Random videos, articles, & podcasts I've found to help me understand podcasting this week: 501 podcasting blog post

From an endeared professor I met during undergraduate studies, I learned to write the prologue of a story after teh story is written, so i can make sure that any necessary caveats or admonitions about my writing can be highlighted to readers of my books. I was reticent about including a prologue within this posting, but I thought a short anecdote might calm any anxieties my readers have after encountering the title of this week's blog.

I teach my core subjects in a foreign langauge. Many of my students come to school not speaking a single language well. It must be difficult for my students not to fully understand the English 'world' we live in called Canada, and not to have a developed understanding of the target language in which we do our studies.

After working toward developing a podcast about one aspect of employability and marketability of employable skills, I thought of how great it could be if I were to offer this podcast in a second langauge to help others who would benefit from what I shared, but who might not have sufficient prior knowledge of English to glean the meaning of my words, and the intention with which I created the podcast. I will DEFINITELY revisit this podcast in the future and offer the same talk in other languages. But, that will happen after my courses are completed, and time permits me to pursue my love of teaching through a new media I have fallen in love with: Podcasting!

Sunday

As we see in the social media video linked below, the future success of our relationships will be correlated to how well we can access social networks, and what we do with the social networks once we figure out how they are established, and what makes them grow.



Next is a video directly related to my search: How to Create a Podcast. I checked the user comments, and this video received a lot of positive reviews, which is why I trusted that the video would be beneficial right off the mark. After watching the video, I completely agree with the comments about this tutorial: It Works! I can't wait to find out if the instructions are still clear when I get down to business and try making my own podcast.



Found an eZine list of the best podcast hosting sites, http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Best-Podcast-Hosting-Providers&id=271185 but blogspot help indicates that Seeqpod/Bloson is a reliable, easy-to-use, FREE service for hosting podcasts. I will check them out, and update this blog with news about my success!

Monday

Today I spent what seemed like hours trying to figure out which podcast service to use. I located Loftons’s (2010) article ‘Using VoiceThread for Online Communication’ this morning, and her recommendation is to use Voice Thread for creating podcasts. After reading the article, I signed up for a Voice Thread account, and found their service quite simple to use, but Voice Thread requires users to access more features than simple audio podcasting. I will follow Fernando’s (2009) suggestion that,

“a good rule of thumb is to represent yourself, rather than try to be some stilted spokesperons for your organization. A podcast is not a press release, even though it tells a story. Like a blog, a podcast is a great way to bring out a level of humanity that is absent in so many other forms of communication.”

Basically, I am going to try to make a recording of my voice, get rid of ambient noise from the recording, try to add some music if I get permission from my favorite music artist, and make my podcast as professional as possible. I will also try my best to follow Sullivan’s (2009) list of do’s and don’ts for podcasting before I begin my first attempt at a podcast:

1. Know your audience
2. Create engaging content
3. Keep it short and snappy
4. Practice for perfection
5. Set a schedule
6. Promote your work
7. Let your podcast program take root

This afternoon, I found more information about podcasting, and I checked out the book Podcasting for Dummies. The book lays out a clear step by step process for ensuring success in making and distributing podcasts. And, although I am feeling an information overload about podcasting right now, I know there isn’t much more do at this point, than to get my hands (*and mouth*) dirty by trying to create a podcast.

Podcasting for Dummies discusses the issue of podcasting to include video podcasts. Since I haven’t got a video recording device I will stick with making an audio podcast, but will keep in mind that, as Lee LeFever says in Podcasting in Plain English, podcast means, “Personal On Demand Cast”, and it is important for me to keep the cast relevant to the readers of my blog, so they can download an mp3 of my cast so they enjoy it when they would like to. In choosing a topic for my cast I will hash out an idea that adheres to what Tsagkias, Larson, and de Rijke (2009) highlight as critical to the development of podcasts, “(t)wo central genres of spoken word podcasts are particularly salient: talk show podcasts, which can also be redistributions of shows that have run on the radio, and how-to podcasts, which give commentary or advice on particular subjects.”

Wish me luck as I venture forth into a new sphere. Check my blog tomorrow for an update of my progress!

-Rob

Tuesday

Well, my attempt at making a podcast wasn’t very successful. Returning home from work today, I was TOTALLY looking forward to sitting down at my computer, with my notes organized, and headset mic at the right tilt, and… For some reason the volume settings for my mic and headphones were working, and despite three hours of adjusting and readjusting control settings, nothing could set the volumes high enough for my voice to be heard in the podcast. Only about five minutes ago I was successful with restoring the settings of my audio card to get the volume set for recording.

My first attempt at podcasting will hopefully take-off tomorrow evening.

