Post on 16-Jan-2016
Just Getting Started with Podcasting
Cleo D’Arcy and Darin Eastburn
Department of Crop Sciences
cdarcy@uiuc.edu, eastburn@uiuc.edu
Why get started?
Extra time?
Extra funds for teaching?
Seriously, we have been studying students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of different instructional formats and media.
iPods are “in”, so how can we use them effectively for instruction?
(USA Today article)
Plants, Pathogens, and People(PLPA 200)
uses plant disease epidemics to introduce issues in agriculture
fulfills general education requirements: natural science, advanced composition
capped at 75 students
PLPA 200 Students
sophomores, juniors, seniors
from 6 to 8 different UIUC colleges
some have lots of college biology; some have one course in high school
most are taking the class to fulfill General Education requirements
PLPA 200 Formats and Media
lecture handouts visual aids: chalkboard, overheads, color slides,
PowerPoint slides, videotapes i>clickers discussion: small group, whole class review grids writing: in class, out of class textbook PPP web site: text, images, interactive exercises Compass site: on-line quizzes, PowerPoint notes
What do podcasts add?
appeal for auditory learners
repetition and reinforcement of material
enthusiasm and emphasis from the instructor’s voice
anytime, anyplace learning - “m-learning”
PLPA 200 Podcasts:PPPodcasts
one each week
5-7 minutes
three parts key concept or issue point of confusion study hints
music
What do our students think?(some very preliminary findings)
45% use the podcast every week45% use it some weeks10% never use it
>90% access the podcast from their home computer
What do our students think?(some very preliminary findings)
the most useful feature is the point of confusion
the podcasts are a good length
the music doesn’t really add to or detract from them
65% never listen to other podcasts
The technical stuff…
“A podcast is a multimedia file distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on mobile devices and personal computers.”
The technical stuff…
“Though podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their content, a podcast is distinguished from other digital audio formats by its ability to be downloaded automatically using software capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom.” (Wikipedia)
In other words:
a podcast is an mp3 (or other) audio file
it can be distributed directly through a web site, such as a course Compass site
and/or through subscription to an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed
How to Hints: What you Need
computer (PC or Mac)
computer compatible microphone or microphone and digital converter
sound recording program
Audacity for PC, iLife for Mac
music files (mp3 files) [optional]
How to Hints: The Process
compose the material for the podcast(write a script)
record the sound file (voice) edit the sound file add music clips (if desired) save the edited sound file export the edited recording as an mp3 post the podcast
Audacity Audio Recording Software
DEMO Time
How to Hints
The UIUC Podcast Server:
http:podcast.ics.uiuc.edu