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Teaching Audacity
From Debatepedia
Tierney Steel has created a 4-part lesson plan for teaching Audacity use. The plan totals to five hours and thirty-five minutes. All four parts are below.
Part One - radio editing, interface, terminology
Name of Teacher: Tierney Steele Date of Lesson: Duino 2007
LESSON PLAN: Citizen Journalism—Radio Editing
TOTAL TIME THE LESSON WILL TAKE: approx. 1 hr. and 15 min.
TOPIC: Learning Audacity Part I
OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will be able to navigate their way through the Audacity interface using the appropriate tools.
2. Students will be able to understand the basic terminology of radio editing in Audacity.
MATERIALS: 1. Windows/Macintosh Computers with the Audacity program installed on it 2. Head phones and//or computer speakers 3. Tool kit, which contains all elements needed to assist the students in using Audacity
ACTIVITIES: 1. Review the basic elements and interface of Audacity (60 min.) Interface overview includes reviewing the following:
• The Control Toolbar: Selection Tool, Magnification Tool, Envelope Tool, Time Shift Tool, Multi Tool • Audio Control Buttons: Play, Loop Play, Stop, Skip to Start (Rewind), Skip to End (Fast Forward), Record, and Pause • Mixer Toolbar: Audio Volume (Monitor Toolbar), Microphone Volume, Input Select Box • Edit Toolbar: Shortcut buttons of existing menu items: Cut, Copy, Paste, Trim Away, Silence, Undo, Redo, Zoom in and Out, Fit Selection in Window, Fit Project in Window • Drop Down Menus: File, Edit, View, Project, Generate, and Effect • Track: Solo, Mute, Gain, Left and Right Channels, Naming Titles, Moving Tracks, and Time Code/Duration
2. Hand out copies of a diagram of the Audacity interface and have students identify each aspect of it. The students will familiarize themselves with the correct terminology and location of all the necessary buttons, toolbars, and menus. (15 min)
ASSESSMENT OF LESSON: Activity 2 will act as the assessment of this lesson.
Part Two - importing audio, editing audio, exporting projects
Name of Teacher: Tierney Steele Date of Lesson: Duino 2007
LESSON PLAN: Citizen Journalism—Radio Editing
TOTAL TIME THE LESSON WILL TAKE: approx. 1 hr.
TOPIC: Learning Audacity Part II
OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will be able to import raw audio from sonic stage or audio recorders into audacity.
2. Students will be able to edit audio clips using audacity.
3. Students will be able to export their projects for web streaming.
MATERIALS: 1. Windows/Macintosh Computers with the Audacity program installed on it 2. Headphones and//or computer speakers
ACTIVITIES: 1. Import and edit the audio file named Edit Lesson.mp3 (45 min.) • Review all editing tools in audacity • Practice using the basic elements of audacity, such as cut, silence, and normalize tools. • Edit audio clip and export for web. • Review ID3 tags and their usage • Install LAME encoder
2. Import audio interviews from recorder. (15 min.)
ASSESSMENT OF LESSON: Students will help one another complete the editing, saving and exporting process.
Part Three - manipulating music
Name of Teacher: Tierney Steele Date of Lesson: Duino 2007
LESSON PLAN: Citizen Journalism—Radio Editing
TOTAL TIME THE LESSON WILL TAKE: approx. 35 min.
TOPIC: Learning Audacity Part III
OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will learn how to manipulate music in audacity.
MATERIALS: 1. Windows/Macintosh Computers with the Audacity program installed on it 2. Head phones and//or computer speakers 3. Tool kit, which contains royalty free music 4. Internet connection: www.freeplaymusic.com or www.royaltyfreemusic.com
ACTIVITIES: 1. Import a song from the toolkit or download a song from the one of the websites listed above and manipulate it. First use example Looping.wav (30 min.) Will cover: • Importing a song • Looping a song or a portion of a song • Special effects such as change speed, change tempo, fade in and out, echo, invert, reverse, and wahwah. • Adjusting multiple tracks in the audacity window and fading them together • Discussing the difference between mono and stereo tracks
2. Hand out review sheet of audacity effects (5 min.)
ASSESSMENT OF LESSON: Continue to produce mixed audio tracks.
Part Four - integrating music and vocal tracks, using the omni-mic, voice-overs
Name of Teacher: Tierney Steele Date of Lesson: Duino 2007
LESSON PLAN: Citizen Journalism—Radio Editing
TOTAL TIME THE LESSON WILL TAKE: approx. 45 min.
TOPIC: Learning Audacity Part IV
OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will learn how to lay down a music track behind a vocal track.
2. Students will understand the usage of the omni-microphone.
3. Students will learn how to do voiceovers in Audacity.
MATERIALS: 1. Windows/Macintosh Computers with the Audacity program installed on it 2. Head phones and//or computer speakers 3. Omni Microphones
ACTIVITIES: 1. Import a song from the toolkit and incorporate it with vocals. (10 min)) Will include: • Adjusting the volume the music so the vocals can be heard over top of it • Quick mixing
2. Using omni-microphones and creating voiceovers. (30 min.) Will cover: • How to use the microphone • How to record into Audacity • How to adjust the volume of the voice over
Hand out review sheet of audacity effects (5 min.)
ASSESSMENT OF LESSON:
Continue to produce mixed audio tracks.
