Download - Dick Ng'ambis Podcasting workshop
Podcasting workshop
ByProf Dick Ng’ambiCentre for Educational Technology
Presented at the CPUT Podcasting Workshop held on 13 March 2012
Workshop Outline
• What is it?• Who is doing it? • How does it work?• Why is it significant?• What are the downsides• What are the implications for
teaching and learning?• Pedagogical Rationale• Where is it headed?
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What is it?
• Inspired by the iPod• Usually refers to any software and
hardware combination enabling automatic download of audio files (most commonly in MP3 format) for listening at the user’s convenience
• Makes use of the Internet’s Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds– Content is sent directly to an iPod or other
MP3 player
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Podcast components
•A podcast is composed of two parts, the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) file and the content files
• RSS feeds contain information about the podcast▫ name of the podcast, author, URL of the
accompanying webpage & date of publication•Content files can be
▫ audio, commonly MP3 ▫ video
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Podcaster’s arsenal
aggregatoraggregator
Internet connectionInternet connection
PC &/or MP3 playerPC &/or MP3 player
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Who is doing it?
•Anyone with an Internet connection▫Professional broadcasters make content
available as podcasts▫Amateurs are sharing their content and
opinions▫ Campuses make content available as
podcasts as well
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How does it work?
• Users ▫connect their portable audio devices to their
computer▫ log on to a podcasting subscription service (RSS
feed) and subscribe to the site’s feeds▫content is “pushed” from the original source
directly and automatically to the user’s device, e.g. iPod or MP3 player
• Allows users to listen and learn at their convenience▫Permits time shifting and mobile learning
• Empowers users to publish content directly and seamlessly onto the Web
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Podcatcher (aggregator)•Podcatcher: software which periodically
checks for and automatically downloads content to the subscribers’ computer
Desktop or web-based (online)▫Apple iTunes
available for Mac OSX and Windows handles many different media types including audio,
video and enhanced podcasts includes an in built in directory of podcasts
▫Juice free & available for Mac, Windows and Linux also has a built in directory making it very easy to find
podcast▫Google Reader??
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Podcast directories
•Directory: site that collects, categorizes & makes podcasts available for subscription
•Can be used to search for & find podcasts with content of interest ▫PodNova▫PodcastAlley▫Podcast.net
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Podcast servers
• Server: site archiving and storing podcasts
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Cellphone Podcasting
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Record a podcast directly from a mobile phone
Provide Internet access to MP3 of your voice messages
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Gabcast Gcast
Hipcast
Youmail
FreeCon pro
Jott
Cost ✔
Conf podcasting
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Toll-free phone num
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Immediate posting to blog
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Export options
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Private space 4 unpublished work
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Post greetings that students hear when they dial in
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RSS feed ✔ ✔ ✔
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Source: Kolb (2008: 31)
Screen recording software
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Screenflow
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IShowU
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“When words alone are not enough”
Podcast producer
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Why is it significant?
•It gives educators one more way to meet students where they “live”—on the Internet and audio players
•Barriers to adoption and costs are minimal
•The tools to create podcasts are easy to use and affordable
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What are the downsides?
•Access to sufficient bandwidth•Issues of file formats•Audio medium not suitable for the hearing
impaired•Quality of podcasts published by “sound
amateurs” not great•Faculty may need training in using an
audio-only medium and the technology•Proprietary tools & file formats
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Proprietary tools & file formats•Olympus: dss
•Sony: dvf•Apple: aiff
•Windows: wma/wmv
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What are the implications for teaching and learning?• Broadens educational options in a an
easily accessible manner• Allows content to be made available to
students if they miss class • Provides access to experts through
interviews• Student created content
– record of activities– way to collect notes– reflection on what they have learned
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Pedagogical Rationale
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Teaching with podcasts•Podcast development model (IMPALA
partner institutions)
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Where podcasting headed?
• The number of podcast directories is increasing
• Podcasting is evolving at a rapid rate– Users are demanding new features,
including categorizing, navigating, and indexing
– New ways of adding richness to podcasts are being investigated• provide experiences that are entertaining as
well as instructive
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