Announcements for 12/3

December 4, 2009 at 8:58 PM | In Announcements, Assignments, Helpful Tips, Multimedia | Leave a Comment
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To help you keep track of what’s going on in HIST348, here are some announcements and further clarification about what we’ll be doing in this next week.

DIGITAL NARRATIVE

- All the text elements (cover page, script, bibliography, and slide list) must be uploaded to Blackboard’s SafeAssign box in one file BEFORE 4:00pm on Tuesday, December 8th. Go to “Assignments,” then hit “View/Complete” under “Final Digital Narrative.”  Only send this through email if you absolutely cannot get Blackboard to cooperate.

- The text elements and CD must be submitted in a manila envelope that has your name clearly printed on the outside.  If you do not do so, I am not responsible for lost materials.

- If you put your narrative on YouTube (which all of you should do unless you are using sources that are under copyright) include the URL on your script or cover page.  Any images found online should be fair game, but if you did research at Spencer those images are not cleared for “publication” on YouTube.

- MAC USERS: The help menu in iMovie includes instructions for how to upload to YouTube and how to burn to DVD.  Click on “Help,” then “iMovie Help,” then “Sharing your video project” to get detailed directions.  This can take a while, so be prepared to wait.

- Burn your narrative to CD or DVD as well, since you will want to cover all your bases.  Be sure to put your name on the actual disk, not just the CD case/envelope.  The PC instructions for this are on the main page of the course webpage; Mac users, use the help feature in iMovie to help you do this.

- Leave yourself plenty of time to record your voiceover (at least an hour).  The EGARC lab on the 4th floor of Wescoe has microphones and recording booths that are available to students (these all have Audacity installed).  You’ll be reading your script exactly as it is written, minus the footnotes of course.

-  It would be wise to save several takes so you don’t have to go back and re-record your narration if something isn’t quite right.  I don’t expect these to be professional quality voiceovers, but there shouldn’t be a lot of background noise, coughing sounds/clearing throats, loud static, etc.  I need to be able to understand what you are saying, so enunciate and don’t talk too quickly or too slowly.

- There will be a no-tolerance late policy for this final assignment. All late assignments (and that includes late Blackboard submissions too) will receive a 0.  There are no exceptions; this ensures that students’ final grades can be posted promptly instead of me waiting around for late papers.  Don’t upload your work at the last minute and risk having your project receive a 0 for being late!

GRADING UPDATE

- My goal is to return discussion questions, book reviews, and extra credit assignments on Tuesday.  If that doesn’t happen, you will at least receive them by our last class period, on Thursday December 10th.

- Comments on the last round of blog posts will be distributed via email.

Announcements for 10/27

October 27, 2009 at 1:27 PM | In Announcements, Helpful Tips | Leave a Comment
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1.  For the digital narrative assignment, you should check out an easy-to-use audio recording program called Audacity that you can download for free.  It is available for both Macs and PCs.  You’ll save your file as an Audacity file (.aup file), and then when you are ready to add it to Movie Maker or iMovie you can export it as an .mp3 file, then import that file into your movie program.  Students in my other Kansas history course had a lot of success using this program.

2.  As you consider how you will record your voice over, there are a few options for locating a microphone.  The 4th floor Wescoe computer lab in the EGARC includes microphones and Audacity on those public computers.  Or, I have two microphones and you can make an appointment to come to my office and record your narrative there (students will not be able to take my mics home).  Another option is to purchase an inexpensive mic from Amazon.  With tax and shipping this one will cost just under $7.  The sound quality on this microphone is more than adequate for our assignment, but as with any mic, try not to touch it while you are recording because that will lead to shuffling and scratching sounds.

3.  To keep the recording process simple, practice reading your narrative aloud before you record.  You could also consider reading it to a friend.  The more you rehearse, the fewer times you will have to re-record your voice over.

4.  As you revise your script, pay attention to details.  The requirements for the assignment are not arbitrary rules; each one has a rationale behind it, and you’ll want to demonstrate that you can follow directions.  This is a skill that employers will look favorably upon when you begin your professional career.  Be particularly careful about including citations that are properly formatted and that refer to a specific page number; to not include accurate footnote citations (even for summary sections) is a form of plagiarism.

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