How to make a podcast at your local library.

Rodney Libraries has free internet, you've written a poem and you want to record a podcast. So how do you go about it?

After you've signed in and are sitting in front of your computer, the first thing you need to do is to record your poem. To do this you need to go into the start menu (the big green button in the left hand corner), go to the programme menu and then click on the programme called 'Audacity'.

After clicking on Audacity, you are ready to go. To record, click on the button with the red circle on it. Make sure you have the headphone and microphone on. To stop recording, click on the yellow square. To listen press the green triangle button. If you've made a mistake you can push undo (located in the edit menu).

When that is completed, go to the file menu and chose 'export as an MP3'. Give it a name and click save. You will get another box come up but you don't need to fill this out unless you want to.

The next step is to send it to us. To do this, just open your email programme (like gmail or hotmail) and attach the file to the email. The file can be found in the my documents folder. There is a shortcut on the desktop. Tell us your name and details and send it to rodneylibraries@yahoo.com.au

Congratulations - you've entered the competition!

Opening this website at your local library.

Our website can be accessed on any computer! However if you are coming in to use the ones at your local library, please open our site in the Firefox browser.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, MP3's will not open correctly in Internet Explorer. If you are uncertain of how to find Firefox, please contact your librarian and he or she will be happy to help.

Rodney Libraries Podcast Poetry competition for Years 4-13

As part of the activities surrounding Montana Poetry Day Rodney Libraries is running a poetry competition for Year 4 -13. Poetry shouldn’t stay on the page – it needs to be shared and read aloud. Podcasting poetry gives children and teens the opportunity to share their creativity with others around Rodney District and New Zealand.

Write your poem and then record it. The poem can either be emailed as an attachment or hosted on the internet and the link included in the email entry.

There are two categories: Year 4 – 8; Year 9 – 13.

How to enter
All entries are via email to rodneylibraries@yahoo.com.au and must have the following information included:
§ Name of author
§ Library card number (if known)
§ Contact details – address and phone number
§ School and Year
§ Link to podcast or attached file

Competition runs from the 1st to the 30th of June 2009. The last day for entries is Friday the 30th of June 2009. Winners will be notified on the 24th of July 2009.

Helpful stuff...

What is a podcast?
An audio file you create in .mp3 format for yourself or others to listen to. Podcasts are mainly listened to on MP3 Players such as an IPod.

What you will need:
A computer, A microphone, Something to say, A programme to record it in (Eg. Sound recorder or a free download like Audacity)

What you will do:
Load your chosen sound recording program on your computer. Remember to have the microphone plugged in! A good time to do it is when it is quiet otherwise you will have lots of noise in the background and whatever you are trying to record may be lost.

Save your recording in .mp3 format. If your programme cannot save in that format, you can save it as a .wav file. Warning, if you do save it in a .wav format, you will need to use another programme like Audacity or itunes to change it into .mp3 format.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Need an example of podcasting? Check out the following links:
Amherst Podcasting - Contains poetry, reviews and all sorts. The podcast is done movie style.
Mount Street - Infant and Nursery School.
CLPE Poetry Award - Includes inviews with Michael Rosen (author and poet).
Poems by Robert Pottle.
Poems by Kenn Nesbitt.

Need some tips on Poetry? Check out these links:
Fern's poetry club.
Scholatic Books poetry section.
Poetry writing for children.
Giggle poetry.

Terms and Conditions...

Either click here to hear our podcast of the terms and conditions or please continue on to read the written version:

1. Entries are open to any Year 4 - Year 13 student currently enrolled in a Rodney District school OR verifiable home-schooling equivalent OR any Year 4 - Year 13 student resident in Rodney and attending a school outside of the district.
2. The poem must be the original, unpublished work of the entrant. They must be exclusive to this competition. Entrants may submit more than one poem.
3. Poems should be submitted electronically via email. The following information must be included
§ Name of author
§ Library card number (if known)
§ Contact details – address and phone number
§ School and Year
§ Link to podcast or attached file
4. Poems submitted to the competition are licensed to Rodney Libraries under Creative Commons license Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 New Zealand. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/nz/legalcode
5. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
6. The poem can be about anything however there must not be any swear words or offensive situations. The Library reserves right not to post poems deemed inappropriate.
7. Prizes include an MP3 player for the overall winner; USB memory sticks for the category winners, Year 4 – 8 and Year 9 – 13. The Library reserves the right not to award prizes.