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Converting .wma to .Mp3 and speeding up playback

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I recently had to convert a bunch of .wma files into .mp3 files for a teacher to allow her students to listen to the files on their MacBook Pros. The only challenge was the pace of the audio files was a little slow and she wanted her students to have the option of speeding up the audio.

The first hurdle, converting from .wma to .mp3 was fairly easy. Cloud Convert is an excellent free site that allows you to convert most types of media files effortlessly. Just upload your file and choose the type of file you want to convert it to.

Once she posted her files to our PowerSchool LMS students were able to download the files and play them in VLC (a free media player). VLC has a feature under Playback to choose the speed at which you would like your audio file to play. Moving the slider adjusts the speed slower or faster depending on your preference.

The CAIS and ISED-L listservs

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The Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), founded in 1950, is a voluntary association of 93 non-profit independent schools serving over 30,000 students from all Connecticut towns and many other states and countries. I have sat on the CAIS Committee on Technology for the six years I worked at Greens Farms Academy in Westport, CT. The committee meets regularly to plan professional development opportunities for CAIS member schools and maintains a listserv that connects all the technology professionals, ranging from Computer Science teachers, Academic Technology Coordinators and Directors of Information Technology.

ISED-L is a forum for the needs and interests of the independent school community. It is a vehicle for faculty, staff, and administrators to seek advice, to establish new friendships, to locate collaborators for online and offline projects, and to post conference, employment, and other announcements. I have participated on the ISED-L listserv ever since I became an educator and started at Loomis Chaffee over 15 years ago (gah!). The forum has been a wealth of information and resources where members of the independent school committee share and collaborate.

The Great Duck Project

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The Great Duck Project is an initiative to create the world’s largest globally crowdsourced collaborative 3D printed duck.  Inspired by the Westport Sunrise Rotary Club (Westport, CT) Great Duck Race, The Great Duck Project engages people around the world.  Engineers, artists, students, hobbyists, tinkerers and more will collaborate to create this inspiring project that people will love to participate in and experience.

Combining technology, art, the Internet, hundreds of 3D printers and dozens of dedicated volunteers around the world, The Great Duck Project combines the best of bringing the world together into a public art exhibit that will demonstrate the value and creativity of the modern day world.

The technical lead is being spearheaded by Jesse Robinson, Director of Information Technology and Nicholas Iacobelli, Coordinator of Lower School Academic Technology at Greens Farms Academy in Westport, Connecticut, The Great Duck Project will be created and unveiled at the 8th annual Maker Faire Westport on Saturday, April 27, 2018.  Maker Faire Westport is produced by Remarkable STEAM, a not-for-profit corporation focused on education, job creation and economic development.

A news article can be read here.

Download the poster for the project here.Download