My Experience with Podcasting

I created my first podcast in module 3, so I really appreciated the opportunity to practice it more in this module, module 4. The process is not difficult, but it is time consuming.

It’s easy to compare podcasting to website design----similar to creating a website, anyone can create a podcast but not everyone can do it well. Unfortunately, there is no quality control, and as revealed when we were asked to list four things that make a good podcast, there is no definitive list. I was surprised as to the range of quality in podcasts I came across and perturbed as to the number of podcasts, which should have been done using another medium. Often with new and emerging technologies, many use them but inappropriately and in contexts in which they don’t enhance understanding. Just because we can do something with technology, does not mean we should.

In terms of media literacy, I teach a section in one of my classes showing students how to separate good from bad information and utilize search engines effectively to get to the real nuggets of knowledge. My experience in searching for podcasting seemed similar. My first search in Google found 72 million websites related to “podcasting”. “Podcasting” and “education” only narrowed this down to 23 million. I quickly realized that locating useful podcasts can be a challenge in itself. I’m now paying closer attention to others who rate and review podcasts in some of the listservs and journals which I subscribe to. Thanks to my classmates, I now know of a few more good educational podcasts, which I have subscribed to.

Review of "Acoustica MP3 To Wave Converter PLUS"

I first downloaded this program in 2003, and have been most pleased with it. Features I like include:

* integration in Windows environment--this means I do not have to launch the application separately; I simply right-click on any sound file and the menu automatically includes the option to convert a number of popular sound formats;
* with one click, you can automatically convert entire directories or sub-directories of consisting of thousands of song files;
* it provides options to convert between a variety of popular formats, including:
MP3 -> WAV
MP3 -> WMA
WAV -> MP3
WAV -> WMA
WMA -> WAV
WMA -> MP3;
* automatically trims "dead space" at the beginning and end of songs;
* automatically alerts you of incomplete or blank songs;
* with one click, you can normalize the volume of all songs in a directory for consistent output;
* converts all files in a playlist;
* allows you to select how much computing processing power to use for conversion;
* allows you to select the level of quality of the resulting conversion; and
* for CD quality, it allows you to align to CD block boundaries.

It does all the basics for me, but if you want more advanced capabilities, this may not be the program for you.

You can find the program online: Acoustica MP3 To Wave Converter PLUS.

What is Gabcast?

Gabcast is a free online utility that allows anyone to make a phone call and instantly create an audio file for easy posting on blogs such as these. The audio file below was made using Gabcast. I was impressed at how easy to use it was. The conference call feature will be very handy in addressing communication needs for a committee I'm involved with, which are comprised of members throughout the USA.

Gabcast Overview #1

Dunstan Baby Language

So, here is an audio of a baby crying:

Click to listen

What does the cry mean? Well, a recent guest on Oprah, Priscilla Dunstan, would claim she knows. On a segment entitled "The Secret Language of Babies" , Dunstan provided explanations of what baby cries mean. It was most interesting, although not scientifically supported. Dunstan categorizes these cries in five areas, and claims each of them is an indicator of a different need. She has referred to her findings as the "Dunstan Baby Language".

Creating my title banner (see above)--a description of the long, but enriching process

I usually have used PhotoShop and most recently Fireworks and Photoshop Elements to create banners, and I must admit---these programs are overkill for K-12 and post-secondary students and K-12 teachers to utilize to create a simple banner.

And then there are cost and access issues. Although we have site licenses for such programs on our university campus, students and K-12 teachers most often do not have access off-campus. So, although I agree that Powerpoint is a much simpler alternative to developing a banner than the other programs I mentioned, there are still access and cost issues associated with purchasing and owning the application. I never have a good response when K-12 teachers and/or students tell me that they have limited options, as they don’t have a copy of MS Access or MS Powerpoint at home.

Now, I’m not anti-Microsoft---in fact, Microsoft’s corporate headquarters and Bill Gates’ primary residence is but an hour from my home (and he has yet to invite me to dinner, go figure?!), and his Foundation Grants have made a significant impact on education particularly in my current state (Washington). But in the interest of addressing issues of cost and access (and not contributing to the digital divide), I thought I’d take a different approach and use a freeware or open source program to make a simple banner.

Over the years, I’ve read much press regarding Open Office(openoffice.org), which is an open source (read “free”) alternative to MS Office Suite. So, why not use Open Office’s equivalent to MS Powerpoint to create the banner?

The download and installation of Open Office went smoothly, although I did skip the voluntary registration since it required the completion of a 62 question survey. The Open Office presentation package is entitled, Impress. Although the interface was not that much different than Powerpoint’s, there were a few additional icons, which led to new functions which appeared interesting but not sure how useful. With the similarities in interface, it didn’t take me too long to make a banner, and I was pretty pleased with the outcome.

So, now I just save as a .JPEG, and I’m done. Not so fast. Impress does not allow end users to save the file as a .JPEG! But wait—there was an option to save as a .PPT—then I could import into Powerpoint, and then save as a .JPEG. I know—kind of defeating my initial purpose, but I’d deal with the guilt later. Well, I saved the Impress file as a .PPT, but it would not import into Powerpoint. I was not Impressed. Darn. Back to square one.

I then started to search for a freeware paint or draw application via google, and found a number of references to MS Paint, a paint application program available for free as part of the Windows Operating System bundle. (You should be able to find it under "Programs" and then "Accessories"). Yes, it would have been better to choose an application, which was platform independent, but nevertheless I thought I’d try out MS Paint.

In a nutshell, it worked! It had limited functionality compared to high-end graphics programs, but MORE than adequate to make a simple banner. So, I did take the long route in creating my banner, but undoubtedly, reflectively speaking, I am richer for the experience!

Above you’ll find my simple banner, which was created in MS Paint (see below for a screen capture of the interface).

Marwin