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Podcasting with Purpose
May 18, 2009Podcasting continues to gain momentum as an effective teaching tool in higher education. It is an approachable and cost-effective way to deliver your materials to today’s tech-savvy students.
You may be just starting out with podcasting, or you may want to make your existing content more engaging for your audience. It is easy to take your podcasts to the “next level” with a bit of goal-setting and proper planning.
Determine Scope
As with any multimedia project, begin with your end goal in mind and establish the learning objectives you would like your students to accomplish. Depending on the context of what you plan to podcast, you may also want to consider whether your content will be audio-only or will include video—or even a combination of both.Organize & Prepare
It is a good idea to categorize and segment your content for the on-demand nature of online learning, preferably before you begin recording. Divide topics and concepts into the appropriate length for your subject matter so users can find precisely the content they are trying to locate.Provide relevant file names for your podcasts and add metadata, which are descriptors for your podcasts, to give users an idea of what they can expect from a particular podcast. It may also be suitable to add both intro and outro voiceovers to help familiarize users with the content you are presenting.
Technical Considerations
Basic podcasting equipment is relatively easy to come by and generally includes a headset and a computer equipped to record audio. For video podcasts, most consumer-grade camcorders are adequate for podcasting purposes.Beyond recording equipment, the environment in which you record your podcasts will have an impact on their production quality. Locate a quiet, low-traffic space that will be free from interruptions.
If you plan to record audio-only podcasts, Audacity is open source, cross-platform audio-recording and sound-editing software that you can download for free.
For screencasting and minor video editing, the Texas A&M Software Evaluation and Licensing Library (SELL) offers both Camtasia and Snagit (a screenshot utility) as a downloadable software package for students, faculty, and staff for $10. Get the bundled installation files for Camtasia and Snagit.