Primary Access Tour
Student Tool
A digital documentary combines text and images with a narration in the student’s own voice to form a short digital movie. Primary Access is a web-based tool designed to facilitate digital documentary making accessed at:
http://www.primaryaccess.org
The program can be explored through a guest login by selecting the option labeled: Make Movies
This option launches Primary Access.
Note: If you would like to create a permanent teacher account or student account that can be used to save work, the directions for creating accounts are at this URL:
http://www.primaryaccess.org/teacher/
Start
When students enter Primary Access, they are greeted with a start screen that may contain general information or specific directions from the teacher. It is possible to log in if an account has been assigned by the teacher, or explore through a guest login if an account has not been assigned.
Write
The next tab is labeled Script. This provides a space for the student to write their documentary. If the student chooses, they may also create the documentary in an external word processor, and paste it into the Primary Access text editor.
You will notice there is a Save button on this page. This is where you save your work. It is important to come back to this tab and save your work often throughout the project. Work may be saved as Version 1, 2, 3 or Published. The teacher should indicate to students which version under they should be saving. This will enable the teacher to look at each account later and leave comments under the appropriate version.
Find Images
After the student has created a draft script, the next task is to find images to accompany this task. The Find tab allows the student to find these images. Primary Access allows the teacher to create a set of images for an activity that loads when the student logs into the application. Students may also search for images in the Primary Access database by clicking Options (in the Find tab) and choosing “Load tagged pix.” A box will pop up asking the student to type in tags under which the images may be found. These images will appear under those images already loaded into the Find tab.
Adding Images to a Project Folder
Each image listed on the Find screen has a checkbox beside its title. Click the checkbox to the left of the title to view the image. When the image is displayed, an “Add to Folder” button can be found in lower right-hand corner of the Find screen. Select this option to add the picture to the project folder for the current documentary.
My Folder
The tab labeled My Folder servers as a project folder that contains the images that the student has selected. It also allows the student to rearrange the images in different orders, serving as an extemporaneous storyboarding tool.
Adding an Image to the Documentary
The Write tab has two columns: (1) the right-hand column provides a word processor for creation of the documentary script, and (2) the left-hand column provides a space for placement of images beside the text. To add an image to the documentary:
- Select the Write and My Folder tabs so that both are simultaneously displayed (one on each side of the screen).
- Drag an image from the My Folder project screen to the column to the left of the draft text in the word processor.
The first image will click into place at the top of the column at the left of the text as it is dragged into place from the resources folder on the right-hand side of the screen. Subsequent images can be placed at the desired location beside the text with which they are associated.
The placement of images in the column can also be rearranged. After images are placed to the left of the text in the word processor, they can be moved up or down to fine tune the portion of the script for which the image will be displayed when the movie is played. (Note that the words associated with each image are highlighted in red as the image is moved up or down.)
Removing an Image from the Documentary
To remove an image from the documentary, drag it back into the My Folder space. This will remove it from the documentary.
View
To view the digital movie, select the View tab. Then press the green Play button in the center of the screen. (Select the “Full Screen” checkbox to play the movie in the full-screen mode.)
Set Titles
When an image is displayed in the View screen, the “Set Titles” option (in the lower-left corner beneath the picture) allows a title to be added. This option allows the font, size, and color of the text of the title to be adjusted.
When text for a title is entered, it initially appears in the middle of the picture. Place the cursor to the left-hand side of the title and press the Return key on the keyboard to move the title down the screen. Similarly, the Backspace key can be used to move a line of text up the screen.
The amount of time that the title appears on the screen can be adjusted through a slider bar at the bottom of the titling screen. (The default time is 5 seconds.) The titling screen also provides a Slow, Normal, or Fast fadeout adjustment.
When the title text has been adjusted and formatted, select the Done button to return to the main View screen.
Set Motion
Primary Access provides a Ken-Burns effect generator that permits controlled pans and zooms as the image is shown. Select the “Set Motion” button (to the left of the Play button on the View screen) to set a controlled pan or zoom across the selected image.
A yellow bounding box is used to indicate the start and end points of the pan or zoom. The size of the bounding box can be adjusted by dragging the lower right-hand corner to adjust its size. The bounding box height to width maintains the constant 3:4 aspect ratio employed in television pictures.
The bounding box position can be adjusted on the screen by placing the cursor on the yellow cross in the center and dragging it to the desired position.
