Audio and Podcasting for Teaching

with Donna Eyestone

Mon, 03/01/2010 - 8:00am - Fri, 03/26/2010 - 5:00pm (Pacific Time)

Have you ever heard about podcasting and wondered how it could enhance student learning? In this 4-week online course, you'll create audio podcasts to help make your words and ideas come to life for your students. You won't need a fancy studio to do it—your PC or Mac will do just fine! Learn how to create compelling audio content and then record, edit, and package this content in an easily accessible podcast. Your students can download your audio files to their MP3 players or listen to them directly from their computers.

You will learn how to define a topic and write a script for your podcast. Using the *free* Audacity audio editing application, you will be able to record your voice and edit your audio with sound effects and background music so that you can create a podcast episode. You will then compress your finished podcast. Then, using the new 3CRSS podcast server, you can "syndicate" your podcast, making it readily available to your students and wider audiences. We'll also discuss enhanced podcasts (using PowerPoint presentations, video, graphics, PDFs), generate ideas about how to use podcasts in your course, and explore general issues involved in podcasting in education (including accessibility "ADA" compliance).

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Enhance face-to-face and/or online courses' audio content
• Understand what makes an audio file a "podcast"
• Use Audacity to record, edit, and compress audio files
• Use the 3CRSS podcast server
• Publish two original podcast episodes
• Find existing podcasts that may be useful in your courses

Requirements for Completion:

A passing performance on the following:

• Participation in all required discussion
• Completion of all assigned activities and exercises
• Completion of all assigned quizzes
• Production and publication of podcast channel with at least two episodes

Hours Required

This is a 4-week course. Course completion, including reading, online discussions, and assignments, will take approximately 10 hours per week.

Recommended Skills

• Basic computer skills (use of word processor, e-mail, file management)
• Basic Internet skills (use of browser, searches, download/installing applications)
• Familiarity with discussion boards
• No audio experience is necessary.

Technical Requirements

• Fairly recent Mac or PC (not more than three years old) with a current operating system
• Current browser
• Internet connection, preferably broadband (DSL speeds), but a 56k modem will do
• USB headset or other microphone for recording audio on your computer
• (In the course you will download Audacity [free] and iTunes [free])
• iPod or other MP3 player (optional)