Editing and sharing audio/visual content

Do you want to learn about what makes a rainbow? Watch a lecture from an MIT Physics Professor Walter Lewin. These days many universities are making educational videos available for viewing online. MIT, for example distributes hundreds of educational videos through Video at MIT.

But you don't have to be a mighty institute of technology to produce your own movies. There are a number of free and easy to use resources available at your fingertips. We are not talking about sure-to-go-to-Sundance material. Just a simple DIY recording that is reasonably visible and audible. Here are a few tools to start with (again, this post is Windows PC centric because that is the platform that SMU supports):

Recording Tools

Audio recording

For basic recording, get something easy to use. Consider the ease with which you get the files from the recorder onto your computer, into your editing system and online for sharing. Many audio recorders will allow you to easily transfer audio files through a USB cable. make sure that your recorder creates common file formats - WMA, Mp3 or WAV. For example, an Mp3 will make it easy to edit and upload to iTunes U.

If you have an iPod or an iTouch, you can buy a small plug-in mic to record good quality audio. You can also use a headset with a mic to record directly into your audio editing system on the computer.

Video recording

For basic video, you can use a mini-dv camcorder or even a digital photo camera as long as you have enough memory on the memory card. If you just want to record a head shot of yourself speaking, you can also use a web cam directly on your computer.

For our camcorders at SMU, we also have a wireless camcorder microphone. It has a receiver that hooks up to the camera and a wireless mic that can be hooked up across the room to the source of sound. This cuts down on ambient noise, automatically synchronizes the audio with video and produces a better quality sound in the movie.

SMU's O'Grady Library has a number of audio and video recorders for check-out.


Editing

Audio
Audacity is a free audio editing program that is available for download onto your PC. It does simple audio editing functions, such as cutting and pasting audio clips, adding multiple audio tracks. Audacity can import WAV and Mp3 files. To export Mp3 files from Audacity, you need to download Lame Mp3.

Video
Windows comes with a simple video editing program called Windows Movie Maker. If you have Windows 7, you will need to download the free program. The program comes with online tutorials and a manual.

Broadcasting
My Podcast offers free hosting and publishing of Mp3 audio files.


iTunes U is available for free hosting of audio and video files for higher ed. Your university has to join iTunes U before you can upload your files here. iTunes U accepts only Mp3 or Mp4 file formats.


Internet Archive also hosts audio and video files. It is a free internet library that is operated under the Creative Commons License. You can upload Mp3, Mp4, WAV, WMA and a few other formats. One of the nice features of this site is that users can stream video without having to wait for a download of large files.

Content
If you need background music for your movie, try Music Alley. It is a collection of music that is the property of the artist and is also under the Creative Commons License, making it safe for you to use in your movie without violating copyright laws.

For more content available under the Creative Commons License, take a look at the Creative Commons Directory.

Students Talk About Visual Learning

This was made by students at the University of Nottingham. It was based on interviews conducted with other university students. There are some helpful comments by students about visual tools such as Power Point, video, etc. They give examples and give other great ideas to engage students.

Image Editing, Organizing and Sharing

Here are some notes on select applications for an image workshop. There are more applications out there, but I am focusing on the few most popular. This post is split into two parts, 1. Editing and 2. Organizing/Sharing images. Though, as you see below, some web based applications do both.

Editing

Microsoft Office Picture Manager is included with the standard Windows software. Does not require downloads. It is likely already loaded on your PC.
1. Click on an image on your computer
2. It will open in Microsoft Photo Viewer
3. Click on “Open” button at the top of the page
4. Select Microsoft Office Picture Manager

Gimp
You will need to download and install Gimp on your computer. This is a free application that is similar to Photoshop (an image editing program used by professionals). Gimp has more advanced functions than Microsoft Office Picture Manager or any other free image editing programs. Read the Gimp intro here.

Picnik
This is a free web application that works with various social networking websites such as Flickr, Picasa, Facebook, MySpace, etc. It does not require a download. Allows for simple editing similar to Microsoft Office Picture Manager. Can be accessed and used on any computer with an Internet connection. You can edit images that are already loaded into your social networking applications. For example, if you have a Flickr account, click on the “edit photo” button above any image.

Picasa
Free web based and desktop application. Allows for basic editing. Must be downloaded onto your PC. Combines image editing and organization on your PC with uploading to the Internet for image sharing. Learn more about Picasa 3 here.

Organizing and Sharing

Flickr
Online photo management and sharing. No downloads. Owned by Yahoo. Take a Flickr Tour here.

Picasa
Online photo management and sharing. Requires download. Allows you to manage your photo collection on your PC, by organizing images by photo and date. Owned by Google.

Facebook
If you have a Facebook account, you can upload and share images directly in Facebook. There is no image editing tool. Facebook also allows you to share your images from Flickr or Picasa.

What to do with texting in class?

If you talk to college professors about modern US students, you will hear a lot of complaints about short attention spans, laziness and indifference. A recent article in the Chronicle got its readers' pulse rate up by asking Are American Students Lazy? Many people agreed, others defended the students and found flaws in the author's argument. But blaming aside, it's still up to us to figure out how to be effective teachers in the modern times. Here is an interesting article Designing Choreographies for the "New Economy of Attention" that explores what we as teachers can do to direct student attention towards learning.

"Rather than banning laptops and phones from the lecture hall and the classroom, we aim to ask what precisely they have on offer for these settings understood as performative sites, as well as for a culture that equates individual attentional behavior with intellectual and moral aptitude."

Gordon, Eric and David Bogen, “Designing Choreographies for the ‘New Economy of Attention,’ Digital Humanities Quarterly, 3.2 (2009)