Follow these four steps to create a motion effect in an image.
- Select the Start thumbnail image in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.
(The word “Start” in the lower left-hand corner should be highlighted in red.)
- Adjust the size and position of the yellow bounding box to establish the starting point for the motion effect.
- Select the End thumbnail image in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.
(The word “End” in the lower right-hand corner should be highlighted in red.)
- Adjust the size and position of the yellow bounding box to establish the ending point for the motion effect.
Note: it is important to keep the yellow bounding box within the frame of the picture. If the bounding box extends beyond the frame of the picture, the blank screen enclosed by the bounding box will be incorporated into the pan or zoom.
Press the green Play button in the center of the screen to see the effect of the pan or zoom for the selected image. Once the motion effect is satisfactorily established, select the Done button (to the left of the Play button) to return to the main View screen.
Narration
At this point a silent movie has been created. The next step in the digital documentary making process is to add a narration in the student’s own voice. To record, a microphone must be connected to the audio input of the computer. A usable microphone can be obtained for ten to twenty dollars from a local electronics store (such as Radio Shack, Circuit City, or Best Buy). You can either use the internal Primary Access audio recorder or an external program such as Audacity to record the narration.
External Recording Option
The script can be recorded in any audio recording program. Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net) is a popular open source program that is frequently used for this purpose. Audacity provides considerable flexibility in editing that makes it possible to remove extraneous noises and glitches in the sound recording. It also allows sentences from several takes to be combined in a final version.
The file must be saved as an MP3 file when it is finished. Audacity requires an external MP3 encoder for this purpose. Directions for downloading and installing this encoder are provided on the Audacity web site (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=install&item=lame-mp3).
Windows also provides a simple Sound Recorder program that can be used for this purpose. This program is found in the Accessories folder of the Start Menu, in the Entertainment subfolder. The Windows Sound Recorder saves in a .wav format. Therefore a freeware program such as Switch (http://www.nch.com.au/switch) to convert the audio file to MP3 format will be required if the Sound Recorder is used.
Once the MP3 audio file is saved on the local computer, it must be transferred to a web server, such as the school or district server. After the MP3 narration has been transferred to this server, enter the web address of the MP3 in a web browser to verify that it plays satisfactorily. Once this has been verified, the URL for the web address of the audio file can be linked to the digital documentary.
To link the narration stored in an external audio file to the documentary, select the Option button at the bottom of the Narration window. Select the “Add MP3 Narrate” option on the submenu to add the recording to the movie.
Then click the Play button at the lower left-hand corner of the Narration window to verify that the linked audio file is working satisfactorily. Note: Set the Narration audio level in the View window to 100% initially, and then adjust the volume to the desired level of intensity.
The final step is to adjust the length of the movie to the length of the audio track so that then end of the movie and the end of the narration coincide. The rate slider bar at the bottom of the Narration window can adjust the speed at which the movie plays so that it matches the rate (in words per minute) at which the reader narrated the accompanying text:
This adjustment also may be made automatically through the Auto-time feature accessed at the bottom of the Narration tab.
This feature calculates the length of the audio narration and adjusts the movie so that it plays for the same amount of time. The Auto-time feature is useful for setting the initial length of the movie. This rate can then be fine tuned through the rate slide bar at the bottom of the Narration window.
Internal Recording Option
An external audio recorder provides a great deal of flexibility and offers an optimal solution. However, it also requires installation of an audio recorder on a local computer, and the ability to transfer the MP3 file to a local web server. Schools are increasingly restricting installation of software (such as audio recording software) on local computers. They also are increasingly adding layers of administrative approval for use of school web servers.
We would recommend a discussion with the local technology coordinator or administrator to gain the increased flexibility available through the local recording option. However, an internal recording option has also been incorporated into Primary Access for those teachers or schools for which external audio recording capability may not be an option.
Before recording any narration, students will need to approximate the number of words they read per minute. In order to do this, click the Time button. This will give the student a brief script to read, after a brief countdown. It is important that students read at a steady, clear rate. Once they have read the text on the screen, they will click “Stop time.” The WPM slider will then be set to an approximate rate of speech, which may be altered at any time during the movie making process.
To access the internal recording option, select the Option button at the bottom of the Narration screen, and choose the Record Narration option from the menu.
