Just Getting Started
with Podcasting
Cleo D’Arcy and Darin Eastburn
Department of Crop Sciences
cdarcy@uiuc.edu, eastburn@uiuc.edu
Why get started?
Extra time?
Extra funds for teaching?
Seriously, we have been studying
students’ perceptions of the
effectiveness of different instructional
formats and media.
iPods are “in”, so how can we use them
effectively for instruction?
(USA Today article)
Plants, Pathogens, and People
(PLPA 200)
uses plant disease epidemics to introduce
issues in agriculture
fulfills general education requirements:
natural science, advanced composition
capped at 75 students
PLPA 200 Students
sophomores, juniors, seniors
from 6 to 8 different UIUC colleges
some have lots of college biology;
some have one course in high school
most are taking the class to fulfill
General Education requirements
PLPA 200 Formats and Media
lecture
handouts
visual aids: chalkboard, overheads, color slides,
PowerPoint slides, videotapes
i>clickers
discussion: small group, whole class
review grids
writing: in class, out of class
textbook
PPP web site: text, images, interactive exercises
Compass site: on-line quizzes, PowerPoint notes
What do podcasts add?
appeal for auditory learners
repetition and reinforcement of material
enthusiasm and emphasis from the
instructor’s voice
anytime, anyplace learning - “m-learning”
PLPA 200 Podcasts:
PPPodcasts
one each week
5-7 minutes
three parts
key concept or issue
point of confusion
study hints
music
What do our students think?
(some very preliminary findings)
45% use the podcast every week
45% use it some weeks
10% never use it
>90% access the podcast from their
home computer
What do our students think?
(some very preliminary findings)
the most useful feature is the point of
confusion
the podcasts are a good length
the music doesn’t really add to or
detract from them
65% never listen to other podcasts
The technical stuff…
“A podcast is a multimedia file distributed
over the Internet using syndication feeds
for playback on mobile devices and
personal computers.”
The technical stuff…
“Though podcasters' web sites may also offer
direct download or streaming of their content,
a podcast is distinguished from other digital
audio formats by its ability to be downloaded
automatically using software capable of
reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom.”
(Wikipedia)
In other words:
a podcast is an mp3 (or other) audio file
it can be distributed directly through a
web site, such as a course Compass site
and/or through subscription to an RSS
(Really Simple Syndication) feed
How to Hints: What you Need
computer (PC or Mac)
computer compatible microphone or
microphone and digital converter
sound recording program
Audacity for PC, iLife for Mac
music files (mp3 files) [optional]
How to Hints: The Process
compose the material for the podcast
(write a script)
record the sound file (voice)
edit the sound file
add music clips (if desired)
save the edited sound file
export the edited recording as an mp3
post the podcast
Audacity Audio Recording Software
DEMO Time
How to Hints
The UIUC Podcast Server:
http:podcast.ics.uiuc.edu