"Begin with a simple audio podcast and work your way up to the vodcast"
PC Podcaster 101
Kathy Shields
shieldsk@fultonschools.org
What is podcasting?
What is a radio show? What is a TV show? They are forms of audio and video communication. They are syndicated to appear at regular intervals. A podcast enables you to host your own radio or TV show and also allows your audience to access your transmission by subscribing to your program through an aggregator like itunes. Aggregators send our search signals to collect all transmissions (also called RSS feeds). People can subscribe to the podcasts allowing the podcatcher to updtae your play list automatically. When you sync your mp3 device with the computer you will have the latest podcast episodes available on demand.
What is an RSS feed?
RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication! Syndcation simply means people can sign up to receive it as often as you post a new show. Services like podomatic make rss feeds for you. You will simply want to use the feed URL for submission to podcatchers and directories.
How would your students like to create their own radio broadcast?
How would their parents react to finding their child's podcast on itunes music store? Does this feel like an authentic use of content? Can you see project based learning written all over this?
So what are some show suggestions for classroom usage?
How to's
Tour guide
Reader's theater
School/class news
Science observations
Interviews
Book Reviews
Debates
Commercials
Campaign
Foreign language practice
Oral reports
Poetry
Art Showcases
I'm only just getting started... What about professional development?
Think of ways to make your podcast interactive. What are some things you can do that will involve audience participation aka active listening and action?
Where do I begin?
Download the 1st two ingredients listed under downloads heading.
Become a member of podomatic or another podhost.
Complete the script, include a purpose for your show; this is a key to a successful program!
Download or use a podsafe CD of non-copyrighted music and select theme music for the intro and outro. This should be a constant just like the theme for your favorite tv shows!
Create a main show name. Individual episodes will have episode names, numbers and decriptions in addition to the title.
List all the audio footage you'd like to collect for the show.
Begin recording your footage.
Create a separate file for the intro, the outro and the body. You will put them all together when you have finished editing your audio clips.
Once you have the show cut and pasted together you can export it as an mp3 file. If you are using Audacity, the first time you export to mp3 you will be asked to locate the LAME enc. Locate it and continue. It's essential to the conversion.
At this stage, you could just upload it like any other file to your webpage, but instead you will open PodOmatic, and follow the steps to label your podcast blog page. Click (add podcas) and browse for your file, upload it and you're done!
E-mail everyone in your school, your entire family, and get the word out!
