Garageband

toc =Garageband Resources=

Apple Tutorials
http://www.apple.com/findouthow/music/garageband08.html Apple offers videos on how to create podcasts, instrumental tracks, and more. Go to the last tutorial in the right menu called "podcasts" to get started. While it doesn't show you the nitty gritty of editing, it will give you a nice, broad overview of the possibilities.

[|Keyboard Shortcuts] Refer to this listing of MAC keyboard shortcuts for editing in Garageband. The ones to remember include, "split", "new track", "join". You will use these the most.

Tutorials in Steps
[|Opening and Naming a Podcast File] [|Recording] [|Recording on Multiple Tracks] [|Recording with a Special Voice Effect] [|Jingles & Sound Effects] [|Add a New Track] [|Split, Join, and Adjust segments] [|Ducking] [|Sound Balance] [|Share/Export as MP3 File]

Storyboarding
Without a solid storyboard, your students will not get very far in organizing their podcast. Require a storyboard before students begin working on the computer. The storyboard organizes their ideas by creating an overarching idea, helping students decided topical segments, and determining how to grab the audience's attention, etc.

This is the storyboard used on our community service podcast project in the Spring of 2009. Feel free to adapt and repurpose the storyboard for your own project needs. If you google the term podcast storyboard, you will find lots of helpful templates. **
 * Sample Storyboard

Podcasting
A podcast is a broadcast of a sound reel. The difference between a sound file, like an mp3, and a podcast is simple--podcasts are syndicated and broadcasted on the Web and MP3s are just the sound file itself. An MP3 becomes a podcast once it is broadcasted to the world. Podcasts are usually some sort of dialogue or monologue with sound tracks, sound effects, and sometimes advertisements. Podcasts are often centered around a key topic, interest, or theme. When you begin to storyboard and plan your own podcast or a podcast project with students, think about keeping the length to 3-5 minutes. This is the length of a song, which is a good estimate of an audience's attention. Of course, many podcast series, NPR for instance, go far beyond this time-frame. Less is more is always a good approach, especially with first-time podcasters.


 * Vodcast** or **Podcast**? As you would imagine, the difference is the video--a vodcast follows the format of a podcast, but it includes video as well.

From the folks at [|Common Craft] media type="youtube" key="y-MSL42NV3c" height="344" width="425"
 * Podcasts in Plain English** (3 minutes)

Podcasts on the WWW
There are some terrific podcasts out there--many you can subscribe to right through your itunes store and they are free, for the most part. You can also subscribe to podcasts in your RSS reader or podcatcher, depending on your preference. (RSS or Real Simple Syndication is a lesson for another day!). If you subscribe to Google Reader already, then you can add podcast subscriptions to that reader. You do not need an ipod or MP3 player to listen to a podcast. Apple was just smart enough to market the name "pod" and capitalize on it by creating the podcast player.

[|The Education Podcast Network] EPN attempts to bring together all the best podcast content in one place. Most of the podcast producers are educators willing to share their knowledge and expertise in various areas. The site does a beautiful job of categorizing podcast content by grade level and content area. You can also listen to class projects to get ideas for you own classroom. What topics interest you?
 * Educational Podcasts...

[|Education Podcasts] Another treasure trove of educational podcasts. Radio Lingua, anyone? How about Nutrition Diva?

[|Lunchtime Leaders Podcast] A group of students produce interviews of different professionals around the world.

[|NPR Education Podcasts] ** NPR always offers a thought-provoking sound wave. Check it out!

[|November Learning Podcasts] Alan November is one of the leading educational technology gurus. If you're interested in hearing more about technology integration in the classroom, subscribe to this one!

[|David Warlick] Another ed tech guru and phenomenal educator--check out his podcast offerings. He is truly is an educator's educator and ponders learning in the 21st Century.

//I have listed a few funs ones to try, but since you have editing rights to this site, why don't you add you own favorites, too?//
 * Fun Podcasts to Try...

[|Grammar Girl] For all you grammar nerds, Grammar Girl gives "quick and dirty tips" for writing success. She uses real-life scenarios to illustrate topics like comma splices, run-ons, dangling modifiers, and more. This can even be used in the English classroom!

[|Stuff You Should Know] This podcast series is based on the "How Stuff Works" web site--very cool!

[|This I Believe] This is based on the essay project where contributors submit their thoughts on what they believe to be the essence of life and what is most important to them. Entries include thoughts from well-known political leaders, as well as the average person. There is a whole curriculum connected to the site for educators, which could be a really fun essay writing experience. **

[|The Moth] Live storytelling broadcasted from New York. Novelist and poet George Dawes Green started The Moth in 1997 in his living room, wanting to recreate the feeling of hanging out on his porch in Georgia, telling stories. This is a non-profit project. The art of storytelling has caught new attention and enthusiam in recent time, and this project reflects the art of storytelling's new momentum.

Podcatchers or Aggregates[[image:itunes-logo.jpg align="right"]]
A podcatcher is an aggregate, a tool that grabs episodes of a podcast series. Most podcast subscriptions are free. Itunes is a good example of a podcatcher. Here are some other free ones:

[|Google Reader] Google Reader not only grabs new feeds from your favorite sources, it will also catch podcasts and vodcasts. It's a very versatile "feed catcher". If you already have a Google account, or gmail, just go to Google Reader's page and login with your google user name and password. This will "turn on" google reader.

[|Yamipod]Yamipod is a free tool that works in both MAC and PC platforms. You can actually manage your IPOD with this freeware, as well, without having to use ITunes.

[|Compare Many Podcatchers] And if you weren't overwhelmed with all the choices, yet, check out this listing of free podcatchers. You can select from a list which ones you want to compare. Happy podcatching!

Publishing Your Podcast on the WWW
Note: It is perfectly acceptable to post your "podcast" on a wiki or blog and not pursue the syndication route. Syndicating a podcast requires several steps. If you aren't planning on regularly publishing episodes, it may not be worth all the effort.

[|How to Podcast Tutorial] This site gives you step-by-step instructions for posting and syndicating your podcast on the Web.

[|Tools for Podcasters] You will find free and for purchase tools for hosting, recording, aggregating, and more. [|Audacity] Audacity is another tool that records sound files. This freeware program is available for the MAC and PC. You need to download the [|LAME] MP3 encoder to export files as MP3s. Audacity does not come with the bells and whistles of Garageband, like sound effects and jingles.