I was tasked to make a simple sound booth this week in Tech Ed. We were given instructions on How to Make Your Own Sound Booth for Better Voice Overs from eLearning Brothers, which creates a rather spiffy looking sound booth (if not quite small). As I was in quite a pinch for time, I sought the simplest solution: a blanket over my head!
My voice with no sound set-up – recorded on my iPhone.My voice with a blanket over my head – recorded on my iPhone.
I tested it out to make sure it worked, then went ahead and recorded the podcast from my previous post.
If I were to bring podcasting into my LLC, I would take the time to build some portable sound booths like the eLearning Brothers have suggested above. I love the idea of kids being able to take them outside and around the school.
In that vein, I would want a few microphones that are also portable, wireless, and that fit the library budget.
I found a couple options that I think I would pursue:
A compact, handheld digital recorder with all of the features (and more) of an iPhone at a mere fraction of the price: $42 on Amazon (not that I would buy from Amazon, but it’s good to get a general sense of the price). At this price, I’d buy several for my LLC.
One of the easiest, and most popular microphones for podcasting. A quality mic for a reasonable amount. USB output for plug and play directly into the computer as well as XLR cable output for use with higher-end analogue equipment. Price is about $120, so I would purchase 2 of these for the LLC for the more dedicated podcasters.
My first foray into podcasting! Get Hooked is a podcast devoted to “hooking” readers onto some of my favourite youth fiction. I read the first few pages and leave the rest for you to seek out at your local public library or book store.
Up first is “Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo.
“Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo. Music: The Vendetta by Stefan Kartenberg (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.
This was a journey. I pieced my audio together on GarageBand and did not find it to be an intuitive app. After stumbling around for a while on my own, I was very grateful to find the following tutorial on YouTube:
How to Record & Edit a Podcast in GarageBand (Complete Tutorial) by Pat Flynn
I had already recorded my sound bites using my phone’s Voice Recording app, so I AirDropped those onto my Mac, dragged them into GarageBand, downloaded and did the same with my music file. Then began the process of learning how to clip the music file and fade it in and out. Without Pat Flynn’s tutorial, I would have been lost.
Next step was to save the file as “Music”, download and open iMovie and drag my music file into a new project. I wanted a nice visual to go along with this, so I made one in Canva. My first didn’t fit the video dimensions, so I had to go back and try again.
Attempts 1 and 2 for my Get Hooked podcast logo. Made using Canva for Educators.
I saved my new iMovie and uploaded it to YouTube as an unlisted track.
Phew!
Now that I’ve done this, future attempts will be far easier. The learning curve was steep, and I was presented with many tech hurdles (like realizing that I had to update my computer in order to download GarageBand, and that I had to free up over 12 gigs of space to download the newest IOS version!).
Over to you:
Have you ever created podcasts with students? If so, what was that process like? If not, would you?
What are some challenges you foresee and how would you plan for them?
References:
Acevedo, Elizabeth. (2018). The Poet X. HarperTeens, Broadway, New York, NY. pgs. 3-4.
Flynn, Pat. (2018, 16 Feb). How to Record & Edit a Podcast in Garageband (Complete Tutorial). Accessed 31 Jul, 2021 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhesskgmIsQ
Kartenberg, Stefan. (2018) The Vendetta (c). copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628 Ft: Apoxode
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