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In keeping with my theme of exploration, this week I ventured into yet another Web 2.0 tool. I took to the airwaves to learn what I could about podcasting. I must admit, I have begun some of my explorations with much more trepidation than others. Probably based on my comfort with the topic when I began, as in, had I heard of it before? Well, I felt pretty comfortable as I began with podcasting. I knew, generally, what it was. I had heard a podcast before. I had been part of a podcast before, so I began this particular exploration feeling pretty confident. I beleive that was my first mistake.
Reflection on the Process of Learning the Tool
Podcasting, according to Will Richardson in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, is "basically the creation and distribution of amateur radio, plain and simple" (p 110). Sounds easy. In fact, recording a podcast is relatively simple. I downloaded Audacity to my computer and it was pretty much that simple to get started. To be honest, and it will be painfully obvious if you actually listen to my podcast, I did not prepare a script of anything. I thought I would just experiment with the process of actually recording something and doing some editing. It reminded of me of the first time I recorded an answering machine message. I must have stopped, erased and started 50 times!
Eventually, I did get something down albeit something pretty unoriginal. I tried at times to back up to where I had messed up and re-record. I had some difficulty with this because at first I was just dragging the cursor and not using the little I selection tool. Navigating the airways of Audacity is doable, especially once I found the Audacity Wiki which helped me to do absolutely everything I wanted to, and showed me just how much more is possible by looking at all the topics. It's such a large wiki it even has its own search feature (which I recommend). The wiki is a competent co-pilot as you take to the podcasting skies.
The turbulence came when I tried to embed my podcast onto this blog. It wasn't just the minor barely look up from your reading turbulence either. It was the "Holy smokes! Where's my life jacket?" turbulence. If you read Will Richardson's Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, you will note that he very aptly describes the process of embedding an MP3 file in the chapter entitled "Podcasting and Screencasting" on pages 116-119. I thought it sounded easy, and I suppose it is relatively simple, IF you have the program needed to convert your Audacity file into an MP3 file already on your computer, which I did not.
I found out easily enough what I wanted to do, but, I confess, I used the first set of instructions and not the Audacity Wiki I referred to earlier. I had to download LAME (it lived up to its name in my early attempts) which is a program that basically converts an audio file into an MP3. I must have tried this download five times before I decided to look somewhere else. I guess that was the beginning of my frustration. I was doing what I was supposed to, but every time I went to convert the file to MP3 it would say it couldn't find the Lame file even though I could clearly see it on my desktop! Skip forward to my favourite find, the Audacity Wiki. I searched the term "Lame Installation" and found step-by-step instructions. I was walking on air!
My next step was to stare at my blog posting screen for an inordinate amount of time - just in case the "Embed MP3 Here" button jumped out at me. It did not. A little late I recalled Richardson's earlier explanation about the need to find someplace to put the file - someplace out in cyberspace. I went first to Podcast Alley but had no success because I couldn't upload my file to their site. I could upload if I had a url address, but I didn't. For better or worse, I "googled." I found a link to Podbean. I liked the name. It sounded cute, maybe juvenile, maybe easy.
Podbean is a site which provides free podcast hosting servies (for a limited bandwidth and file size) and access to a wide variety of podcasts. So I joined yet another online community. It was a simple two clicks. I clicked "Upload" and then an upload button which allowed me to browse for my file. It was that easy. I felt like I had just landed on the moon! Euphoria!
Podcasting and My Personal Learning
Although I felt that I knew what podcasts were, I did a little reading in one of our texts, Will Richardson's Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. I followed our trailfire and watched the Podcasting in Plain English video on YouTube. I also went to the Education Podcast Network which indicated that the easiest way to understand podcasting would be to "...imagine a merger between blogging (regularly posted articles of news, insight, fun, grips, literature, and more) and radio (an established broadcasting medium that people have listened to for news and entertainment for generations). " In a quote attributed to David Wienberger, the site notes that "In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen people," as a result of the wonders of podcasting. Where my understanding of podcasting differed from the actual was in the distribution phase of the process. As Will Richardson notes in Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, "And it's the distribution piece of this that's impportant, because although we've been able to do digital audio for some time now, getting a lot of people to listen to it hasn't been very easy. Now it is" (p 110). The ability for people to subscribe and receive podcasts whenever a new one is posted is key to the whole podcasting phenomena. Podcasts are linked to RSS feeds, and as we know, they come to you!
After I tried out my first podcast, I went back and made a second, just for fun. I decided to talk briefly about my favourite novel of the past couple of years, The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. This was super easy to do now that everything is set up on my computer. It could be dangerous though. I could start to think everyone needs to hear what I think on all kinds of topics. But doing it a second time did show me how simple the process could be.
I spent some time listening to other podcasts. The airwaves are not unchartered territory for exploration. They are well used and many have been settled there for some time with new explorers arriving daily.
My greatest interests revolve around books and reading, so I searched around for some podcasters with similar interests. I found the Librarian on the Loose who looks relatively new to the scene. Another podcaster I found very useful to me is Books on the Nightstand who talks on books for kids, young adults and adults.
I also enjoy home decorating and crafting projects. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those crafty people who make these amazing, look like store bought things. I just like to try different things for my own enjoyment even if they end up looking like something my dog dragged in. I came across Craftzine.com which has a whole pile of crafting podcasts on all kinds of different ideas. Could play in there for a long time.
