Here is the link for those people that may have been missed on the Meeting INFO. This will be my first time really using this, so I will need your help. Here is all the info I can provide if you did not receive the info via email. At the least call in at 3pm CT and be sure to review my Podcasting post prior to calling in.
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/110158
Call in #: (724) 444-7444 Call id: 110158
Hosted by: klcsiii Title: Podcasting, Blogging and Education Questions
Time: 07/19/2011 03:00 PM EDT Episode Notes: We will clarify all misconceptions on podcasting and begin to weave a web into our lesson plannng (faculty meeting).
Again, I've been reading the book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, and wanted to share some of the ideas the book has discussed, my thoughts on them, ideas for them and other things I've learned after having researched them. This blog will focus on podcasting in (and you'll soon see outside of) the classroom.
After talking with teachers about classes they've attended for podcasting most relate to me their disappointments. In some cases they don't feel that podcasting was explained well enough (i.e. video vs audio), ideas for class integration and here is the BIG ONEHOWdo you make a podcast (WHAT ARE THE PROGRAMS?! WHAT ARE THE STEPS?!). I will try to address all of these issues in varying ways, even through podcasts.
Where to find podcasts to download, listen: Computers & Ipod
Podcasts are everywhere. You can go on to Itunes and find podcasts, you can go to NPR and find podcasts, in fact, most modern smart phones have an app to listen to podcasts. So many sites now allow for subscription here are a few examples, including those from the book. Be sure to peruse each for ideas on how to integrate podcasts into your classroom creatively:
There are some teacher that may be nervous about students having access to Ipods for use with podcasts and fear not. Podcasts are available for listening and downloading for anyone with a computer and internet access. In the times that we live in, its hard not to gain access to both (school, library, phones, free WiFi, etc).
The book: "Before you get your students podcasting, I would urge you to try it out first. Again, I think you need to experience what you are asking your students to do-not only so you can support their technical use, but also so you understand what Web publishing really feels like...podcasting is one of those technologies that can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be...podcasting has become all the rage, and one of the reasons is that the barriesr to entry is pretty low...Here's what you need to create a basic podcast: a digital audio recorder that can create an MP3 file, some space on a server to host the file, a blog and something to say...The other part of the quick success of podcasting comes from the fact that not only are they easy to create, they are easy to consume as well."
So what in the world is podcasting and how do we do it?
Here is some vocab to start chewing on as you continue to read this post and for future investigation in podcasting:
Podcasts: distributing audio or video content via RSS 2.0, or Atom. Podcast clients such as iTunesallow listeners to subscribe to your RSS/Atom feed and automatically download your content to their portableaudio players as it becomes available.-Source
audiocast: audio content that is broadcast over the Internet. The term serves as a broad descriptor of any audio content, including streaming audio, podcasts or other distribution methods. ------The Source
channel: a group of podcast items, each of which represents one MP3 audio file (or show). When subscribing to podcasts, it is the channel to which you subscribe. ------The Source
encoding: the process of putting a sequence of characters (letters, numbers, punctuation, and certain symbols) into a specialized format for efficient transmission or storage. In podcasting terms, encoding often refers to the conversion of recorded audio files into MP3 for upload and distribution. ----The Source
iPod
The iPod is a digital media player from Apple Computer. The name inspired the term "podcasting," a combination of iPod and broadcast. With over 40 million sold worldwide, the rapid adoption of the iPod has created a market overnight for subscription-based audio content that could be automatically downloaded from iTunes and then uploaded to the device.
iTunes : Apple's multimedia player software, including a store where users can download music, videos, television shows and podcasts. Along with ripping, organizing and playing multimedia files, iTunes links to a directory of podcasts and acts as a podcatcher by allowing users to subscribe to podcasts. ---The Source
mobcast
A mobcast is an audio program that can be received on cell phones or mobile devices. Also called a "mobilecast" or, in the case of video content, "movlog." ------The Source
MP3 MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) is a standard technology and format for compressing a sound sequence into a very small file (about one-twelfth the size of the original file) while preserving the original level of sound quality when it is played.------The Source
RSS
RSS (RDF Site Summary, formerly called Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) is a method of describing news or other Web content that is available for "feeding" (distribution or syndication) from an online publisher to Web users. RSS is an application of the Extensible Markup Language (XML) that adheres to the World Wide Web Consortium's Resource Description Framework ( RDF). Originally developed by Netscape for its browser's Netcenter channels, the RSS specification is now available for anyone to use. --The Source
RSS feed: an XML file that provides content or summaries of content, including links to the full versions of the content and other metadata, that a user can subscribe to using an RSS aggregator. ------The Source
video podcasting
Video podcasting is similar to podcasting, except that video files are published instead of MP3s into RSS feeds. Also called "vlogging" or "vodcasting."------The Source
vlog: (or video blog) is a blog that contains video content. The small, but growing, segment of the blogosphere devoted to vlogs is sometimes referred to as the vlogosphere. ------The Source
Subscription: Subscribing means you'll receive the latest podcasts promptly when released, without having to remember to return to to the blog or site where the podcast was initially found. Some subscription services go a step further and automatically download podcasts for you in the background once you subscribe. ITunes is an example of an automatic downloader.--The Source
How do you turn your recording into .mp3 format, put it on your blog and then turn it into a podcast?
