DEN Midwest Summer Institute Links on Audacity

Hello from Chicago and welcome Discovery Educator Network Midwest Institute participants. I will be doing some podcasting from the institute as well as doing some brief - 30 minute - workshops on using Audacity to edit sound for movies and podcasts. Audacity is the application that I use to edit the "Speaking of History" podcast.

Here are some helpful links for getting started with Audacity:


Audacity - free software application which works with Mac or PC

Audacity Wiki Page - a ton of extra information on Audacity including a forum

Audacity Tutorial - one of many online tutorials on how to use the application for editing sound

Lame MP3 Encoder - a free program which allows you to create an MP3 file from a WAV file, can be added to Audacity as an add-on

River Past MP3 Converter - a free program which allows you to create an MP3 file from a Wav file or an MP3 file to a WAV file

Wesley Fryer Podcast Help Links Page - a great collection of links for anyone who wants to learn more about podcasting from the producer of the podcast "Moving at the Speed of Creativity"


These are just a few of the great resources available to edit sound files. If you have a resource you'd like to share please include a link in the comments below. Thanks.

Podcast #30 - Will Richardson on Web 2.0 at the Discovery Educator Network Midwest Regional Summer Institute

Welcome to day 2 at the Discovery Educator Network Midwest Regional Summer Institute. Today we are exploring the world of Web 2.0 tools and our tour guide is none other than Will Richardson. Will showed us some great examples of these tools being used in education, discussed some of the social aspects of our students using social networks and some thoughts about how these tools are changing the face of education - or rather, how they SHOULD be changing the current face of education.


Thoughts from Will about Education and Web 2.0

1. Schools are closed but should be open and accessible

2. Change from individual learning spaces to collaborative learning networks

3. From "just in case learning" to "just in time learning"

4. Change from text to multimedia

5. Change from working alone for an audience of one to working together for an audience of many

6. Students performing as teachers

Direct link to Podcast #30 - Will Richardson on Web 2.0 at the Discovery Educator Network Midwest Summer Institute in Chicago - MP3 Format - (90:00 minutes)

You can also listen to The Speaking of History podcast through My Odeo Channel

Podcast #30 Show Notes:

• Will Richardson
• Will Richardson presentation wiki
• One Red Paper Clip Blog
• Flickr
• MIT Open Course Ware
• South African Wiki Curriculum
• Think Free - free web space
• 43 Things
• Bering Strait Student Podcast from Alaska

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Snapshots of the 2006 Discovery Educator Network Midwest Regional Institute in Chicago

Hello. Having a great time in the Windy City again today. Will Richardson shared his views on the role and potential of Web 2.0 tools in education today. The picture to the left is a collection of crazy educational bloggers and podcasters - Steve Dembo, Will Richardson and myself.

This evening our group went to Giordano's for their famous Chicago style stuffed pizza. Several of us then walked over to the Sears Tower for some sightseeing. We actually got there at the perfect time - no crowd at all and when we reached the observation deck we had time to view the city in the remaining moments of daylight and then witnessed the sun setting over the western edge of the city. I've been taking pictures throughout some of the activities and since Will showed us some cool features of Flickr today I thought I would post some of the ones I really like from the last couple of days. Nothing like sharing all your vacation pictures!

Link to view my picture from the DEN Midwest Regional Institute using Flickr.

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Podcast #29 - DEN Midwest Regional Summer Institute - Digital Storytelling with Hall Davidson - Part A and B

The Discovery Educator Network Midwest Summer Institute in Chicago got off to a bang with a presentation by Hall Davidson on digital storytelling. Hall set the tone for the week of creating media by showing us some great examples of how we can help empower our students to become active producers of media rather than just passive consumers. The presentation has been divided into two podcasts for the case of length - part A and part B.

Participants were treated to a great Chicago style BBQ and we all became more aquainted with the other great teachers we will be working with for the next several days. The excitement level is high, the facility here at the University Center is tremendous and the buzz in the room tells me that we will be doing some amazing things.

