Week 3: Audio Compilation
Week 3 begins our look at using audio, specifically, to present and convey ideas. It’s hard to imagine anyone doesn’t have at least a passing understanding of just what a podcast is at this point, but there’s probably still a great deal that goes into the production of them and precisely why they’re so effective that’s unknown, at least to most. In this week you’ll be digging into just what a podcast is, what values they have, and just how engaging they are and why. Your deliverable this week (seen at the bottom of this page) is Mini-Project 1, basically the introduction to a podcast (the whole thing comes next week!). This is meant to get you familiar with the Adobe Audition software and the basics of audio editing and production.
Learning Objectives for Week 3
- Identify means for making audio presentations engaging
- Explore storytelling with social media
- Compare and contrast the technological changes in storytelling devices, from books to digital-tech gadgets
- Explore the impact of radio and audio in other forms (such as podcasting) as a means of communicating information
- Identify characteristics of effective presentation via podcasting
- Become proficient in the use of audio editing software such as Adobe Audition to compile podcasts
- Explore the intricacies of voice alone as a presentation medium
- Identify the value of podcasts as a means of presentation
- Analyze traditional uses of oral storytelling
- Develop a comprehensive, effective podcast using the audio editing program Adobe Audition
Consumables
Each week there will be a number of items for you to consume, be it reading, watching, listening, or a combination thereof. Note that many of these are hosted remotely.
Readings and videos
- Read part II: Unexpected (pp. 77-95) in your TED Talk book.
- Read: What is podcasting?
- “Podcasting is quickly becoming a buzz word among the techie crowd. So what is podcasting, anyway? Podcasting is online audio content that is delivered via an RSS feed.”
- Watch: The Value of Podcasts (15 minutes)
- “Podcasts provide a powerful way for a businessperson to connect to a core audience. Entrepreneur Pete Williams explains how to create a podcast and use it effectively, why there is market for podcasts from even a seemingly boring industry, and how to measure the impact of your podcasts.”
- Please note you’ll need to log in with your UArizona NetID to view the video.
- Read: Inside the Podcast Brain: Why Do Audio Stories Captivate?
- “In my all-time favorite episode of Radiolab, “Finding Emilie,” a young art student named Emilie Gossiaux gets into a terrible accident while riding her bike and, rendered blind and deaf, is unable to communicate with her loved ones until she makes an incredible breakthrough. Listening to it on my drive home only got me to the middle of the episode, so I sat in my parked car staring at the garage until it was over. I was captivated by the voices of Emilie and her family. I’ve been an audio convert ever since.”
- Listen: The Cruelty of Children: The Man In The Well (17 minutes)
- “Original fiction by Ira Sher about a group of children who find a man trapped in a well but decide not to get him any help. First published in the Chicago Review. (17 minutes)”
- Watch: Ira Glass on Storytelling (5 minutes)
- “Ira Glass from This American Life talking about story telling. Part 1, The Building Blocks of a Good Story. Although this series is not geared towards photojournalism and documentary photography, the lessons are universal and can be applied to any medium.”
- Watch: Modern Marvels: Radio (47 minutes)
- “Early in the 20th century, Marconi and Tesla experimented with wireless radio waves. When voice was added, radio became a cultural phenomenon, bringing information and entertainment into homes across the world. This Modern Marvels program looks at the technology behind wireless communications. Distributed by A&E Television Networks.”
- Please note you’ll need to log in with your UArizona NetID to view the video.
- Watch: Storytelling through sound: making radio sound ‘real’ (6 minutes)
- “When you talk about blurring the lines between the real and the fake, people tend to get a little uptight. But there can also be great pleasure in walking along that tightrope between fact and fiction. Mira Burt-Wintonick, producer of CBC’s long-running show WireTap, explains how fiction and documentary can learn a lot from each other.”
Software to install
Assignments
Your assignments for this portion of week 1 are as follows:
- Install Adobe Audition.
- Remember, you need to request Adobe Creative Cloud access and install the software using the Creative Cloud application!
- Complete the Mini-Project 1: Practice Podcast Creation
- Submit your audio file (in mp3 format), the brief reflection described in the mini-project description, and the screenshots of your Audition interface.
- Share your recorded practice podcast (the mp3 file) in the Teams #audition channel. Make sure to describe it when you share it, don’t just throw the file in the channel!