Wednesday

Okay, I tried my best to use the Andrea Voice Center app that came installed on my computer, but foudnt hat my podcast was lackluster, and, well, really quite boring without the bells and whistles that many online podcasts offer. I continued my internet searching to locate information about creating podcasts, and happen-chanced upon the ehow instructions for using Audacity to create podcasts:
How to Use Audacity to

Create a Podcast

How to Record a Podcast Using Audacity


How to Add Music to Your Podcast Using Audacity


or, check it out via this YouTube video:


Well, after hours of gruelling labor to develop my podcast topic fully, record and re-record the podcast more than 30 times, I found that Audacity is not recognizing the LAME encoder I downloaded, and my podcast could not be saved as an mp3. I found another program by Creative Media buried deep in my hard drive that saved the day for me and converted my WAV-cast to an mp3-cast. My podcast was successfully published, and is available to followers of my blog (*hoorah*) as my Robcast:



Also, today, I received permission from a Pop band based in Moscow, Russia with express written permission to use their music to open my podcast. Unfortunately, I am not able to get Audacity/LAME to work properly, so at this time I cannot include music to open and close the show. I'll keep working on this, and hopefully before next Sunday's deadline I can rework my cast to entertain listeners with some really groovy Russian pop music.

Today I'm feeling a great sense of satisfaction with having completed a podcast, but the innumerable hours of work that went into this effort might be discouraging from attempting to podcast even on a weekly basis. For now, though, I will bask in the feeling of accomplishment I'm feeling. :)

Thursday and Friday


I debated about whether or not to paraphrase the article poasted below, and I felt that paraphrasing such a well-written, comprehensive article would undo the effect the article had on forming my attitude toward this week's module, and toward creating my own podcast, so I am including the article in it's entirety for others to view. Double-clicking on the article will enlarge it to a more readable size. I hope you find it as valuable as I did for helping me to understanding and appreciate podcasting for the advantages it offers both learners and educators.

Reflections on the process of learning about the tool

Never having made a podcast before, my podcast is not simply a tutorial, but a story told through instruction and intention to inspire others through the experiences I’ve gained through my academic education and international travels. Complimenting the idea of podcasting as storytelling Buffington’s (2010) Podcasting Possibilities for Art Education, shares, that “Digital stories often present first person narratives. Both podcasts and digital stories may involve a similar planning and editing process. Though podcasts can involve first-person narratives, they can also take different formats. Some podcasts take the form of a discussion between a few people about a topic, whereas others present a lecture, radio show, or tour of a physical place. Additionally, podcasts may be serialized tutorials (see http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/) to which a user can subscribe.”

As per the length of my podcast, Fernando’s (2009) article Speak Now, accesses the knowledge of the world’s most well-known podcasters, Krishna De and Terra to guide newbies and experienced podcasters to keep their casts tailored to their audiences. So, “what’s a good length for a podcast? “Do not ask how long your episodes should be,” says Terra. “Ask yourself how short you can make them.”… Best bet: At the outset keep it short—under 15 minutes. It will prevent you or your guests from rambling. Once you get the hang of it and understand your audience, you can adjust the length.”

I had difficulties understanding which program to use to create my podcast, and how to bring the cast together. I had never recorded my voice onto my PC before, and it is quite simple to make the recording. The greater difficulties I encountered during this module were getting my PC to make the recording, and deciding which program to employ for best results. Even as I post this blog, I still have not mastered Audacity, Creative, or Andrea applications for making podcasts. I wanted very much to include music at the beginning and ends of my podcast, like the podcasts I listened to online, but I have not been able to get LAME to work so I can import my podcast and add other audio tracks before, after, or on top of my voice recording.

I have always used audio books for my own learning, and I like the process of acquiring a second language through digital ‘casts’. I have not been exposed to learning, lectures, or tutorials via audio files harvested from the internet, but I definitely appreciate the value of acquiring others’ expertise via simple auditory lessons available for me to use when convenient for myself.

Discussion of the tool in terms of my own personal learning

I tried my best to follow the recommendations outlined in Sullivan’s (2009) Radio Free Internet: Podcasts are a Democratic Way to Spread the Word article, suggesting that podcasters adhere to the following guidelines for creating effective casts so listeners will return to hear more form the broadcaster.

1. Know your audience.
2. Create engaging content.
3. Keep it short and snappy.
4. Practice for perfection.
5. Set a schedule.
6. Promote your work.
7. Let your podcast take root.

In retrospect, I should have included information in my podcast for finding my website, and alternate methods by which listeners can contact me to hear future casts, and make requests for topics or themes for me to discuss. I would like to find an infographic outlining general numbers of internet users who access the plethora of social networking tools, and which tools are most commonly employed. Much of the literature available about podcasting alludes to podcasts having been popular at the turn of the millennium, but that podcasts have taken a backseat to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Podcasting really has a developed use for online marketing agencies. I think it is beneficial that business is able to incorporate audio marketing programs in ways that were reserved for late night radio, paid-programming events, not typically accessible by all segments of the consumer market. I think that in the future I might continue to try podcasting about topics I enjoy, in the hopes that I can start an online business.

