What we will be using:

Media capture

You don’t need to own anything. However, it is likely that most students will have mobile phones with camera and audio and video recording.  These can be quite useful.

Many students will have point and shoot cameras. Some will have dSLRs.  Some have digital recording devices.  I have some video cameras available for loan.

I have a lot of experience with dSLRs, including dSLR video, and digital audio recording in the field.

Typically, students in this class range from those with no skills in these technologies to those with advanced skills.

Software

For most purposes, iPhoto, iMovie, or the  Windows equivalents (e.g., Windows Live Movie Maker) will suffice.  (I use Final Cut Pro; I haven’t tried Final Cut Pro X yet.)

Free or low-cost software for audio editing and for putting images and audio together are available.  These include Audacity, Soundslides, and Hindenburg (my favorite audio editor; free trial available).

Currently (Spring, 2012), the campus has a contract with Adobe that makes Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium , which includes  Photoshop (but not Premiere Pro), available to students for free.