Podcast Expo Part 4 - Podcast Production and Post-production

While attending the conference sessions, I have been following many of the ones covering the practical production and editing process of podcast creation.

The opinions of the presenters were mixed. Stacy Bond of Audioluxe (formerly of NPR) advocated a very planned and scripted approach combined with creative editing later, while David Lawrence of Online Tonight advocated a more spontaneous production. Tee Morris, one of the co-authors of Podcasting for Dummies, hit somewhere in the middle, and stressed that no matter what your approach, proper preparation and rehersal were essential.

All of the presenters were very informative, but alot of their advice is dependant on what style of audio presentation you are trying to do.

Podcast Expo Part 3

Greg and myself posted a podcast live from the 2006 Podcast Expo. Please check it out at http://www.harford.edu/irc/podcast/.

Podcast Expo Part 2

Ron Moore's presentation was very interesting. He differs from Leo Laporte (the other presenter) in that he is not a computer tech kind of person. He is a Hollywood TV producer. But he recognized that technology, by way of podcasts, could reach a new audience. Or reach his core audience in an expanded way.

He has a lots in common with college faculty. They may not desire to be a tech expert in podcasting. But they likely want their core audience (i.e their class) to be reached in a more expanded way. Podcasting is one tool that can reach out to the students.

Hopefully more reports to follow.....

Podcast Expo

Greg Priebe and myself are currently attending the Podcast Expo in Ontario, CA. In fact we are currently sitting in the Keynote Address of Leo Laporte. Leo is very well known in the technology industry as a former TV host on the late TechTV network. Leo is also a very fluent podcaster with his twit.tv podcast network.

In his presentation, Leo is laying out the problems that Podcasters face in the future. The first and most interesting may be in the name. Apple is laying groundwork to take the podcast name back. Now, it is doubtful that they can do this, but it is a worry for the future.

Next, Ron Moore, the Executive Producer of Battlestar Galactica, will present. He uses a podcast to directly connect to his viewers after each episode of the show. it will be interesting to see his views on this "new" technology.

More reports to follow.

An Assessment Minute

September 2006
As faculty we strive to improve student learning in our classes, whether we know it or not. We savor our successes and reflect on our miscalculations. Assessment activities of any kind attempt to improve student learning. Assessment, in its truest form, is an act of educational inquiry, reflection, and adaptation. It’s where the best ideas come from, and where the truly unique innovations in instruction and curriculum are born. It’s driven by our desire to “get through” to our students, to develop and refine our techniques to better meet our objectives. At the turn of the 21st century, a pedagogical shift transformed our traditional instructor-centered learning environments. The fundamental question was asked: What are our students really learning and how do we know? The answer to this question began to find its way into collegiate mission statements across the country, and I believe the following captures the spirit of this new learner-centered environment:

The Six Guiding Principles of the “Learning College”
1) The Learning College creates substantive change in individual learners.
2) The Learning College engages learners in the learning process as full partners who must assume primary responsibility for their own choices.
3) The Learning College creates and offers as many options for learning as possible.
4) The Learning College assists learners to form and participate in collaborative learning activities.
5) The Learning College defines the roles of learning facilitators in response to the needs of the learners.
6) The Learning College and its learning facilitators succeed only when improved and expanded learning can be documented for learners (5).

Source: O’Banion, T. Launching a Learning-Centered College. League for Innovation in the Community College. Mission Viejo, CA, 1999.