Transcript Adding Classroom Richness to the On-Line Experience Judith F. Bennett & Peter A.

Adding Classroom Richness to the
On-Line Experience
Judith F. Bennett & Peter A. Cooper
Sam Houston State University
Distance Education Suffers
Administrative Perceptions as a
cost saver
 Lack of pedagogical
underpinning
 Lack of richness of media used to
offset the missing classroom
experience

Podcasts Used as
Supplements
Frees instructor from time and
geography constraints of the
classroom
 Frees students from time and
cable constraints of computer
based on-line instruction

New Trends

Computer literacy being driven in
two directions:
The speed at which software,
particularly office applications are
evolving
 Frequency of new applications


Forcing computer literacy
courses to reevaluate importance
and value of developing purely
functional literacy elements.
Toffler and Toffler

Whatever gulf separates the rich from
the poor, an even greater chasm
separates the armed from the
unarmed and the ignorant from the
educated. Today, in the fastchanging, affluent nations, despite all
inequities of income and wealth, the
coming struggle for power will
increasingly turn into a struggle over
the distribution of and access to
knowledge. (Toffler and Toffler,
1990)
Podcasting

Wikipedia defines podcasting as
“the method of distributing
multimedia files, such as audio or
video programs, over the
Internet using syndication feeds,
for playback on mobile devices
and personal computers. The
term, coined in 2004, combines
“iPod”, a popular portable audio
device, and “broadcasting.”
Podcast Availability
Thought of as a program
 Available on Macintosh and PC
platforms – iTunes supports both
 Software is available on both PC
and Mac platforms

Audacity on PC
 GarageBand on the Mac

Provide Educational
Context
4 Significant opportunities
1. Pressure on classroom time
can be alleviated.
2. Repeatedly review material
normally experienced only
once in the classroom
3. Changes students notion of
what is possible
4. Frees students from time
constraints
Methodology

GarageBand
 It’s free with the Apple OSX
operating system.
 Mix sounds and associate them
with images or video
 Large collection of built-in
sounds (loops)
 Record sound from a
microphone or a device such as
an electric guitar or CD player
3 Main Components in
GarageBand
1.
2.
3.
Timeline which is split into
tracks
Loop browser which allows
predefined music to be added to
the timeline
Media browser which allows
other sounds, photos or video
to be added
GarageBand Interface
Audacity
Free download from the Internet
 Create MP3 files
 Record using a microphone
 Write over existing tracks to
create multi-track recordings
 Record up to 16 channels
 Import sound files which can be
edited and combined
 Export in WAV, AIFF, AU, MP3

Audacity continued
Use cut, copy, paste and delete
 Edit and mix an unlimited
number of tracks.
 Pitch can be changed and static,
and other background noised
eliminated
 Sound quality is excellent and
can be recorded up to 96 KHz.
MAC OSX, Windows and GNU
Linux compatible

Audacity Running on Different Systems
Audacity Preferences
Check the MP3 export settings.
MP3 Export Settings
Use the same MP3 export
 Check MP3 export setting and set
the ID3 tags.
 ID3 tags provide information
about the podcast such as title
and other information.
 All the tags will not be used –
designed for CDs, not podcasts.

Bit Rate Adjustment
Controls the quality of the audio
and the size of the file.
 Lower the bit rate, the smaller
the file.
 Use lowest bit rate that still gives
“adequate” quality.
 Bit rates range from 48K – 128K
 After adjustments, export to web
server

Videos
Show examples that would be
used in classroom
 Requires a digital camcorder
 Download to video producing
software program
 FTP to web server
 Include link in RSS file

Podcast Distribution
Method of distribution is
dependent on the nature of the
materials.
 Course materials can be done
through embedding the .rss file
on a faculty or course web page.
 Blackboard or WebCT could also
be used.

RSS Files
Not an acronym
 Does not stand for anything
 Are in XML format and provide an
open format for all types of
content.
 Creates the newsfeed so others
can subscribe or incorporate the
content of the newsfeed into
their site.

