iLearning: Podcasts and Screencasts

1

• iLearning Podcasts and Screencasts
• for Library Audiences
• Weiwei Shi
• and
• Sandy Campbell
• Science and Technology Library
• University of Alberta

2

• What is a podcast?
• Audio recording mp3 formats
• Users expect informality
• What is a screencast?
• Digital recording of computer screen output
• PowerPoint

3
What did we do?

• Ethical Review
• Review/acquire software
• Decide what services would work in these formats
• Learn the software
• Write scripts
• Record and produce
• Evaluations

4
What did we accomplish?

• Podcast tour of Main Floor Cameron Services
• Translated to Mandarin and French
• Screencast tour of Main Floor Cameron
• Screencast of a Library Instruction session for
  English 199 English for Engineers
• Screencast Virtual Tour of the Canadian
  Circumpolar Collection

5
Why did we want to use these technologies?

• To meet our users preferences
• To accommodate our users lifestyles and needs
• To learn the technologies and test their
  applications to orientation and instruction
• To deal with the need to offer tours in a silent
  study space
• To meet the needs of remote users
• To have fun - the wow factor

6
Library Tours

• Guided
• Staff intensive (higher level staff)
• Not convenient for everyone
• No-shows
• Disrupt other users - noise
• Audio Tours
• Equipment
• Expensive
• Hard to maintain
• Required circulation of equipment
• Not easy to alter

7
Podcast Tour

• Once and done
• Informality expected
• Available for download onsite
• Available on-site during library hours
• Available for download anytime/anywhere
• Inexpensive and easy to update
• RSS to update users
• Users already comfortable with the delivery
• Library does not have to supply equipment
• investment/maintenance/security

8
Library Instruction Courses

• Class assignments
• Students miss the session
• Students didnt learn during the session
• Sleeping
• Not ready to learn (wrong point in the course)
• Language barriers
• Students need review
• Specific parts

9
General Information

• Potential visitors
• Information on an as-needed basis
• Distance students
• Different times of year
• Different time zones
• Different countries

10
Screencast Session

• Can replicate the classroom session
• Inexpensive to create
• Easy to create
• Iittle training required
• little equipment required
• Easy to alter
• Usable any time, anywhere
• Modules can be used independently

11
Cautionary Note

• Not a replacement for standard library
  instruction programs
• Adjunct
• Additional
• Reaching students/users who
• Fall through the cracks
• Learn in different ways
• Learn at different speeds

12
What did we have to learn to use the software?

• Not much
• Podcast/Screencast software
• Survey software
• RSS software
• Recording techniques
• Slow down
• Editing techniques
• Easy if youve left pauses

13
(No Transcript)
14
(No Transcript)
15
(No Transcript)
16
(No Transcript)
17
(No Transcript)
18
(No Transcript)
19
(No Transcript)
20
(No Transcript)
21
Create RSS feed for Podcasting

• Provide episodes information and download URLs
• ltitemgt
•   lttitlegtiPod Walking Tour - Chinese Mandarin
  Versionlt/titlegt
•   ltdescriptiongtThis is an audio tour in Chinese
  Mandarin.lt/descriptiongt
•   ltlinkgthttp//www.library.ualberta.ca/podcasting/
  lt/linkgt
•   ltauthorgtScience and Technology Library - Weiwei
  Shilt/authorgt
•   ltenclosure url"http//www.library.ualberta.ca/u
  ploads/SciTech/camerontour-mandarin.mp3"
  length"752" type"audio/mpeg" /gt
•   ltpubDategtTue, 10 Jan 2006 115000
  -0700lt/pubDategt
•   lt/itemgt
• Select a RSS feed creation tool that support
  ltenclosuregt tag.
• We used FeedForAll
• Download at http//www.feedforall.com/download.ht
  m

22

1. Create a new feed
2. Add Required Information for the feed, including
   Title, Subscription, and Link of the Web Page

• Create new items
• Add required info for each items
• Add Enclosure info for each podcast episode,
  including
• URL of the MP3 file
• Length of the MP3 file, and
• Type (e.g. audio/mpeg)

23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
Use Statistics

• Sci/Tech Sci/Tech Polar
• Podcast Screencast
  Screencast
• Nov 482 N/A N/A
• Dec 292 N/A N/A
• Jan 379 N/A N/A
• Feb 355 131 N/A
• Mar 425 389
  257
• April 506 358
  325

28
Use Statistics

• Sci/Tech Sci/Tech Polar
• Podcast Screencast
  Screencast
• Nov 482 N/A N/A
• Dec 292 N/A N/A
• Jan 379 N/A N/A
• Feb 355 131 N/A
• Mar 425 389
  257
• April 506 358
  325

29
What Did the Users Think?

• People were listening at their computers, not
  touring with their iPods
• Give them the product they want.
• Round 2 Screencasts

30
(No Transcript)
31
(No Transcript)
32
(No Transcript)
33
(No Transcript)
34
(No Transcript)
35
(No Transcript)
36
(No Transcript)
37
(No Transcript)
38
(No Transcript)
39
(No Transcript)
40
(No Transcript)
41
(No Transcript)
42
(No Transcript)
43
(No Transcript)
44
(No Transcript)
45
(No Transcript)
46
(No Transcript)
47
(No Transcript)
48
(No Transcript)
49
(No Transcript)
50
(No Transcript)
51
What did we learn?

• Voice and accent are important
• Ethical Review
• Have to involve IT people
• More complex
• Things do change rapidly
• Webcasts and screencasts have to be updated.

52
(No Transcript)
53
(No Transcript)
54
Conclusions

• Podcasting and Screencasting have a role in
  delivery of tours, orientation and instruction.
• Delivering instruction through Podcasts and
  Screencasts have different rules from other kinds
  of delivery.
• Podcasting and Screencasting are in their infancy
  in instruction and will become easier as they
  mature.

55
Upcoming Events

• The Partnership Education Institute
• Presenter Diane Clark (University of Alberta)
• Title Best in Show Designing Effective
  Screencasts
• Date Friday, November 17, 2006
• Time 1100 am (mountain time)
• Objective The webcast will provide participants
  with the tools necessary to develop screencasts
  or other multimedia elements that exemplify best
  practices in instructional design.

56
Contact Information

• Weiwei Shi Sandy Campbell
• Link Resolver Administrator Collections Manager
  (Acting)
• The Alberta Library Science andTechnology
  Library
• 4-30 Cameron Library 1-26 Cameron Library
• 11320 - 89 Avenue 11320 89 Avenue
• University of Alberta University of Alberta
• Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Edmonton, Alberta,
  Canada
• T6G 2J8 T6G 2J8
• Phone [phone] Phone [phone]
• E-mail WShi_at_thealbertalibrary.ab.ca E-mail
  sandy.campbell_at_ualberta.ca
• IM Weiwei_TAL_at_yahoo.com IM
  sandy_edmonton_at_hotmail.com