Transcript Podcasting

School of Earth & Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Podcasts
in Learning & Teaching
Mark Reed
School of Earth & Environment
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT
Plan
1. What is a podcast?
2. Why use podcasts in learning and teaching?
3. Why I started using them and what students like best
4. Secrets of a successful podcast
5. How to launch your own podcast
6. Resources
1. What is a podcast?
• A series of sound and/or video files that are automatically
downloaded to a computer and portable media device by
free subscription whenever they are made available
• For example, BBC podcasts include a daily video breakfast
news podcast and a daily audio podcast of the Today
interview
• An example from ENVI2131 Climate Change: Social Issues
1. What is a podcast?
2 ways to subscribe to a podcast:
1. Insert web address into aggregator software like iTunes
2. Subscribe via iTunes or the podcast’s webpage
2. Podcasts in L&T
• Using audio in education is not new
• What makes podcasts different:
• Easy access: automatically download to all subscribed
students
• Mobile: listen when and where’s convenient
• Integration with internet: links to resources embedded
so can watch Powerpoint slides while listenning
• Video
• Anyone can make them: all you need is a computer with
the right software
2. Podcasts in L&T
Ways that podcasts have been used in higher education to
date:
• Authentic audio materials e.g. music, vocabulary, stories,
poems, radio programs, oral history interviews, speeches
• Pre-class listening materials e.g. terminology/jargon
explained, background contextual material
• Multimedia materials e.g. visual glossary, world cinema,
paintings, documentary podcasts
• Student podcasts e.g. as an assessment, interviewing
respondents, making field notes/observations
• Weekly podcast answering questions posted by students
2. Podcasts in L&T
Some examples from ENVI2131 Climate Change Podcast
Every lecture is recorded
via the internal
microphone on my laptop
and it takes 5 minutes
after the lecture to add
the jingle and put it
online where it
automatically starts
downloading to students’
computers
(and
Keith
Pitchertheir
Mountblairy, Aberdeenshire
media devices
when they
Jimmy Rae, Farmer
connect them)
Podcasts are a great
Another alternative
to
alternative
to guest lectures
One
way of
enhancing
Iwhen
wanted
my
class toisto
hear
straight
interviews
aget
voxit isn’t possible
Each
podcast
is
preceded
by
learning
through
podcasts
is
how
Scottish
farmers
are
pops
approach.
It
took
people
in person.
Whenever
(and
ends
with)podcasts
a short
jingle
to
supplement
of
already
coping
with
climate
about
an
hour
to
edit
these
I meet
someone music
interesting,
of
copyright-free
lectures
with
podcasts
I couldn’t
get
the
three
interviews
together
Ichange.
ask
them
to record
a short
containing
additional
farmers
to
Leeds,
but made
into
this
20
min
interview with
me podcast
about
learning
resources
three
interviews
intobuild
a short
their work, so I can
a
documentary
library
of relevant interviews
for the podcast
3. Why use podcasts in L&T?
Turn to your neighbour and discuss what you think are the
potential benefits and drawbacks of using podcasts in your
teaching?
3. Why use podcasts in L&T?
My reasons for using them:
• Supplement lecture material to greater provide context and
depth
• Different learning preferences: auditory
• Dyslexics
• Students who miss class can keep up with material
3. Why use podcasts in L&T?
What my students thought:
Benefits of the podcast
No. Students
15
Representative Quote
“Great revision tool” (“makes revision more varied”; “can revise from the whole lecture
[not just powerpoint slides]”)
7
“It was useful because in lectures you sometimes don’t get all the points down” and
“ability to check over things that were said in lectures”
7
“I can catch up easily when I miss class” [no reason or to work on assignments]
4
"Useful if you don’t have time to write everything down during class" [eg. foreign students]
4
"Don’t miss material when miss class" [due to change of module, illness, fieldwork or
bereavement]
2
“I find it easier to learn through this teaching method”
2
“I made more notes than I did in class as I could pause and write”
1
"Ability to play back whenever suits you"
1
"Adding extra details to my notes and handouts"
1
“Convenience: could let it run in the background while doing other things”
1
“Being able to stop the lecture and research points, that I thought were interesting”
1
“It was a nice bedtime story, listening to mark's soothing voice. :)”
1
“All lecturers should take this apporoach, i feel i have had value for money!”
1
“Provides extra info not in the lectures i.e. interviews”
Improvements
No. Students
Representative Quote
5
“Can’t think of any improvements”
4
“A little hard to hear some points”
3
“More videos?”
1
“Better links to each MP3 recording” [for people who can’t subscribe to podcasts]
1
“Use better music!”
1
“include date it was made so can make sure listen to them in order”
1
“more supplementary podcasts” [between lectures]
Reasons for not subscribing
No. Students
Representative Quote
5
“Planning on using it for revision”
3
“My laptop is prehistoric and they would not work” and “i didnt have itunes or the software
on my laptop”
2
“Tried but didn’t undersdand how”
2
“cosi turn up to the lectures so i know what has happened
2
“i don't have an MP3 player”
2
“allergic to technology”
1
“Don’t have the internet at home”
3. Why use podcasts in L&T?
Drawbacks:
• Takes too long: trade-off between sound quality and ease
• Students won’t turn up to class:
• >70% subscribed but no change in attendence
• They know they’ll miss participatory parts of the class
• Evidence that students want face-to-face not computers
• Students will always miss class strategically (e.g.
around deadlines), but now they can catch up
4. Secret of a successful podcast
• Should add value to the learning experience: quality of
material and delivery
• Embeded within module and links to specific lectures so
that learning outcomes are clear
• Advertised regularly in class
• Students know how to subscribe (don’t assume this)
• Supplementary podcasts should be short (10-20 mins),
lively and informative
• Adequate recording quality
• No significant time burden on staff or students
5. Make your own podcast
1. Create an “RSS feed” and put it online
•
Copy out code and insert your own titles etc in
Wordpad or Notepad, and save as an .XML file, then
save on your webspace
5. Make your own podcast
2. Clean up your sound file (e.g. cut out noise of everyone
tidying up at the end before you stopped recording) and
insert jingle (if you want!) using Audacity (free) or other
sound editing software and convert to .mp3 format
5. Make your own podcast
5. Make your own podcast
5. Make your own podcast
5. Make your own podcast
5. Make your own podcast
3. Upload your sound file(s) to your webspace and ensure
that the URL for the sound file matches the URL (and
length) you’ve inserted in the RSS feed
5. Make your own podcast
5. Make your own podcast
5. Make your own podcast
4. Open iTunes or other aggregator software and subscribe
to podcast. The file you uploaded should automatically
start downloading
5. Make your own podcast
5. Make your own podcast
Let’s make today’s presentation into a podcast…
6. Resources
Training:
• SDDU course: register interest by searching for
“podcasting” at: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/staffdevelopment
Podcasting at Leeds community blog:
• http://elgg.leeds.ac.uk/podsrus/weblog/
6. Resources
SDDU online podcasting guide:
• http://www.sddu.leeds.ac.uk/online_resources/podcasting/
Literature review & annotated bibliography:
• Informal Mobile Podcasting And Learning Adaptation Project:
http://www.impala.ac.uk/outputs/resources.html
Conclusion
Subscribe to the podcast of this session:
http://homepages.see.leeds.ac.uk/~lecmsr/podcasting/RSS.xml
For more detailed information and to discuss today’s issues in
more depth, visit my blog at:
http://elgg.leeds.ac.uk/lecmsr/weblog/5345.html