EDLD 5363 - Multimedia Video Technology

Week 2 - Audacity Tutorial Podcast
 

    The week 2 assignment of creating a podcast/audio tutorial of the program “Audacity” was one that proved interesting to me. I listen to podcasts frequently during my trips to and from work, but I have never paid much thought to the actual process of recording a podcast. In addition, as a homeowner and someone of relatively little maintenance experience I am constantly watching how-to’s and tutorial videos on YouTube. These videos have allowed me to do all sorts of things from fix the washing machine to repair my weed eater. Approaching a tutorial video from the other perspective has been a valuable process.
                I began by downloading “Audacity,” installing it on my computer, and playing around with it for a little while. My three year old son, Maddox, and I played with it for about an hour or so just exploring its features and being silly. After getting a grasp of the basic functions of the program and playing around with some of the slightly more advanced features I began to write my tutorial script. I tried to imagine writing a step by step tutorial of just the basic features of Audacity for someone with absolutely no experience with a program such as this. When I finished writing the draft of my script I opened the program and followed my own tutorial to see if it would deliver the result I was looking for. After a few small edits I believe that my podcast script was acceptable.
                The next step was the process of recording the actual tutorial narrative. After reading through the script out loud to myself I decided to move on with the recording. My first attempt left me a little tongue tied, so I decided to start over. After listening to my second recording I decided that I could slow down and enunciate a few different words. It was not until my fourth attempt that I reached a recording I was happy with. I then exported the file to a different format and saved it for uploading online.
                All that was left was to upload the file to YouTube. I added a basic “Audacity” logo for the sake of the YouTube video and included the appropriate Creative Commons copyright symbol. In reflection of this project, I feel that it has given me a better understanding of the podcasts I regularly listen and the YouTube tutorial videos I on which I rely on a somewhat regular basis. I feel equipped to prepare a similar tutorial video regarding software or teaching strategies for fellow teachers. I also look forward to receiving feedback so that I may be completely equipped for such a project in the future.