You need to know about …
Podcasting
Dr Andrew Oliver
Learning Technology
Development Unit & The
Blended Learning Unit
University of Hertfordshire
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So what is it?
Podcasting : iPod (MP3 player) and Broadcasting
What does it mean?
“a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar
program, made available on the Internet for
downloading to a personal audio player“, New Oxford
American Dictionary
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BUT…
 But you DON’T need an iPod
 In fact – you DON’T need a mobile player
The technology is NOT new
…but is MORE accessible. Easy to…
– Create
– Publish (i.e. upload to a website)
– Subscribe and
– Listen (on mobile players)
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at home, driving, exercising, waiting for buses
– the ‘Dead time’.
Mobile learning: when they want, how they
want and where they want.
How does it work?
Staff
–
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Record using digital voice recorder (MP3 format,
WAV second best)
Upload (‘publish’) to website (StudyNet)
Student
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subscribes to the podcast (usually iTunes)
downloads the latest recording to their player
AND regularly checks for new content
But don’t need iTunes/ mobile player…
…the workstation is fine
What are the benefits?
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Over to you!
What are the benefits?
Cheap and easy to create
 Recording: digital voice recorder (£50)
 Editing: optional & free (Audacity)
 Uploading: fast & simple (StudyNet)
 Listening: free software available (iTunes)
 Minimal Training: media savvy NOT
essential
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Learning on the move
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NOT fixed – NOT sitting in front of the
computer
Where the player goes… so does the
learning
Review & prepare while:
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Travelling (car, bus train etc.)
Exercising & Household chores(!)
Sitting in favourite armchair
aka mobile learning, aka m-learning
Reaches into ‘digital lives’
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Technology already part of Youth culture
iTunes (buy music, subscribe to radio, news)
Familiarity – non threatening - widen education
Bridges the gap between expert & learner
Sits alongside other podcasts…
…mixes education with the student’s daily life…
… extends beyond the classroom.
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Recover & Understand
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Recovery of missed lectures & missed
lecture content
Helps to prepare, review & reflect (reinforce)
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Prepare (using dead time)
Review (difficult concepts) again & reinforce
understanding
Applies to any audio file BUT…
…podcasting = ‘on the move’
Student perspective
Do you think MP3s of lectures will be useful? Will you listen to any future
lectures which are recorded?
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“If you didn't understand an explanation in the lecture, you can listen back
and maybe pick up on something you missed the first time round.”
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“This really helps me,....i struggle to take everything in, even though im
listening, and often end up teaching myself! i think all subjects should use it”
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“VERY good idea, it is hard to listen and take in everything said in a lecture,
and so to be able to hear it again is useful. “
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“i would be great if you could do it for the rest of the lectures.”
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Comments made by Business School students (thanks to Jenny Evans)
More benefits
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Relax & concentrate on the material
(students)
Captures the lecturer’s enthusiasm
Facilitates critiquing and self-critiquing in
private (staff & student)
Provides an accurate record of peer group
activity
Act as ‘cultural artefacts’
Student podcasting part 1
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Increases presentation skills
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Encourages creativity
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More confident
Iterative process (thru peer critiquing)
Review & practice = improve vocab
Explore & express ideas
Share perceptions
And show off!
What are the challenges?
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Over to you
Challenges
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Attendance may fall
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We are all amateurs - not experts
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content (student) & quality (‘speakers voice’)
(solve: don’t lecture, be conversational)
The learner cannot control pacing
–
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Perceived, not reported (UH Bus Sch.)
(solve: add social elements to lecture)
–
Difficult to skim & often listen in 1 go
(solve: add show notes + chapter points)
Just a couple more
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Not designed for 2 way interaction
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(may) encourage shallow learning
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Brings tutor & student closer BUT…
Student cannot ask for details or revision or
expand into related areas
Skim reading = half listen (esp. while ‘on the
move’)
Listen at the last minute
How can you use this?
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Over to you
How can I use this? (staff)
Record lectures
–
Either during or before & include slides / show
notes
Preparation work (‘precasting’)
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Summarise potentially difficult concepts prior to
lecture
How can I use this? (staff) II
Commentaries aka radio show
–
record regular commentaries in addition to the
lecture (e.g. weekly updates, tips, views)
Add social activity to the lecture
–
deeper discussion (and record it!)
Field trips / guides
–
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virtual tour ‘musecast’ (inc images) & commentary
How can I use this? (staff) III
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Q & A and Tutorial sessions
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Interview experts, guest lecturers
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Answer questions submitted by students
Record 1-to-1 session with student
Conferences, placements
Student Podcasting part 2
BIG in the States (K12) & Musselburgh, Scotland
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Field trips, placements, language practice,
record of group work, seminars, lectures,
interviews, field notes, interviews (with each
other, experts).
Oral essays (poster!) sound affects, music,
commentary, readings - pull in above to
create their own interpretation
UHcasting!
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Institutional promotion
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Student support (news, religion)
Linking institution to community
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Campus guides, student interviews, staff
interviews
used to promote the university and it’s location to
domestic and foreign students.
Profcasts, guest lecturers (seeds of interest).
Establish links to local schools (& abroad).
