Multimedia Seeds: Course Materials: Course Guide

In addition to selecting, organizing, and maintaining collections of audio and video resources, many libraries today are involved in developing and producing digital audio and video materials. This section of the course is designed to provide a broad overview of that arena, followed by the assignment of the second project, the Collection Production Project. Begin by reading the following sections at Multimedia Seeds:

Project #2: Collection Production Project
(20 Points Possible)

Before jumping into this project, explore the materials in the Collection Production section of the course.

Develop your own audio and/or video production(s). You may do this independently or with another student or interested patrons. The final product must be in a digital format and shared on the web. You can do video, audio, or both. All projects must be shared on the web. Your finished product should be one that was developed for and useful in a library setting.

Your project may be an informational, instructional, educational, or entertainment product. For instance, you might develop a "how-to" page on a topic for an industrial technology, art, or home economics class. Then, use short audio or video clips to illustrate procedures. OR, you might develop a virtual field trip or library orientation video. Another option is to create a series of short videos or audios such as 30 second book blurbs as part of a library blog.

This project should be substantial. In other words, rather than a 30 second video introduction to family history, your project might include three short videos: a promotional video to encourage people to participate in the family history weekend program, an introduction to family history resources in the library, and a tutorial on using the family history subscription database.

Go to Project 2 Examples to see a list of examples from previous classes.

Video. The videos can be produced in many ways. You could use your still camera to record 30 second to three minute videos. Or, you could use a tool such as PhotoStory to combine still pictures with audio narration using a microphone hooked to your computer. The topics are endless. You could develop a documentary on war vets or the history of a local church, a "how-to" video on frog dissection or gardening, or a virtual field trip to a local park or museum. You could also do a school or community television program. Do NOT simply record a school play, sporting event, or other activity. The project must include organization and analysis.

Audio. If you choose audio, you may wish to combine it with print materials, photographs, or other materials. For example, you might narrate a center tour or ask students to record their poems and draw matching pictures. If you develop a "audiobook", it should be an original work rather than a book from your library.

We strongly recommend that you use the free, open source software tool Audacity for audio recording and editing. This tool is VERY easy to use. The directions are very clear.

Web Sharing. There are many ways you can share your video or audio productions on the web.

First, you need to locate a place to upload and save your video on the web. If you develop a project for the web, consider using a free web service such as YouTube, SchoolTube, or TeacherTube to share your project.

Second, you must create a web page where you can link to or embed the video. This page must provide background information about the project (i.e., your production plan) as well as a context for your project (i.e., an introduction to your media, how it might be used). For instance if you were doing a book review blog you might include a picture of the book cover, a description of the book, then a link to the audio you recorded.

Choose ONE of the following three options:

(1) Build a web page using a tool such as Google Sites or your own web service.
(2) Share your video as part of a podcast or videocast on a blog. For instance, you might use a free tool such as Blogger, Edublogs, or Wordpress.
(3) Create a wiki using a free tool such as wikispaces or pbworks.

Third, you can either link to the media files stored in another service such as YouTube, embed the media files by copying the code from a service such as YouTube, or upload and link to the media files directly to your blog service.

Special Notes
* Be sure that you have permission to use any of the materials that you post. For example, you need permission to record musical events or sporting events. Discuss sources and copyright issues for music, content, images etc. (elements used from other sources). Include that statement either within the materials produced or in the planning / project report doucment. Porvide a bibliographic citation and explanation of each use.

* An audio or video project can be daunting for some people. You may team with another student in the class for this project. However if you choose this option, your project should be greater in scope or "twice" the size of a regular project.

Requirements (Project 2 - Collection Production: 20 Total Points Possible)
* Planning / Production Report on a webpage for Project2 (Need, purpose, setting, audience, description / overview) (3 Points)
- - - introduce and explain the project
- - - describe the setting (location)
- - - identify the intended audience (age and/or grade level of primary users
- - - explain the need, purpose (why is this needed, what is it for?)
- - - why audio / video (media formats that are focus of this course)
* Include a reflection section within your project documents. Tell about the processes that you used, the experiences gained, what worked and did not work, and what you would do differently. (2 Points)
* Context Web Page (Introduction to your audio / video component) (1 Points)
* Content logically detailed and presented (2 Points)
* Technical aspects: quality of audio/video, image, effects, etc. (6 Points)
* Content appropriateness and scope of the audio/video components (2 Points)
* Layout and design of components; i.e., professional and attractive appearance, logical structure, etc. (2 Points)
* Completion of the Peer Review Process (2 Points)

Project Review
You are responsible for conducting peer reviews. First, provide suggestions for at least two other class members before their projects are posted. Second, provide feedback for at least two different students after the projects have been posted. The cohort group forums are the most efficient way to conduct this sharing activity.

Project Sharing / Submission
Keep in mind that this project should be developed for the global audience, not just for your instructor. Sharing is an important part of this learning. You should share your projects and get feedback from classmates before submitting the final version to your instructor. Classmates can help find errors, missing elements, and provide valuable formative feedback. By reading and viewing the projects of others, you often gain ideas and insights that improve and enhance your own work. Remember this is not a competition; all projects are graded with the same checklist.

When you're ready to share, be sure to write a short narrative describing the reason you chose to create this project and how it fits with your interests as well as the needs of your patrons or students. Include your narrative along with the web address (URL) of your project in a message to the Oncourse Discussion Area.

You are ready to move on to the final section of the course: Course Guide 4: Collection Use.

Course Materials: Course Guide 3: Collection Production