EdTec 700: Podcasts

Although I'm highlighting this project for the technical competencies it required, the most difficult aspect of it for me was figuring out exactly what my podcast would be about. True podcasts are essentially radio shows without visuals of any kind, and I was adamant that my podcast would have a good reason for being exclusively audible. I still believe for the most part that true podcasts themselves are a doomed species, as nearly every idea I can think of would benefit by adding visuals and becoming a “vidcast” or “video podcast” or whatever clever name will eventually rise as the standard identifying title. Even now nearly all of Apple's iPod devices, from which the name “podcast” is derived, come with video playback capabilities. Fortunately, by looking at a few scenarios in which the inclusion of pictures or video would be undesirable, I was able to satisfy my own requirements and develop a bona fide podcast that doesn't sacrifice quality for lack of visuals.

The first scenario I identified was “while driving a car,” as visuals could distract a user from paying attention to the road. In this situation a lack of visuals would be desirable, and so I spent several hours thinking of ways to create a podcast specifically designed to be listened to in the car. Unfortunately, in this vein I was unable to rectify my own requirements for the podcast with those of the class, mainly that the podcast be educational by design. So I settled on a different scenario, one in which a work of writing would be read out loud with an author interview, figuring there was little for the viewer to gain by seeing the text or watching someone read a story to them. Since the project also had to be educational I decided to choose student authors from the school I was teaching at and interviewed them about their influences as a writer and advice they might have for other aspiring authors.

From a technical standpoint this project was as demanding as any I did in the program. Simply finding an appropriate recording area for both the reader and the author interview was difficult. Even once I found appropriate recording rooms for the podcast the recordings itself all took at least three takes each. The microphone I used was not of the highest quality so while editing I tried to adjust the sound levels as best as I could. The editing itself was done on a PC with video editing software and was only slightly easier than editing video because I didn't have to worry about visual transitions.

Ultimately the project turned out for the most part as I had envisioned. I realized that creating an audio podcast is no less demanding than creating a video, and can be advantageous in certain circumstances.

Using appropriate technology tools I was able to produce an educational podcast of interest to students and educators that took advantage of its medium in a meaningful way.