Category Archives: For Educators

Digital Storytelling In the Classroom

Posted on by
Reply

Storytelling has been used to impart knowledge from prehistory to today. Stories captivate listeners and accelerate the retention process.

The only thing that has changed about storytelling over the years is the tools used to transmit those stories to others. Springing from origins in oral transmission, storytelling has been shared in pictures, stained glass, written text, radio waves, and television. Now, with the advent of increasingly powerful computers and software, storytelling has entered its next phase of development…digital storytelling.

Education of Total Immersion

As educators, you’re very aware that students of all ages learn in different ways. Some are auditory, many are visual, and there’s an entire segment of the population that is so kinesthetic that they simply must get their hands dirty (so-to-speak) before they’ll learn much of anything.

Digital storytelling can be a beautiful melding of all three styles of learning. Students will deepen their understanding of the world and make better sense of it. Projects will help them sharpen their powers of observation and develop a sense of creativity.

In the process, narration, visuals, and hands on creation has the unique ability to meet all learning styles in a single project.

Ways to Implement Digital Storytelling in Education

Creating a digital project isn’t much different than developing any other type of project. You’ll have a brainstorming session and select a project. Extensive research will be conducted to gather the materials needed for the project and an outline will be made.

The only real difference will be in the development.

You’ll need to storyboard the project. Because you’re bringing together video, slides, narration, role play, interviews, and a great deal more into a single project, you’ll want to draw out the progression in detail. This will allow you to assign individual parts to single students or groups of students while you act as the executive producer overseeing the entire project.

Project ideas are limited only by your creativity, but here is an extensive starter list. Try some, merge several into a single project, and customize them to your students’ needs.

  • Meet an artist, public figure, musician, etc.
  • Oral histories
  • Fictional stories
  • How to videos
  • The story of [insert subject]
  • Book reports
  • Poetry readings
  • Recap of a trip (summer vacation, field trip, etc.)
  • Cooking meals from other cultures
  • A day at my parents’ work

Ponder your current curriculum for areas where converting your current approach to a digital storytelling session might make a bigger impact on your students.

21st Century Minstrel

Just as people would come from miles around to hear the minstrel in the town square tell the stories of heroes and watershed moments of history. So, digital storytelling will captivate your students and fix in their minds those key stories they will carry with them their entire lives.

More – See my article on Digital Video Tools For Media Production

How to Use Music As An Aid to Digital Storytelling

The role of a music soundtrack in a multimedia presentation is similar to the use of spices in cooking. Used correctly, adding just the right spices brings out the flavor in a dish and enhances its overall taste. Spices shouldn’t dominate, but they should be a presence, contributing to the overall effect.

The soundtrack is not the main ingredient in a media project either. Its role is to support and to bring out the drama already built-in to the production’s story. Using music soundtracks expands the story’s power to communicate.

UniqueTracks "Royalty Free" Music CDs provide music that can be used in your school’s visual or multimedia presentations without further licensing or royalties to be paid.

Listen to our music – you’ll see that the ability to legally use these tracks as often as you like in your classes more than earns back what you spend for the initial purchase. If you have questions regarding music licensing or your rights regarding the use of royalty free music, please call us toll free at
888-400-2149.

Educators receive over 15% off of UniqueTracks regular pricing (regular pricing is the pricing you’ll see next to the products on this site). Please download our free 19 page Pricing and Information Guide which lists our music products along with the Educator discount pricing pre-calculated for each item.


Download our 19 page Pricing and Information Guide in PDF format.

Music Licensing Tips – Royalty Free Music Explained

Posted on by
Reply

This great article by Berklee College Of Music Alumnus Aaron Davison describes many of the confusions and problems that orbit around the term royalty free music.
——————————————————–

Music Licensing Tips – Royalty Free Music Explained

There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding the term “royalty free” music as it applies to the music licensing industry. Some believe that this means there is no cost at all associated with the music in question, which is not the case. Others believe that the music being licensed under this arrangement is “copyright free”, which is also not true. Different libraries will offer different types of deals and the agreements will vary to a certain degree, however, as a general rule of thumb, ¨royalty free¨ music simply means that the end user has purchased a “lifetime synchronization license” for a given song or group of songs. In other words, they have the right to synchronize your music with your audio and/or video productions an unlimited number of times without incurring any additional expense.