I thought about the benefits of podcasting for me, personally, as I listened to Joyce Valenza and Doug Johnson in the Women of Web 2.0 Show #65. I listened to them as I prepared our supper. How convenient is that? I find it difficult to separate my personal learning and professional learning because little that I do, aside from Scrabble on Pogo, is not work related. I am always looking for things that will help me to offer more to students and teachers, so in that way, my personal and professional learning are closely related. Podcasting could make me much more efficient and knowledgeable as it's definitely learning on the go! Now I just need an iPod or MP3 player to take with me. It might even inspire me to walk more often. I could technically be "working" while I'm walking! Brilliant!
Podcasting, Teaching and Learning
How can podcasting impact teaching and learning? Let me count the ways! No, actually not possible. Podcasting has a couple of real benefits. One, it's relatively low tech in the scheme of things. It doesn't really require any special equipment besides a microphone, and that's relatively inexpensive. In fact, I don't even have one. I have a built-in microphone on my laptop and that's what I used. Secondly, it's not a complicated technology. Press a button and talk. Use the wiki for help editing until you've learned how it's done and then post.
One use for podcasting that Will Richardson speaks about in Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Tools for Classrooms is the possibilities for language classes. I work quite a bit with our French teacher, and I know that she still does a lot of print based work. I cannot wait to talk to her about podcasting. I'm sure we can find a way to hook up with a class in Quebec or Manitoba or even over the pond and perhaps students can practice with native French speakers. Talk about authentic learning!
The Education Podcast Network is a wealth of ideas and information. We have a teacher who is teaching a couple of new Science classes that he has never taught before. There are 55 secondary school podcasts on this network. I am going to show him a couple, and he is going to love me. There are tons of ideas on this network for every subject area.
In an article found in Teacher Librarian volume 34, no 3, 2007 by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson entitled "Podcasting in the school library, part 1: integrating Podcasts and vodcasts into teaching and learning", the authors discuss some key ideas for choosing podcasts for your students to listen to. Because the airwaves are chalk full of podcasts, teachers must spend some time looking for the casts that have good content quality. As the authors note, "Because anyone with a microphone and access to the Web can create a Podcast, it is important to consider the authority of the author. Many interesting programs lack credibility when they fail to distinguish fact from opinion or provide inadequate citations" (p 54). As ever, we must be vigilant about authority and quality when sharing sites with our students.
Lamb and Johnson go on to identify some podcasts with different types of formatting. For example, podcasting is a great way for students who have worked on collaborative projects to share their work. Some podcasts maybe invite listeners to add to them or help them to reach a joint goal by having listeners share their knowledge. News stations like CBC, BBC, CNN are podcasting and will have search features allowing you to seek out specific subject areas. I stumbled across a NASA podcasting site. How engaged would students be if they were getting current feeds right from NASA? I don't even like Science and that excites me!
Of course once we move into the realm of History and ELA, I begin thinking about book talks, museum tours, and historical reenactments. I have been working on my library website for quite awhile, and now I'm thinking that I need to add a page with links to podcasts that pertain to particular subjects or topics. And, I need to find some that students will enjoy for fun. As Lamb and Johnson point out, we need to keep learning outcomes first and foremost in our minds (p 56). How will they actually help students? Is the podcast the best way to get this particular type of information across?
From Learning in Hand, I found links to a number of interesting and worthwhile podcasting sites. My favourite from this article is Grammar Girls Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing as I am a bit of a nerd in that department. But also, I remember seeing this girl on Oprah a number of years ago when she did a show about people who were becoming "famous" on the web. I think I will use this in my English class this year. They're great mini lessons.
One important benefit of podcasting is, as Lamb and Johnson articulate, it's value in differentiating insstruction. "A student who has difficulty reading in the content areas may find Podcasts as a way to access high-quality information" (p 56). I remember years ago ordering a cassette (yes, I said cassette) copy of To Kill a Mockingbird for a student who needed to have it read to him. I remember the cost was about $150, and that was a lot for what was essentially one book. With podcasting, students could access a lot of audio and video information for free!
One site I cam across is the Our City Podcast. It's a podcast by kids for kids, and only one school from Saskatchewan has added to it. I think Delisle will be the second! I am going to show this one to my Grade 7 and 8 Social Studies teacher. I think this will work well with a unit she is doing, and it will be exciting for students.
Back in 2004, Steve Sloan from the San Jose University wrote the following:
"I have been thinking a lot of the potential of the medium. I really think there is something here for education! In my opinion Podcasting is a great tool:
- for distance learning
- to facilitate self-paced learning
- for remediation of slower learners
- to allow faculty to offer advanced and or highly motivated learners extra content
- for helping students with reading and/or other learning disabilities
- for multi-lingual education
- to provide the ability for educators to feature guest speakers from remote locations
- to allow guest speakers the ability to present once to many sections and classes
- to allow educators to escape the tedium of lecturing
- to offer a richer learning environment"
Those are a lot of great reasons! I would add flexibility and the option to hear a lesson/lecture a second or third time.
In Saskatchewan, three big issues in our curricula are differentiated learning, distance education, and English as an additional language (EAL) learners. Podcasts suit the students in all three of these categories and more. While they are great for the student with reading disabilities, they also suit the needs of the gifted learner who might be reader for more advanced material or who could create material to help struggling students in his or her class. EAL students could listen to books or they could have translations of school rules, upcoming events and more for students and their parents who may not speak English. There are infinite possibilities, really.
Learning about podcasting did not feel as overwhelming as the vast expanse of social bookmarking nor am I swinging through with the same kind of ease as I did with YouTube and video sharing. Their electromagnetic waves are crackling and abuzz with loads of information and infinite opportunities for teaching and learning.
