Week 7


Eight Weeks to Web 2.0 - Week 7  

 

Listen to Some Podcasts; Create Your Own

 

Unlike the blogging component, you will listen to some podcasts and create one in one week.  Think of podcasting as the natural followup to blogging.  Instead of the written word, you will be recording your voice and thoughts into a shareable file. 

 

Another element of being your own publisher and creating content to share over the internet ... Podcasting.  Here, we're not using the written word, but rather than the spoken word to comment, express opinions, comment, narrate, relate, retell, ... in fact when you podcast, you are your own internet radio host.  Like traditional radio, you broadcast or post to the world and you really don't know who you audience ultimately will be.  Unlike traditional radio, your internet radio show made be downloaded and played back on computer or a portable music device like an iPod for listening at a later time and also over and over.

 

There are thousands of podcasts available if you know where to look. Traditional media uses it as another outlet for their message.  Schools use it in Communication Technology courses but the concept isn't limited there.  An individual radio show may be a media file stored in MP3 or other audio format.  When you produce your show on a regular basis, you create episodes and you'll let your listeners know of updates via an RSS feed.  Your listeners "subscribe" to your RSS feed and download updated episodes as you make them available.

 

How to become a disk jockey the old fashioned way!  Or, check it out using Career Cruising.  Your teacher will have your school's login/password.

 

 

Clearing Some Jargon

 

Media Formats

As with word processing or spreadsheet documents, there are file formats that promote the universality of access.  In order for your podcast to be enjoyed by others, you must save your episodes in a format that others can use.  The common format is MP3.  This is a compressed audio format that balances a small size with high quality audio.

 

RSS

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary" or probably other things.  Bottom line, it is a file that captures the critical details about your podcast so that your visitors know where they may access your episodes.  Your visitors can use a separate utility like iTunes to keep track, they may use a utility like Google's Reader, or modern web browsers like Internet Explorer or Firefox have this functionality built into them.  RSS can be a little intimidating at first, but makes a great deal of sense to your RSS reader.  Depending upon where you post your podcast, you may not even need to know the technical details.

 

What you see...

 
What your reader sees (and understands!) ...
 
 
 
 

Some sample podcasts (The listening part of this week)

 

 

  

 

Creating a Podcast (The creation part of this week)

Step One

Planning

 

Before you go near a computer, you need to consider the following

The Writing Process is key
  • Prewriting
  • Writing
  • Revising
  • Editing
  • Publishing - this time as a podcast - note this is LAST!
 
Step Two

Recording

 
 

Step Three

Creating the RSS Feed

You now have to find some way for your listeners to find and to subscribe to your Podcast.  With an appropriate browser or reader, you will want to broadcast information about your episodes.

 

Step Four

Posting your Podcast and your Feed

So, you've created the podcast and your feed.  What's next?  Getting it onto the web.

 

 

Examples

<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="GEC Computers in the Classroom Podcasts Feed" href="http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/d&g/GEC_Podcasts.xml">

 

 

Step Five

Finally, proudly let everyone (including me) know of your Podcast.  There's no sense creating the next great radio show and not having an audience.

 

Guy Kawasaki's Big List

 

 

Download a booklet from Learning in Hand "Podcasting for Teachers and Students"

 

Eight Weeks To Web 2

 

 

Check in

To date, this was the most technically taxing activity that you have done during these eight weeks.  How did you make out?  How would you use this with your classes?  How could student projects be created using podcasts?

 

On to Week 8