RSS File Elements
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Channel – metadata that
describes what the channel is
and who created it. Required.
Image – logo of the channel
provider if used. Optional.
Items – contain the content of
the channel and are required.
Text –used to query or respond.
Used infrequently.
Must close RSS file
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>
<title>Podcasting Assignment </title>
<link>http://www.shsu.edu/~csc_jfb</link>
<description>My First Podcast</description>
<language>en-us</language>
<item>
<title>My Video Podcast</title>
<link>http://www.shsu.edu/~csc_jfb/podcastassignment/MyAudio
Podcast.html</link>
<description>Podcasting Assignment that was fun</description>
<enclosure
url="http://www.shsu.edu/~csc_jfb/podcastassignment/podcast1.
mov" length="5258166" type="video/mov"/>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>
Validation of RSS File
Validate to assure there are no
typing errors or that something
has been left out that is critical
 Website:
http://www.feedvalidator.org
 Locates errors and gives line
number and type of error along
with instructions on how to
correct the file.

Packaged RSS Files
Low cost packages that include:
 Manual
 Recording software
 Ready to use sounds
 Web sources that produce the
RSS newsfeed
 Podcast Blaster is less than
$20.00
 Others are available on the
Internet

Distribution on Website
Podcast directory may be
desirable
 Publish it on the schools server
 For student podcasts, publishing
to iTunes should best be left to
the discretion of the student

Instructions for Publishing
Podcast
Create folder inside public_html
folder on server
 Label folder Podcasting or
something similar
 FTP the RSS file, audio files, etc
to the folder
 Only 1 RSS file is needed for
unlimited items and can
contain both audio and video
files

iTunes Podcast Service
Wider distribution may be
desired through iTunes
 Service allows submission of
information concerning podcast
and a link to the .rss file
 Service does not store files,
stored and managed by the
institution
 iTunes periodically updates
information from the .rss file

Podcasting to Support
Instruction Trials

2 podcasting trials
 1st trial – podcast materials
were provided as a set of A/V
resources via Blackboard to
support a Java programming
course.
 Podcasts detailed procedures,
particularly for the setup of
application development
environments and complex
compilation protocols that
require review by the students
but take time to answer.
Podcasting to Support
Instruction
Students comments positive.
1. Ability to repeat, stop and
review instructions.
2. Comments were also made on
the removal of repetitive
components leaving more
time for concepts and
examples
Podcasting as a Digital
Lifeskill

2nd trial consisted of providing
opportunities for students to
develop audiovisual podcasts as
part of their course materials.
Response was positive
“I really enjoyed the podcast
assignment as I’ve been wanting to
learn how to do this for over a
year”.
 “What I liked most was that we got
the chance to put our own ideas
and thoughts into something that
we really care about”.

Podcasting as a Digital
Lifeskill

Student concerns:
1. Students would not willingly
accept podcasts as a
substitute for a live
instructor, “No, I enjoy
interaction with the
professor. If I get confused I
can ask questions”.
2. Quality control issues were
also a concern for the
students
Value in Podcasting
Significant group felt they had no
desire to podcast, that they had
nothing of value to say
 Concern over the lack of
censorship of podcast materials
 Value as a means of
communicating to a widely
dispersed family group, to leave
a legacy to grandchildren.

Conclusion
“How much material can be
thrown at students in a one
semester course?”
 Need time to assimilate the
information.
 Students have advanced so they
no longer need the “open file”
and “close file” instructions.
 Need to learn to use technology
to enhance their lives and
careers.

Conclusion continued
Students scratch their heads at
the volume of information
Podcasts are a tool that can
supplement learning.
 Podcasts can be used to explain
difficult concepts over and over
again to help students
comprehend difficult information

Time and Effort
Takes time and effort to make a
 An invaluable tool in terms of
learning for the student.
 Conceivable that an entire course
could be done
 Makes learning convenient for
the student in an “anywhere,
anytime” environment.
