Thank you for attending the ISTE Webinar!
Below you'll find resources, questions, and a link to the presentation archive for "A Podcasting Primer" presented by Bard Williams on April 9, 2008. Educators may use and adapt the content of this presentation as long as credit is given.
Presentation: ISTE "A Podcasting Primer" Webinar (April 9, 2008): PDF (Right-click/Cntl-click to download.)
Your Questions:
We didn't have time to answer all your questions, so here are some of the questions we collected, and Bard's answers:
How much space does it take to host a podcast?
A 30 minute podcast encoded at 64 kbps will have a file size of
about 15 MB. The space you need depends on the length of your podcast
and how it was encoded.
Do you consider Voicethread podcasting?
Any audio (or video) content that's time-shifted *and* allows for
a subscription would be a podcast. If Voicethread meets those criteria,
then it's a podcast.
Are there rubrics in your book?
Yes. And for a powerful teaching and learning experience, have
students create their own.
Can I create links from a web page to podcasts
housed on other sites?
Sure. The file is just an audio file. You can get it by subscription
or with a direct URL for download.
Is this available on most computers?
Not most -- all! Any computer that has the capability to use a
web browser (in the Internet), and play an MP3 file can listen
to a podcast.
Do you have a good suggestion for royalty free music besides freeplaymusic.com?
The royalty-free sites like the one you mention seem to come and
go. And some aren't free, but are royalty-free. Explore the rights-free
music samples on GarageBand, or get your talented students to produce
their own files for a sure-fire solution.
About copyright...if children make podcasts that
are only played on school server..not on web, do they need a release?
Better safe than sorry. Anytime I record students (or teachers,
parents, community members for that matter), I ALWAYS use a release. Talk
to your school district's PR department, they usually have something
appropriate to use.
Are there free hosting sites for hosting your pocast?
Well, sort of. If you already have a .Mac account, you can host
them there. If you have your own website you can host them there.
For a VERY little cash, you can host on libsyn.com (my personal
favorite).
Can you upload to wikis?
Yes. They are essentially just MP3s.
My administrators are afraid of this technology because
if we use one of these host sites students may access an podcast that is not
approriate. Then we have upset parents. How would you address this?
Try three things: Create an acceptable use policy (AUP) for podcast
use. Create an HTML "dashboard" page connecting only to specific,
pre-determined podcasts (the actual podcast URL). Educate parents
on the process of selection and download of this type of content–in
a hands-on session, if possible.
What are some names of brands for headphones that you recommend?
I like "over the ear" headphones (as opposed to "on the ear" headphones.
I like Koss. If you have tons of cash, the Bose noise-cancelling
headphones are great, too.
Other Webinar Archives
Below you'll find the presentation for "Top 10 Tips for Using Handhelds and Smartphones in the Classroom" - presented by Bard Williams on January 16, 2007.
Educators may use and adapt the content of this presentation as long as credit is given.