MAGpie (Media Access Generator) is a free tool developed by the CPB/WGBH
National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) to make Web- and CD-ROM-based
multimedia accessible to people with disabilities. It allows someone with
minimal training to add captions and/or audio descriptions to video files that
will be viewed over the web or on a CD-ROM which can be viewed using Microsoft
Media Player, Real Player or QuickTime.
Although MAGpie may have its quirks, it's very easy to use and can be learned in a very short amount of time. At the outset, some people may feel intimidated and sure that they never could master it. But once they actually have their hands on the keyboard and start the process, they'll realize how easy it is and have fun. That is the goal of this kit - to provide as many people as possible with the opportunity to actually try it themselves and realize it's much easier than they thought.
This kit is designed to provide you with all the tools necessary to conduct a training or workshop on adding captions using MAGpie 2. This is not a self-tutorial; it assumes you already know how to use MAGpie and want to train others in its use. If you are looking for a resource to teach yourself how to use MAGpie, see “Resources” at the end of the Trainer Manual. Additionally, this kit does not try to provide you with everything you will ever need to know about MAGpie, though it does point you to additional resources. The best source of information is the official MAGpie web site at http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie/ . There, you will find more detailed documentation and information on the capabilities of MAGpie not covered in this kit. For example, although audio descriptions may also be added using MAGpie, that process is not covered here.
Are you ready to help make multimedia more accessible? Then let’s get started!
Download MAGpie Training Kit (zip file)
Be warned, this is a very large file and will take several minutes, even with a high speed connection.
If you have technical questions about MAGpie, please contact ncam_tech@wgbh.org.