Digital Storytelling: Technical Resources

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Below are some resources on how to use Audacity (an audio program), Video Download helper to save videos to your computer and upload them to YouTube.

This article is divided into different sections. Please click on the desired link to jump to that section:

Go to your start menu, and search for sound recorder
Click Start Recording (circled in yellow below) when you are ready to begin your narration
- Note: We suggest you watch your digital story while reading your script to pace yourself
When you are satisfied with your recording, you can save it to your computer

First, download Audacity from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
To record narration on audacity, choose Transport (as shown below circled in yellow) and click Record
Begin your narration, and when you are finished speaking, click the STOP icon
You may then choose File and save your project to your computer, or you can continue to edit your recording and add effects to it
To “trim” the recording, drag the dark gray region to where you want the recording to begin (red arrow below) and end (pink arrow below.) Next, click C to hear one second of audio before and after the selection to be sure the edits sound natural. Then, click trim icon (yellow circle below) to get rid of the excess recorded material.
Add “effects” to your recording by clicking the Effect dropdown (as circled in yellow below.) This is where you can change the pitch of your voice, change the speed, make it echo, and much more!
If you choose “compressor” under effects, you can level out the volume of your recording. Be sure to check off Make-up gain for O dB after compressing and Compress based on Peaks, and click OK (as shown below.)

An add-on called Video DownloadHelper can be used with to save most videos to your computer. This add-on only works with Mozilla Firefox.

The link to the download is: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/video-downloadhelper/
Click on Add to Firefox to use as an add-on
Once the Video DownloadHelper is downloaded, you will have this icon on your browser. When you come across a video, you can click it to download the video. You must be using Mozilla Firefox to use this icon.
- For example, I can download a scientific method video with from http://blip.tv by clicking the icons dropdown, and choosing “The_Scientific_Method_of_Oz_Reel_Science_on_Blip.mp4.”
The download will automatically begin
You can do the same thing with YouTube as shown below
These videos can now be uploaded on digital storytelling tools, like Windows Live Movie Maker

Copy the URL of the YouTube video you would like to include
Then, go to http://keepvid.com/
Paste the URL into the box, (as shown in yellow below) and click DOWNLOAD red arrow
Click Download MP4 and then click Save (circled in yellow below.) Choose where you would like to save this video.