This will load an audio recording applet. The internal recording applet is written in Java; if Java is not already installed on the host computer, it can be downloaded (http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp) from the Java site. The internal audio recording applet has the conventional recording options: a red recording button to start the recording, a square blue stop button to stop recording, and a triangular play button.
Begin by pressing the red recording button and record a test phrase:
1. Check levels by doing a test record (the red button)
2. Play it back to check it. (the triangle button)
3. The Erase Last section item will erase the last section you recorded.
A sound level bar will register green when the record level is correctly adjusted.
Troubleshooting tips: If the recording level is too loud, the sound level bar will register in the red. In that case, either (a) decrease the microphone input level, (b) move further away from the microphone, or (c) speak more softly. If the recording level is too low, the sound level bar will register in the blue. In that instance, either (a) increase the microphone input level, (b) move closer to the microphone, or (c) speak more loudly. If the sound level indicator does not register at all, check to make sure that the microphone is connected to the microphone input jack of the computer.
Once you have verified that the audio recorder and microphone are working properly, you are ready to record the narration. You can either print out the script or read it on the screen. If you read it on the screen, the text will be scrolled up in the display window as the narrator reads it. (The speed of the scroll can be controlled by a rate slider control at the bottom of the screen.) The narrator should select the recording method that is most comfortable. In either case, three steps are involved.
1. Record your narration (the red button)
2. Stop recording (the square button)
3. Play it back to check it. (the triangle button)
4. If the student wishes to re-record the narration, click the Erase button and start over.
You can record the script and play it back as many times as you like. Once the narration is satisfactorily recorded, the next step is to send the recording to the central Primary Access server:
1. Click the "Send" button in the audio recorder and wait until
the audio file is transmitted to the server
2. Click the "Play" button beneath the text of the Narration screen to hear the audio.
After the audio file has been transmitted to the central Primary Access server, there sometimes is a 15 or 20 second processing delay, depending upon the server load.
Troubleshooting tips: Be sure that the Narration volume level slider in the lower left-hand corner of the View screen is set to 100% (i.e., maximum loudness). Also, be sure that your computer speakers are turned on.
Adding a Music Track
A second sound track is available for a musical accompaniment. A local MP3 music file can be uploaded by selecting this choice on the submenu that appears when the Options button at the bottom of the Narration screen is selected. Alternatively, a music track can be recorded in much the same way as the voice narration can be captured by using the Primary Access internal audio recording module.
In either case, once a music track is added, it can be played together with the narrator’s voiceover as the digital movie is played. A music sound level bar at the bottom right-hand corner of the View screen allows the music level to be controlled independently of the narration track.
It is important to only use non-copyrighted music in the sound track. The Library of Congress (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/) site is a good source of non-copyrighted music that can be legally used for musical accompaniment. Local and regional artists are sometimes willing to permit their creations to be used for educational applications as well. This also offers an opportunity for an audience for original student compositions.
Saving, Loading, and Sharing
Once you have completed a draft version of the documentary, it is a good idea to save it. The Save option is found under the Save button in the lower right-hand corner of the window accessed through the Write tab.
Primary Access provides the student with the opportunity to save three different draft versions (labeled “Version 1,” “Version 2,” and “Version 3”). This permits the student to explore different variations of a documentary, as well as the teacher to leave comments at each stage.
Loading the Documentary
A student can continue to revise and work on a documentary at any point. The Load option is found under the Load button in the lower left-hand corner of the screen accessed through the Write tab.
This option permits the student to load any of the three draft versions or the final version of a documentary, continuing to revise the documentary. A student might, for example, begin work on a documentary in school. Later they might continue to work on the documentary from a terminal in the public library, and then complete the documentary by working at a friend’s house or at home later in the evening. The ability to load the current documentary and continue working on it from any terminal with Internet access is one of the most important features of Primary Access.
Sharing the Documentary
When the student completes and saves the Final version of the documentary, a documentary number is generated. This number is found at the bottom of the Start page:
http://www.primaryaccess.org/show.php?id=421
This web link (URL) can be posted on a web site or sent to a colleague via e-mail.
Important Note
To minimize the amount of work that might be lost in a session, Primary Access automatically saves the documentary every five minutes.
It is important to note that refreshing the web browser resets Primary Access to the starting login screen (i.e., the initial starting point). If this inadvertently occurs, the most recent version of the documentary can be reloaded.
There is also an Undo feature found under the Load button. The Undo feature allows the previous saved version of the documentary to be reloaded.
Last updated 12/10/07