I edited this podcast on Sunday night as a thunderstorm rolled into the Chicago area. It was quite a sight as the sky lit up around the downtown skyline and the outline of the majestic buildings. I still can't get over the view from my window. I grew up in a small Nebraska town of around 600 people so the sight of Sears Tower, which I visited once on vacation as a child, is still pretty cool.

Time to get to bed and get ready for day two. Stay tuned for more from Chicago.

Direct link to Podcast #29A - Hall Davidson - Digital Storytelling - Discovery Educator Midwest Regional Summer Institute - MP3 format - 42:20 minutes

Direct link to Podcast #29B - Hall Davidson - Digital Storytelling - Discovery Educator Midwest Regional Summer Institute - MP3 format - 66:30 minutes

You can also listen to The Speaking of History podcast through My Odeo Channel

Podcast #29 Shownotes:

• Hall Davidson Site - handouts and more information
• Discovery Educator Network
  
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Discovery Educator Network - Midwest Institute in Chicago Starts

Hello from downtown Chicago. Just checked into University Center in Chicago for the DEN Midwest Institute where about 50 educators and DEN coordinators will be exploring various types of new media and web 2.0 tools - podcasting, video editing, audio editing, blogging, etc. It should be an AWESOME time and own of my goals for the next couple of days is to capture as much of the excitement as possible in the form of pictures, podcasts and blog entries.

I just got settled into my room and we'll start introductions and the night's activities later, wanted to share the view from my room - the Sears Tower with a little cloud cover. What a view! Check back often the in next couple of days for posts and details. Tonight we have Hall Davidson giving a presentation on digital storytelling and I can't wait to meet him in person for the first time.


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Podcast #28 - Random Thoughts - Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards, NECC, Grad Class and Travel

Hello. Hard to believe that it is almost the end of June! Many of my most recent podcasts have been theme based - an interview, a project, etc. This podcast is an informal update on some of the things I've been doing this summer. The sound quality is not the best since it was recorded in the car but I hope you can hear it. I discuss the recent Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards, upcoming DEN Regional Institute in Chicago, NECC in San Diego and a couple of graduate classes that I am currently teaching.

If you would like to share your summer plans or are attending any of the same events that I will be and would like to say hello please drop me a line at speakingofhistory@gmail.com or leave a comment.

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #28 - Random Thoughts, Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards, NECC 2006, Grad Classes and Travel - MP3 Format (23:45 minutes)

Podcast #28 Show Notes:

• Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards
• NECC 2006 Convention in San Diego
• Discovery Education Network - Missouri and Kansas Blog
• GEON - Geographic Educators of Nebraska

Podcast #27 - History Hits the Road - Tips for Visiting Washington DC

Hello from our nation's capital. Today's podcast is recorded at a hotel just a couple of blocks from the Capitol in Washington DC. My wife and I are in DC on vacation, along with a little business, and tonight we discuss some tips for making your stay in this wonderful city enjoyable. This podcast is special because my supportive wife joins the podcast for the first time as we share our tips. We have been recording various interviews on our stay in the Washington DC area and will publish these in future episodes.

If you have any questions or comments please e-mail us at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct link to Podcast #27 - Tips for Planning Your Visit to Washington DC - MP3 Format (17 minutes)

My Odeo Channel (odeo/10be1ce8d12b1cda)

Podcast #26 - Jesse James Gang Bank Robbery Re-enactment at Liberty, Missouri

Hello. Today I have a podcast with content from our local "Spring on the Square" festival here in Liberty, Missouri. Liberty is the county seat for Clay County and we have a historic town square with the old courthouse in the middle and many historic buildings downtown. Each May the community has a celebration on the square that includes games for kids, craft tents, games, food, etc. On one corner of the square sits a historic bank. On February 13, 1866 a group of local men (thought to be the Jesse James Gang but it is still debated today whether or not Jesse James was present since he might have been at home nursing an injury) robbed the bank and took off with $60,000 in the first daylight bank robbery in the United States. A local teenager was shot and killed as the men escaped. Each year during Spring on the Square a local group of re-enacters and their horses play out the events of the robbery at the site of the bank which is now a musuem.

