Transcript Facilitating Student Dialogue

Podcasting Made Easy
Andy Williams - Edmonds Community
College
[email protected]
http://faculty.edcc.edu/andy.williams/
Art Arfons
Wolfman Jack
Communication with Students
• “Why don’t they get it?”
• “If they would just follow the instructions….”
• “Can’t they read?”
• “Why are they taking an online class,
anyway?”
Communication with Students
Who are our students?
71% intend to transfer to university.
58% are employed.
26% of accounting students have
children or other dependents.
18% do not have a High School
Diploma.
14% International Students.
Who are our students?
 They have other responsibilities and
interests.
 My class is not their top priority.
 They don’t have enough time.
 They are ‘underprepared.’
 They need flexible learning
opportunities.
They use technology
• 75% of online teens use
Instant Messenger.
• 51% of online teens
download music.
• 91% of all adults online use
email.
• 73% of all adults online use
internet to get news.
Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project Surveys
Why are they enrolled in online classes?
•
Flexibility of online delivery format.
•
Schedule didn’t allow me to attend oncampus.
•
Can’t get to campus.
Source: EdCC & BCC survey of online course non-completers
Reasons for Withdrawing
•
I could not handle the combined study plus
work or family responsibilities.
•
I had personal problems.
•
The online course was too unstructured for me.
Source: EdCC & BCC survey of online course non-completers
What has the lowest student
satisfaction level for those who
withdrew from online classes?
Interaction with faculty
Source: EdCC & BCC survey of online course non-completers
A Solution - Use Technology to Talk to Students
What’s a Podcast?
• “Podcasting is the method of
distributing multimedia files,
such as audio programs or
music videos, over the Internet
for playback on mobile devices
and personal computers. “
• “Podcasting's essence is
about creating content (audio
or video) for an audience that
wants to listen or watch when
they want, where they want,
and how they want.”
Wikipedia
Sample Podcasts
• AW Web Pages
• Mr. Excel Video Podcast
• University of
Washington
• CPA Podcasts
• iTunes University
• UC Berkeley on iTunes
• Podcast Alley
•Podzinger
•Education Podcast
Network
Berkeley iTunes Site
UC Berkeley - Intro to Computers
EdCC iTunes Site
Podcast Strategy
• Quick, easy and low
(no) cost
• Use .mp3 files
• Short audio clips
• Link to textbook
Podcast Strategy
• Consider attention span and downloading time.
Keep it short!
• 5 minutes of MP3 file is about 5 MB!
• Too long----> Students tune out.
• Too short ----> Not worth it.
What you need to Podcast
• Audacity - Free software from Source Forge
– http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
– Cross Platform (Mac or Windows)
– Easy to Use
• Garage Band (Mac OSX) - with iLife suite
• Web space - a place to upload your audio files
• Microphone/Speakers on your computer
• Script or notes!
Audacity
Play
Record Pause Stop
Mic Level
Playback
Level
Recording Level
Podcasting to Your Class, and the World!
• Save completed audio file to desktop
• Load to web server
• Link to Blackboard classroom & web page
• Load into iTunes or other source (Need XML)
• Get students to listen, learn and give feedback!
Garage Band
Media
Files
Tracks
Controls
Timer
Publish Your Podcast with Garage Band
Sample Pod Cast
Podcasts with a Phone!
• www.gcast.com
• Sample gcast!
Student Comments
• “It was a pleasant surprise to be greeted with a
podcast welcoming me to the class at the
beginning of the course.”
• “Now with the podcast I feel that I have even
more of an opportunity to be successful in this
course.”
• “I like having your lecture notes and the
podcast, it makes it seem like it's more class
room like.”
Why add Podcasts to Course Materials?
•Audio connection with students
•Easier heard than read?
•Time shifting - Convenient and flexible
•Technology comfort level
Podcasting Resources
Podcasting Resources for Educators & Students
http://www.stager.org/podcasting.html
Beginner’s Guide to Podcast Creation
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/beginners-guide-topodcast-creation/
e-Learning Centre
http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk/eclipse/Resources/podcasting.htm
Educause Resource Center
http://www.educause.edu/
Apple Education Resources – Podcasting in Education
http://www.apple.com/education/solutions/podcasting/
Apple Education Resources – Podcasting Videos
http://www.apple.com/education/resources/podcastingvideos/
Apple iTunes
http://www.apple.com/itunes/
The Future? Or Now?