There are other types of production music licenses, these include “Needle Drop” licensing where the user pays a fee each time they synchronize a piece of music, and “Blanket Licensing” where the user essentially leases a group of music or CDs, and is able to use the music for a specified set of uses during the duration of the lease (typically a one, two, or three year commitment). Each of these licenses are actually more like renting the music than buying. While the end users don´t actually own the music with a buyout (royalty free) library, they do own a lifetime license to synchronize your music with their productions.

The other big misconception about royalty free music is that the creators of the music don’t receive performance royalties. Television broadcasters pay annual royalties to the Performing Rights Societies for the right to broadcast music on their shows. When music is broadcast on television or cable TV, it is tracked by something called a Cue Sheet. This is precisely where the term Royalty Free does NOT apply and can be easily misconstrued. Cue sheets determine where the royalties previously paid by the broadcaster get distributed. There are no costs associated with cue sheets and most Royalty Free music libraries require that cue sheets be properly filled out when the music is for broadcast use. A cue sheet is a paper trail that ensures writers get paid what is due to them out of the money that has been previously paid by the television stations and broadcasting entities.

In conclusion, a “Royalty Free” license means that the end user does not continually pay a “synchronization royalty” each time they use a given piece of music and instead only pay a one time fee upfront. It does NOT mean that the writer will not receive the performance royalty, or broadcast royalty, due him or her when his music is aired. This royalty has already been paid in advance by the broadcaster and should be distributed appropriately through the filling out and submission of cue sheets.
———————————————————
Aaron Davison is a Berklee College Of Music Alumnus who has been working in the music business for over ten years. His songs have been heard on a variety of television shows and he has performed live throughout the world. Visit Aaron’s website, http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com, for more information on getting your songs placed in TV and Film.
———————————————————–

Teaching TV Production in a Digital World

Posted on by
Reply

Here is a link to an impressive book on Google Books called Teaching TV Production in a Digital World – Integrating Media Literacy written by Robert Kenny. If you have a Google account, you can read the entire book through the My Library section of your Google account.

This 360 page book has been designed specifically for teachers. The target audience is teachers of a first-year high school television course whose students most likely consist of ninth-graders. However, there are no assumptions in the content that would preclude upperclassmen from taking this course. Although this book is aimed directly at television production, all lessons are structured to guide teachers of different academic disciplines who wish to pick and choose appropriate topics for their own subject areas.

From the introduction…

The intent of this book is to present a case for and to show teachers (particularly new ones) how to implement a television production program that is in tune with the changing times. No longer can the primary outcome of a television course be to simply prepare future employees for conventional jobs in the traditional broadcasting industry. In the digital world, video is creeping into the mainstream as an integral part of the digital revolution. Michael Johnson, Ph.D from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), first coined the term garage cinema (Davis, 1997) that refers to a growing cottage industry in which anyone with an idea has the opportunity to produce and distribute video products through the Internet. Desktop television might also be an equitable label. This extension of the use of video into our daily lives has increased the need to broaden the scope of the television curriculum to include a more intense focus on media and visual literacy.

Dispelling Confusion About Classrooms and Copyright

Posted on by
Reply

Incorporating media into classroom presentations has become much simpler today. However, for educators, the vast array of materials online often creates confusion regarding the legality of its usage.

Media literacy expert Renee Hobbs’ great new book Copyright Clarity – How Fair Use Supports Digital Learning provides a complete and concise look at what is, and what is not, acceptable for classroom use.

The book explores:

• What types of usage are permissible for classroom use
• How to create class projects that follow copyright laws
• Fair Use of digital materials such as images, music, movies, and Internet elements found on sites such as Google and YouTube
• The latest trends in intellectual property law and copyright practices

“This long-awaited book relieves educators’ anxieties about the legality of using copyrighted materials during instruction and presentations. In addition to answering questions about fair use practice in an easy-to-understand manner, Hobbs offers examples of how technology supports essential literacy and communication skills in 21st-century classrooms.”
—Diane Lapp, Distinguished Professor of Education
San Diego State University

The book expresses legal concepts in a easily understandable fashion, allowing educators to confidently incorporate captivating media tools into their lessons and presentations without concern about infringing on copyright laws.

If you’re an educator, check out Copyright Clarity. It will settle any confusing issues you’ve experienced where you’ve not been sure if your usage of a given media was within the boundaries of copyright law.

Television Production: A Classroom Approach

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve come across a fine instructional text that would be very useful for any teacher currently involved with a school television or media production class. The 2 volume course is called Television Production: A Classroom Approach (the first volume is the Teacher’s Edition and the second volume is the Student Edition).

