This week and next we will be working on producing radio shows. The shows will be broadcast on ds106radio after Spring break.

Group Radio Show Guidelines

The radio show will be a group project. You will have two weeks to complete the project. These are the specifications:

• All group members must contribute to the final radio show. We suggest you create a Google Doc for planning and collaboration. If you invite us to be part of it, we can offer advice and input.
• The total show should equal at least 5 minutes X the number of members in your group (for example, a five person group must produce at least a 25 minute radio show.)
• The show must include at least 3 ds106 radio bumpers (they can be specific to the show, specific to noir106, or general bumpers for ds106radio) that are produced by group members.
• The show must include at least 3 commercials.
• The show must relate in some way to the concept of noir. How you go about that is up to you.
• The show must  incorporate (in some way) the characters you developed for the course; again, you get to decide how this works.
• Blog about your process and progress. We expect every member to blog at least once during the first week about progress; we expect every member to blog at least once during the second week about the completion of the project . These should be substantive blog posts in which you explain what progress/decisions the group had made, what individual work you’ve been doing, what tools/tech you’re using, what’s going well, what’s not working, etc. tag:radioshowweek1 & radioshoweek2
• Each group member needs to do at least one promo poster/bumper sticker/logo etc. for their show during the first week — a little splash of design work.
• Keep the instructors apprised of your progress. You can email us, send us messages on Twitter, etc.

As you found out during Intro to Audio week, audio editing is time consuming. Plan to be done early and you will probably be done on time.

Some advice on group formation

Get into groups:

• Membership: You will have the chance to self-organize into your groups for this project. You can work with students in any of the three sections at UMW.
• Theme Ideas: There are a lot of great ideas out there, so this should not be a problem. You can see everyone’s ideas at http://noir106.us/category/radioshowideas/ — at least everyone who tagged their posts correctly! If you see an idea you like, contact the originator about working together. If you have an idea you like, put a call out on your blog and Twitter for collaborators
• Use Twitter: If you need to find a group, put the word out on Twitter that you’re looking for a group to join.
• Let Us Know Your Group: We have created a spreadsheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DrCKHTar_N37FntTjlRIAe4uePbr552R8gQfM9BbPoY/edit?usp=sharing) to facilitate group formation. Give your group a name, put down a brief description of your show idea, and list the group members. There is also a section for people who are looking for a group.

Group sizes:

We recommend groups of 3 or more. If a group grows to 8 or more people, we may decide to split it in two, unless the group can make the case that all members will be actively involved in the show’s production.

Group deadline:

Everybody should be in a group by Wednesday, February 18 by midnight. If you have not joined a group by that time, you will be putting your fate in our hands. We will assign you to a group, but it will be entirely your responsibility to make the situation work.

Summary of Deadlines & Assignments for the Next 2 Weeks

Due by Midnight 2/22 (Summarized, as usual, in a weekly post):

1. Radio Show Progress: A blog post on your radio show process and progress. Tag this “radioshowweek1”
2. Radio Show Design Project: A blog post for your radio show poster/bumper sticker/logo etc. Write this post just like you would an assignment post — with the same amount of detail we usually expect! Tag this “radioshowpromo”
3. Radio Listen-along : We will be doing a second around of ds106 radio tweet-alongs this week. Tune it at least one night, and participate in the conversation on twitter. Shows will be broadcast Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9:00PM EST.
4. Commenting: Everyone needs to do a better job of reading/commenting on other students’ work. You are required to comment on at least 10 posts by other students this week. You MUST link to the posts you commented on in your weekly summary.
5. Audio Assignments:  Complete 10 stars. At least 5 stars should be dedicated to your character. You can use your audio assignments to develop content for your radio show (bumpers, commercials, etc.). We are assigning these stars this week so that you make progress on developing content for your shows!

Due by Midnight 3/1 (Summarized, as usual, in a weekly post):

1. Completed radio show
2. Radio Show Progress: Second blog post summarizing your radio show process and progress. Tag: “radioshowweek1″
3. Commenting: Repeat the commenting assignment from week 1.
4. Daily Creates: Complete 3 TDCs this week.

Audio resources:

In addition to the Audio Resource page, here are a few additional items worth reviewing:

• Andy Rush’s http://audio.umwblogs.org  as a resource for producing, editing, and generally working with audio.
• The UMW Digital Knowledge Center is available for individual and group tutorials for audio editing. You can schedule a tutorials for assignments and the radio show here: http://dkc.umwdtlt.org/tutoring/
• You can find additional audio resources in the Open Ds106 syllabus (http://ds106.us/open-course/unit-7-advanced-audio/).