Discussion of the tool in terms of teaching and learning

From a teaching perspective, two considerations could keep me from using podcasting in my present role as teacher: difficulty educating kindergarten students to use complex podcast-recording software; and, difficulty employing podcasting with my high school students until I develop better fluency with podcasting software before I can teach proper, ethical use of this social networking tool. Since classroom application is limited with my kindergarten students, I know I could create second language podcasts for the students to access via our SMARTtechnology, as that would encourage the integration of audiotory learning lessons. For the past five years I have been using a cassette recorder for my students to record their voices and playback as part and parcel of language arts class, but I have never taken the next step to make the recordings openly available for unrestricted student access to the recordings, let alone for the public to access.

In the past I have used student recordings, transferred from cassette, into mp3 format as background for PowerPoint and SMARTpresentations, but making direct recordings to the PC is simple procedure than changing from analog to digital format.

As a learner, residing in a rural location, and not having my graduate classmates present, I feel podcasting to be and effective tool for accessing social networking utilities to communicate not only ideas, but aspects of personality that others can enjoy at their leisure. Since all of my classmates work full-time, it is beneficial that I can post an idea or interest without interrupting my friends’ schedules by making a post,a nd alerting their accounts that my posting is available, and either of us can, in return, post to one another to garner further responses. My response toward distance learning stands in agreement with Ragusa, Chan and Crampton’s (2009, p.680) research indicating that:

“the isolation distance learners’ experience (Delahoussaye & Zemke 2001) contributes towards this social group being most at-risk for discontinuing their educational pursuits (Peters 1992). The unpopularity of distance learning (Bowles 2004) is due to a combination of factors. Distance learners often fail to identify as belonging to a scholarly community (Galusha 1997), perceive internal students to have an unfair advantage (Ragusa 2006), feel inadequate (Wood 1995), and lack the cultural knowledge necessary for acculturation (Lake 1999; Sheets 1992). In addition to these issues, there is also a lack of standardization of the DE mode compared with the internal teaching mode in Australia (Bowles 2004), resulting in a considerable amount of variation among Australian (Distance Education) DE providers.”

The added benefit to my students that I am a distance education student myself, is that I understand the value of integrating and incorporating technology into my lessons, my learning, my teaching, and my personal life. “Understanding the production and transference of knowledge are key tenants in the sociology of knowledge, along with larger questions about what counts as knowledge (Gibbons et al. 1994). When included as a learning tool, podcasts not only change the delivery of ‘knowledge’, but also stimulate reflection on the process, and potentially purpose, of learning. The elimination of status symbols apparent in traditional classrooms alters the socialization process of learning as does the transportation of learning into non-traditional educational environments (i.e. home, work, car).” (Ragusa, Chan & Crampton, 2009, p.681) I think that, if my own teachers had been technology-based learners, there would have been greater emphasis placed on me as a student to bring an awareness of technology into my high school and undergraduate studies. And to connect my in-class learning with out-of class experiences.

Creating connections between school and out-of-school experiences is a challenge for teachers. Students who spend their free time texting, playing Xbox, surfing the internet, accessing YouTube, networking with friends via Faceook, MySpace, Flickr, Twitter, and other utilities are limited in their intuitive expression when required to use almost ‘altmodishe’ technologies like paper and books for the duration of the school day. Similarly, as an educator, parents who own and operate businesses, spending hours communicating via cellular phone technology, responding to emails on an hourly basis, finding information via the internet, and marketing their businesses in new, technologically-based markets, visit our school for ‘meet the teacher night’, and cannot understand that our classrooms still operate using paper, pencils, and videos cassettes.

That there is an implementation gap between learning and earning is evident, but it is not the classroom teacher who can provide the impetus to change, without themselves first changing. And, as I mentioned above, working toward a master’s degree online has provided the perfect environment for me to connect classroom learning with expectations for real-life work experiences.

References

Buffington, M. (2010). Podcasting possibilities for art education. Art Education, 63(1), 11-16.

Fernando, A. (2009). Speak now! Communication world, 26(6), 8-9.

Lofton, J. (2010). Using voice thread for online communication. The School Librarian’s Workshop, 30(3), 9-10.

Morris, T. & Terra, E. (2006) Podcasting for Dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing.

Sullivan, E. (2009). Radio free internet: Podcasts are a democratic way to spread the word. Marketing News, July, 6.

Ragusa, A., Chan, A., & Crampton, A. (2009) Ipods aren’t just for tunes: Exploring podcasting as a socio-cultural technology facilitating student experiences of higher education in rural Australia. Information, Communication & Society, 12(5), 678-690.

-rob