Audacity--As Easy as ABC

Click on the link below to download Audacity.  Note that if you download Audacity on a computer with Vista or Windows 7 operating system, you will need to download the new Beta version.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Click on the file below to see step-by-step directions for downloading Audacity.





Recording with Audacity

The following directions will explain how to make an audio recording using Audacity.

Adding a Music Background to a Recording

The following video explains how to add a music background to an audio recording in Audacity.



Saving Audacity Files

This brief video explains how to save Audacity files in different formats.



Ways to Use Audacity

There are many different ways that Audacity can be used in the classroom. 

• Students can record stories that they have written and then publish them for others to enjoy.
• Create radio spots that are service announcements for the school or district.
• Students in foreign language classes can record their voices to hear how well they are speaking the language.
• Students can record speeches or debates.  Our high school students competed in a "Voice of Democracy" speech contest and used Audacity to make the recordings.
• Create podcasts for a variety of reasons:  book reviews, poetry recitations, reports, etc.
• Record the commentary for PowerPoint presentations.  For example, a TechSteps project on digital storytelling requires students to bring in pictures or other artifacts and then narrate a story to go along with the artifacts.
• Record a class lecture for students who are absent.
• Record a song or musical selection to use as the background music in a multimedia presentation.
• Record a guest speaker's presentation if he/she has given permission, and then post the speech for people who were not able to attend.
• Record news announcements for parents and post them on Edline or another place that parents can check.