Podcasting in 3 easy steps
1.
Recording
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2.
Uploading (StudyNet)
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3.
add file to Resources Library (like email attach)
Select podcast ‘on’ & save
Create a “Teaching resource”
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Digital voice recorder (contact BLU for
recommendations)
(not all students know about podcasting)
And during recording…
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For pre recording
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Outline session content (news, future events,
main items) in. episode number
Introduce yourself & others
Provide contact details
State who and where recording produced
Keep to approx 20 minutes
Use Audacity* & a mic (good for editing)
*enter into Google
And during recording…
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Tell the students
Repeat audience questions
Mention module, class and date (and yourself)
Refer to:
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Numbered list (not bullets)
Number slides
And…
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If the session is long:
Stop periodically to create acceptable files
sizes (i.e. < 16 MB).
Subscribe yourself
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See how students subscribe to your module
Check if your podcast works
Subscribe to other modules
Download iTunes & follow the instructions on
StudyNet [http://www.apple.com/itunes]
NOTE: use iTunes
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to convert files to MP3
To reduce file size to <16MB StudyNet limit
Some examples
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EdTechTalk
Podcast for Teachers (live from the Bronx!)
UC Berkeley Courses & Events Live
Stanford on iTunes U
Learning2Go (Wolverhampton City Council)
Musselburgh Grammar Sch (UK)
StudyNet!
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Public Law (Penny Wiggins)
Health & Human (Jenny Lorimar, Alan Hilliard)
Business School (Jane Waksman)
EdTechTalk
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Educational Technology That Talks...
Radio show format w/ guests, news
Streamed live (webcast)
MP3 recording podcasted after show
Transcript posted in forum
UC Berkeley Courses & Events Live
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examples of podcasted lecture sessions
some live, some pre recorded.
Mainly free to outside world
Access to lectures, guides, events etc.
Berkeley on iTunes U
Stanford on iTunes U
Never mind the lectures here’s…
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News, visiting lecturers & speeches
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‘Best of Philosophy Talk’, Microdocumentaries
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Stanford Initiatives (environment, health,
International issues)
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sports (interviews and highlights, game coverage)
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music (concerts)
500 tracks (for the public) averaging 15,000 downloads
per week (130,000 during the first 2 weeks)
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Musselburgh Grammar School
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Produced by students for students!
Readings, interviews, news, events
Packaged with music, sound effects
Recorded ‘in the field’
Gathered into 1 single podcast
StudyNet examples
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Public Law (3LAW0065)
Penny Wiggins, Karen Clark
For revision and preparation
Recorded ‘live’ or pre-recorded
Range 7 mins to over 1 hour
instructions to user are included by default
(but aren’t really needed…)
StudyNet examples
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Advancing Practice (3AHP0036)
Heather Thornton, Stephanie Wyer, Jane
Simmonds
Interview with clinicians
Not compulsory but 80% students listened
(70% in first few days)
StudyNet examples
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Managing People In Health Care
(MAHP0068)
Heather Thornton
Recorded students discussing coursework &
receiving feedback from peers
Informal & allows students to engage rather
than take notes
StudyNet examples
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Pathology for Imaging (2RAD0020)
Jenny Lorimer
Pre recorded preparation material
And also
Physiotherapy 13 modules
All ‘opening lectures’ are podcasted
StudyNet examples
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Auditing (3BUS0008)
Jon Easter
Lectures using powerpoints
follow up tutorial a week later
then records summary of key points (20
mins)
play back whilst looking again at the
powerpoint slides
StudyNet examples
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Jane Waksman (Business School)
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Students requesting more podcasts
Attendance increased(!)
Alan Hilliard (Radiography)
In StudyNet use the search box (type ‘podcast’)
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Players ‘n’ Podcatchers
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Players:
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Podcatcher software:
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Creative Technology, iPod, iRiver, Sony, Archos,
Dell
iTunes , Odeo ,Juice
And just think…
Big in schools (in the States) …
…now staring here
Next generation of the students will have
podcasting skills
In terms of listening & authoring
And will be expecting to use them in HE
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And finally…
Google results for ‘podcast’:
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May 2005: 4,460,000
Nov 2006: 132,000,000
‘How to’ series
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How to Blog in 5 minutes (Word)
How to Wiki in 5 minutes (Word)
How to create a Podcast in 5 minutes (Word)
How to convert audio files to MP3 in 5
minutes (Word)
How to use RSS in 5 minutes (Word)
‘You need to know…’ series
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You need to know about Podcasting (Slides)
You need to know about Podcasting: a teaching and learning guide
(Word)
You need to know about Online Discussions: a teaching and
learning guide (Word)
You need to know about Blogs (Slides)
You need to know about Wikis (Slides)
You need to know about RSS (Slides)
You need to know about Web 2.0 (Slides)
You need to know about Computer Assessment (Slides)
You need to know about Effective Question Design (Slides)
You need to know about Electronic Voting Systems (Slides)
Also available:
Podcasting: audio talk on the benefits of
podcasting (hi quality)
 Computer Assessment: using statistic
analysis to design effective questions
For copies please contact: Dr Andrew Oliver.
LTDU, College Lane LRC
([email protected], ext. 4754).
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