The books were written by two very experienced media specialists, Keith Kyker and Christopher Curchy, who have taught media production in the Florida school system for over 22 years. The text, now in its 2nd Edition, is used by many secondary schools as the main textbook for their courses in television production.

A sample chapter from Television Production: A Classroom Approach is offered here.

There is also an accompanying CD-ROM featuring editable PowerPoint presentations featuring concepts and illustrations from the chapters and ready-made, fully editable tests for each chapter.

Together, Keith and Chris have written six educational technology books for Greenwood – Libraries Unlimited, and host the popular web-site SCHOOLTV.COM. Additionally, they develop video production software, and have recently authored a DVD and CD-ROM to supplement their latest textbooks. Keith and Chris have presented to thousands of educators at more that 50 conferences and educational gatherings in 14 states.

Order through Libraries Unlimited.

Studentfilms.com – The online student film festival

Posted on by

Studentfilms.com is an online filmmaking resource for film students and aspiring filmmakers from around the world.

The site features:

  • internet broadcasting of your film (upload it to their site) – viewers of your film can write a review, you can post contact information for those interested in your work.
  • forum discussions – discuss films on the site, introduce yourself to the studentfilm.com community, discuss filmmaking tips and techniques, ask questions about screenwriting, pre-production and post-production, ask questions about which film school to attend at the unversity level
  • Filmmaking Articles – Online Avid Tutorials, Tools for writers, HD product reviews

Active topics on the forum right now include, requests for iMovie help, Making a movie from a book and a vigorous discussion of NY vs LA, which discusses which media center is best for a young filmmaker to begin their career in. There is also a discussion of universities which have exemplary film schools, like New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts.

The main element and greatest strength of the site is its abiltiy to broadcast films over the internet and enable peer discussion of each film. Studentfilms.com now has a database of over 800 films which is searchable by genre, popularity on the site, film title, and by film school. There is also this cool randomizer feature which will bring you to any film in the database. All the reviews and comments I saw where mature and honest attempts to be helpful. Everyone is in the same boat and the community really does try to share knowledge and creative ideas. The forum section is also very strong. There is a good deal of filmmaking information shared in the forum questions.

If you are considering a career as a filmmaker or are an educator with a media-production curriculum, I think that studentfilms.com will become an excellent resource for you.

George Lucas Foundation & Edutopia

Posted on by

George Lucas is best known as a filmmaker and as the creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones blockbuster movie franchises. You may not know that his George Lucas Educational Foundation actively promotes innovative educational programs throughout the United States.

Edutopia – Information and Inspiration for Innovative Teaching in K-12 Schools

The foundation’s website – Edutopia – publishes stories of innovative teaching and learning through a variety of media — a magazine, an e-newsletter, CD-ROMs, DVDs, books, and the Edutopia Web site. Here, you’ll find detailed articles, in-depth case studies, research summaries, instructional modules, short documentary segments, expert interviews, and links to hundreds of relevant resources. You’ll also be able to participate as a member of an online community of people actively working to reinvent schools for the twenty-first century.

Besides the website, Edutopia is also a magazine which educators can subscribe to for free. The magazine can be read online or it can be delivered to your address. Edutopia supports the free circulation of its content, all articles on the site can be easily downloaded as pdf files
Subscribe to Edutopia magazine

There’s a great amount of information on the site but I was most impressed with the packaged and downloadable course materials offered….

Free Instructional Modules created by professors of education and professional-development specialists may be used as extension units in existing courses, or can be used independently in workshops and meetings. All modules include articles, video footage, PowerPoint presentations, discussion questions, and class activities.

some sample articles from the site…
Big Ideas for Better Schools
Students Find Their Voices through Multimedia
Martin Scorsese: Teaching Visual Literacy
Film School – The silver screen inspires young minds to think big.

Edutopia is a forward looking educational website that embraces film, video and multimedia production as important elements in the learning process.

Teaching Media Production in Middle Schools

Posted on by

Stephanie Drotos’ Teaching Media Production is a very valuable website for educators interested in creating a media production curriculum. This site lays out in very clear detail, everything you need to teach a nine week middle school media production course. The site was created by a middle teacher for other middle school teachers interested in creating (or expanding) media production courses concentrating on teaching stop-motion animation, desktop publishing, video production.

The site includes course outlines, day-to-day lesson plans, sample class handouts and teacher resources.