I recorded the audio narration of event and have included some photographs from the re-enactment. I do hope to devote an entire podcast later this summer on the Jesse James Bank Museum here in Liberty.

If you have any questions or comments please e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com It is always great to hear from listeners. Since November of 2005 we have had visitors from 83 different countries at this site. I welcome any feedback you may have about the show.

Direct link to Podcast #26 - Jesse James Gang Bank Robbery Re-enactment at Liberty, Missouri - MP3 format (10:17 minutes)

Podcast #26 Shownotes:

• Jesse James biography on Wikipedia
• James Bank Museum
• Liberty's Spring on the Square Festival

Podcast #25 - Students Dramatic Reading of "Runagate" - A Poem on The Underground Railroad

Hello. School is almost done for the year and tonight I want to post an awesome example of what students can do in terms of content for a podcast. Two of my 8th grade American History students - Jonathan and Alex - came to me a couple of weeks ago while we were studying the Underground Railroad and told me they had performed a dramatic reading of the Robert Hayden poem "Runagate" - a poem which portrays an escape by a runaway slave - for a speech contest. I asked if we could record it for the podcast and they allowed to me tape their reading of the poem. The rhythm and pace of the reading attempt to capture the frantic pace of a runaway slave.

Thanks so much to Jonathan and Alex for allowing me to record and post their work. Podcasting student produced content is a powerful tool and I hope to include more student created work such as this next year.

If you have any questions or comments please contact me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct link to Podcast #25 - Students Dramatic Reading of "Runagate" - A Poem on The Underground Railroad - MP3 format (7:30 minutes)

Show Notes for Podcast #25

• Text of the poem "Runagate" by Robert Hayden
• Biography of poet Robert Hayden

Podcast #24 - The National World War I Museum - Liberty Memorial in Kansas City - Interview with James Barkley

Hello. It has been a while since my last podcast - always gets a little hectic as the school year winds down. I have been working on several episodes now it is just a matter of editing the interviews and content to create the final podcast. A couple of weeks ago I paid a visit to the Liberty Memorial World War I Museum in Kansas City. The Liberty Memorial is currently in the final stages of a huge renovation. The Liberty Memorial has been recognized by Congress as the official World War I museum in the United States. In the fall of 2006 the museum will open with a dramatic addition to the already impressive display on World War I. I sat down and interviewed Mr. James Barkly, the Education Program Coordinator of the Liberty Memorial (e-mail: jbarkley@lmakc.org) . If you teach American History in the Kansas City area you should really try to organize a field trip to the museum. If you teach World War in any other part of the world please contact James Barkley for a CD collection of lesson plans that you can incorporate into your curriculum. In addition to the interview, I also took photographs of the existing museum and created a short 3 minute slideshow using PhotoStory 3. To gain a perspective of the museum view the slideshow for images from inside and outside.

I always welcome any new ideas or comments about the show at speakingofhistory@gmail.com Let me know what you think of the new intro theme I recently put together or give me an idea for a future show topic. If you have a couple of extra seconds please click on the ad links at the top of the page - I get a couple of cents each time someone clicks to view an ad. Over the last 5 months I have earned a total of $23 but don't get paid until I reach $100. I'm hoping to earn the $100 by the end of the summer so that I can buy a new professional microphone for the podcast studio I have in my basement - actually a corner of the laundry room where I record my show. You don't have to buy anything, just click on the ad.

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast Show #24 - The National World War I Museum - Liberty Memorial in Kansas City - An Interview with James Barkley

Show Notes:

• Liberty Memorial Museum in Kansas City Official Site - The National World War I Museum
• Liberty Memorial Education Page - link to Lessons of Liberty Curriculum
• Article about the Liberty Memorial from Online Preservation Magainze - June 7, 2002
• Description of the award winning interactive kiosks at the Liberty Memorial Video
• Virtual Tour of the Liberty Memorial Museum
• slideshow of the Liberty Memorial (3:34 minutes) - created with PhotoStory3 - Windows Media Video file