “silence…”.   A box will pop up for you to insert the length of silence your sound effect requires.
• To send a file to another group member, you will need to "export as MP3" and send that file. The group member putting it together can import into Audacity and it will open as an Audacity file.
• Once you are satisfied with your project, click on the File menu and click “export as MP3”. (For newer version, go to File, Export and then choose at the button of the window the MP3 files).
• Submit your MP3 file in Desire 2 Learn eLearning System in Module #5.

*To combine podcast files, one group member will collect the rest of the podcast files. The other group members need to export their portion as an MP3 file. Then attach it to an email. The group member putting them together needs to save the file from the email (not open), and then import the file into their audacity file. It will be automatically added to the program in a new row. The group member putting it together needs to move the imported files in the correct spot using the Time Shift tool.

SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENT : Once you have exported your podcast as an MP3 file, it needs to be submitted in Module #5 under Submission of Podcast -- only one team member will need to submit the podcast.

DUE DATE:Your podcast needs to be submitted by 11:59 p.m., Friday, March 1, 2013.

NOTE: All assignments have specific due dates. Late assignments will lose 10 points for each WEEK they are late. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Collaborative Podcast Rubric

Reading Reflection Rubric

Audacity - http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/.

If you are downloading Audacity at home, you will also need to download the LAME MP3 Encoder. Follow the directions at http://manual.audacityteam.org/help/manual/man/faq_installation_and_plug_ins.html#lame and find the download for the LAME MP3 Encoder at http://lame1.buanzo.com.ar/

Free Music Web Site