Stephanie explains, “For two years, I taught a middle school class called Media Production. This course lasted for nine weeks and was taught four times a year to both 8th graders and 6th graders. I designed the course and included topics in which I was personally interested. I’ve had lots of requests for information about teaching Media Production and wanted to make the information available to help other teachers.”

If you are an educator teaching media production, I think you’ll be well rewarded looking at Stehpanie’s course ideas.

See also Podcasting In The Classroom and
Tools to take Podcasting to the next level

Best Microphones for Podcasting

Posted on by

I remember my first attempts to record the music I was creating back in the mid-80s. Home recording equipment was just becoming affordable to the average musician and I was slowly building up the components of a home recording studio. But, having just bought the equipment, I was rather surprised at how bad my initial recordings sounded. Not really knowing anything about proper microphone placement and other basic elements of a recording engineers skill set, I spent a lot of time with trial and error, got lucky sometimes but ended up ruining a lot of recordings because of poor recording studio fundamentals.

With so many people creating podcasts now, the basic knowledge of what makes a good recording is gradually coming from the specialized world of the recording engineer into the mainstream. Podcasters who want to improve the quality of their productions need, at some point, to learn about microphones – there’s no question, having a good, professional-grade microphone will immediately increase the quality of your podcast production. Today there are many microphones being marketed expressly for podcasting.

Here is really smart article by Cleveland-area IT Specialist, Aaron Shaffer A Review of Seven Microphones, The Heart of All Podcasting.

Aaron looks at seven different microphones including headset, lapel, wireless, and standard tabletop microphones and judges their strengths for podcast recording based on affordability and usage. He points out that a microphone should be chosen based on the recording situation in which it will be placed. For instance recording a lecture for a podcast requires a different microphone than recording a table interview between two people. Aaron gives actual recorded samples of each microphone and then offers his opinion on each mic’s strengths.

Here are his final conclusions based on the microphones he tested, but you should read the complete article because there lots of good podcasting information in it.
——————————–
“What would I recommend to you as a professor or lecturer if you want to podcast? Without a doubt the AudioTechnica wireless mic. You can connect it to any laptop or mixer and get great quality. What would I recommend to those interested in dialogue type podcasting with two or more people? The MXL-990. You can’t beat it for the price. And If you’ve got money to blow, go with the Heil PR-40 all around.”
——————————–

If you have a little more money to spend, consider these USB microphones, most created by the manufacturers to appeal to the new podcasting market.

Blue Microphones Snowball $134
Marshall Electronics MXL USB.006 $170
Rode – Podcaster $349
Samson CO1U $210
Samson Q1U $90

See also Podcasting In The Classroom and
Tools to take Podcasting to the next level

If you are interested in sound effects for your podcast to create openings, transitions and endings between your interviews and other broadcast segments, then check out this sound effects set created specially for Podcast production.

Podcaster by Blastwave FX

Podcaster – Music & Sound Effects for Podcasting

Podcasting in Schools

Posted on by

The use of podcasting as an information tool has become very popular in our nation’s high schools. School podcasts cover everything from student-produced current events shows to teacher-produced curriculum and lecture announcements. Many schools even have iPod subscription links through the Apple iTunes store. Students can easily subscribe and receive every edition of their school’s podcast automatically downloaded to their iPod.

Now Apple Computer is promoting podcasting as a teacher development tool. Here is an excerpt from the site…

“Podcasting allows administrators to update faculty – even an entire district – in just minutes. With a single click, teachers can subscribe to podcasts and have future content delivered automatically. An ever-growing collection of professional development material, both commercial and free, is available online from the iTunes Store. This is the perfect way to expand ongoing training programs, without straining district resources.

The iPod is an affordable development tool that can scale to fit almost any technology plan. And once in teachers’ hands, it can do even more: from recording notes and podcasts, to transporting digital files back and forth to school, on any Mac or PC. All this, in the palm of your hand. This is the iPod for professional development “an unexpectedly powerful tool for education.”

See also Podcasting In The Classroom and
Tools to take Podcasting to the next level

If you or your school is creating podcasts, then you may be interested in our popular Podcaster product

Podcaster - Royalty Free Music and Sound Effects for Podcasting

Just released – Podcaster – Royalty Free Music and Sound Effects. This massive collection by Blastwave FX has been created especially for Podcast producers. Podcaster has everything you need to produce a professional podcast. Add podcast theme music or just a beat loop to your intro and immediately give a focus to your show. With over 500 sound effects this set will let you underscore the humorous, contentious and exciting moments of your podcast.