In the case of audio podcasting there is an application on my phone that allows me to record myself, just as the camera in your phone allows you to take pictures. The problem is that generally speaking, an abundance of the podcasts available need to be in mp3 format and my phone won’t do that, something we’ll cover later in this post. I point this out, though, to say that audio podcasting must be done through a .mp3 format to be recognized; that is how most Ipods, Itunes, Podbean and other podcasting software and listening devices will be able to interpret what you are streaming or making available for download. Most recording devices and software have the capability to save recordings in .mp3 format, but not all can do it alone.
We will begin by focusing on a common recording program, Audacity. Using programs like Audacity and using what is called a Codec you can save your microphone recordings into the computer as mp3’s.
<Sidenote: Codecs are software downloads that aid in changing the format to mp3 or mp4 behind the scenes of your recording software on your computer. It works in conjunction with Audacity. You will never open the codec, nor see it open, you only have to download it once and Audacity will use it behind the scenes.>.
<Sidenote for The Computer Savy: The video discusses downloading software from sites below and how to record sound, saving as a project, etc. If you are familiar with the download process and can easily figure out the software you need only know this: Once your software is downloaded and you have recorded your audiocast you can save it (OBVIOUS) for later editing, but MUST, MUST export as a .MP3 file from Audacity to a folder for upload to Podbean. Podbean???? Yes, skip to the minute marker of 8:26 on the video. I saved you 8 and 1/2 minutes, so thank me. For an even quicker tutorial you may also sign up for Podbean.com and watch the video below on how to use Audacity and Podbean.>
How do I convert audio recordings to mp3 format if I record on my phone or other device that save incorrectly?
Remember, you are not podcasting unless yor recording is in the correct format and you have an RSS feed to help distribute your recording to others for download. Phones are great recorders and should be encouraged by teachers for students to use, because most students don’t have microphones at home, unless its built in their laptops. You also will be extending their capabilities to participate in and create podcasts to meet 21st Century classroom expectations. Imagine the fulfillment they would feel as they complete assignments in new ways and the overall class morale; might lead to better understanding and grades?! Another cool aspect of using phones is that students aren’t limited to doing homework at home between set hours. We want them to interact with their environment when they learn in order to create greater understanding and you never know when that may happen, in the car listening to the radio, in another class listening to another teacher, at their aunt’s house listening to family discussions.
Here may be a problem when using phones as a recording device: my phone records in a format called .amr, not .mp3. This will be highlighted in the following videos along with screencasting:
When I watch your video podcast and all I see is a “talking head”, my mind drifts off and I start to have thoughts like “Where did she get that gorgeous mahogany computer desk”, ”Why is that adorable cat climbing on the sofa” or any other distracting background “noise” I can wrap my brain around. Create an audio podcast. , so that after we press play we can turn up the volume and listen to your message while doing some ab-crunches or push-ups – or maybe even some house work! (kidding about the push-ups).
The bottom line here is, use video is for instruction and how-to screencasts and choose audio podcasting to connect with your readers when you simply want to communicate ideas and concepts.
If you want a great example of the final product of adding your voice and music tracks to your audiocast for your blog be sure to play the mp3 player on this high school science blog:
If you are a teacher of older students or are just ready to jump into video podcasting, Youtube is a huge market and students can create their own channels for others to subscribe to and you may to mine, which is where all the videos from this post have been pulled from. Just as there are microphones in more and more computers their are also cameras. At our last graduation our students got to show themselves off and send messages to friends and loved ones using only their webcams.
Ideas for your classroom?
If you did not get enough from the educational links and examples above then check these sites out for more:
I thought I knew what podcasting was coming into this and I was partially right. Clearing up my misconceptions was essential however, in order for me to better be able to integrate this 21st Century skill into my classroom. And the only way I feel the misconceptions were resolved was by researching and practicing (HANDS ON, JUST LIKE OUR CLASSROOM LESSONS) the software and techniques I found. Hopefully my efforts and research will eliminate some of the tedious Google searches and endless reading for you.
I just got back from my first vacation and learned from some friends of a cool site. I will elaborate further in the future about the site after having explored it more, but can't see any way the site and videos can go wrong. It is a collection of the most well-thought-out speakers' presentations. It is on Ted.com and the motto is, "Ideas Worth Spreading." Here is one that I thought we all might chew on and enjoy.
The book: "Before you get your students podcasting, I would urge you to try it out first. Again, I think you need to experience what you are asking your students to do-not only so you can support their technical use, but also so you understand what Web publishing really feels like...podcasting is one of those technologies that can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be...podcasting has become all the rage, and one of the reasons is that the barriesr to entry is pretty low...Here's what you need to create a basic podcast: a digital audio recorder that can create an MP3 file, some space on a server to host the file, a blog and something to say...The other part of the quick success of podcasting comes from the fact that not only are they easy to create, they are easy to consume as well."