Podcasting

1
Podcasting

• A quick overview

2
What is a Podcast?

• An MP3 file
• Content is up to you not just music
• Radio show format
• Size of file depends on quality
• 10Mb 30mins of talk 3Mb 5mins of music
• Can be downloaded onto an MP3 player
• User can listen to your show when they like
• User can 'subscribe' to a 'feed' from your site
• They are automatically informed of new shows

3
Why the Fuss?

• Distribution mechanism
• No need for expensive transmitters or servers
• Global reach via world wide web
• Easy indexing on specialist search engines
• Ease of production
• Low cost hardware
• Free software

4
Hardware/Software Needed

• Good quality microphone
• Test the room beforehand
• Portable recording device
• Background noise from PC fan
• Dictaphone
• All-in-one USB flashdisk/recorder/MP3 player
• Plenty of storage
• Cheap external hard disks
• Audacity
• Free software to edit/record and convert files

5
Things to Bear in Mind

• Audience
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the content relevant?
• Does the style of program fit the theme?
• Intellectual Property
• Not just music book extracts, news etc
• Interviews
• Permission to broadcast

6
Putting Together a Podcast

• Format
• Decide beforehand may be difficult to rethink
• Storyboard/Script
• Need to know what fits where on a timeline
• Delegate responsibilities for segments
• Linking
• How will you link from one item to the next?
• Editing
• Who will put it together?
• Exporting
• Try different compression rates

7
Uploading Your Files

• You need a website
• Create a site with Dreamweaver
• Upload MP3 files with a FTP program
• Use a Content Management System?
• Joomla or PostNuke
• Free (Ad supported) hosting
• Simple tools
• Inappropriate ads
• May disappear

8
Podcast Directories

• Find examples of good practice
• Download examples for students to learn from
• Students critically evaluate podcasts
• A benchmark for students to evaluate own work
• Promote your own work
• Where to look?
• Yahoo has a subsite at podcasts.yahoo.com
• Podcasts.net may have some suitable content
• PodOmatic.com is recommended by some

9
Project Ideas

• PodPals
• Link students with partner class
• HowTo guides
• An introduction to Arabic greetings, shopping
  etc
• Revision notes
• Book reviews
• Any form of product evaluation/comparison
• Radio broadcasts
• Based round events in a fictional narrative
• About or as 'live coverage' of a historical event