Podcasting and basic audio editing - Elena Hernandez-Martin | Vanessa Skiadelli - Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning

Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning

Podcasting and basic
audio editing

Elena Hernandez-Martin | Vanessa Skiadelli

Workshop Summary
This workshop will explore the
process of podcasting through
preparation, recording and post-
production. Participants will have
hands-on training with the free audio
editing software Audacity and the
SoundCloud audio distribution
platform.

Learning Objectives
• Understand the basic concepts of
  podcasting.

• Be able to produce podcasts from
  start to finish.

• Produce and publish your very first
  own podcast.

• Evaluate how useful it will be when
  applied to your own needs

What is a Podcast?
• A digital audio file made available on
  the internet for downloading to a
  computer or portable media player,
  typically available as a series, new
  instalments of which can be received
  by subscribers automatically.
  Source: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/podcast

• Derived from "broadcast" and “iPod",
  as audio podcasts are often listened to
  on portable media players.
  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

Using existing podcasts
• Supplementary teaching material
  – Interviews from subject experts, news
    coverage, historical events, etc.
  – Play podcasts in classroom, give links
    to your students so that they can
    listen to them on their own time.

• Professional development tool
  – Find podcasts on any subject.
  – Listen at your own convenience.

Creating your own podcasts
• Lecture recording:
    – Your students can listen to the lectures at their own
      time and review them for better understanding.

• Create pre or after-class listening material/
  extended course material:
    – Brief or extended overview of the lecture material.
      Allow students to prepare for the classroom lectures.
    – A summary of what has been taught, assignment
      hints and instructions, assignment feedback.

• Interviews, discussion panels, schools events:
    – Promote your teaching and/or research work, your
      school’s or department’s achievements.
    – Reach a large audience around the world.

Examples
• Kings College London on SoundCloud
    – Research in Action: podcast series
      Research in Action is a new series of podcasts offering an
      informative taste of some of the most exciting and topical
      research across the School of Arts & Humanities at King’s.
    – Exploring contemporary issues in European & International
      Studies
    – Arts & Humanities Festival 2012

• Department of War Studies
  The podcasts highlight the department’s research and
  teaching activities. They also cover events the
  department organises for its students and the public.

• University of Oxford Podcasts

Advantages of Podcasting in Education
• Give students access to supplementary teaching material
  and resources.

• Provide substitute lectures to students who were absent
  in class.

• Students can review class information as many times as
  they want which helps they better understand teaching
  material.

• Portable and remotely accessible thus allowing for
  asynchronous listening at the student’s convenience.

• Make your course more engaging and interesting.

• Benefit disabled students and non-native speakers.

Educational Concerns
•   Quality – Must meet certain quality standards as bad audio
    quality can significantly affect the learning experience.

•   Freedom of Speech - Relevant when the podcast is a personal
    statement to support a specific point of view.

•   Technical Support - Training is required to teach teachers how
    to podcast.

•   Copyright - Must have permission to use certain content before
    mixed in personal material.

•   Censorship - Podcasting is not regulated, can be unsuitable for
    students.

•   Privacy - Teacher and student privacy concerns must be
    addressed.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uses_of_podcasting#Educational_Concerns

Podcast Planning: The plan
• Be inclusive, think accessibility

• Prepare, but not too much

• Format or not to format

• Schedule, announce, stick to it!

• Keep your audience ‘wanting more’

• Be inclusive, think accessibility

The audience
• Audience vs tone

• Get feedback

• Adjust and improve

Location, location, quality
• Find a quiet place

• Place your microphone/use headphones

• Check, check, check (that everything is
  working)

• Remove silences, uhs, ums….

• Bad quality, gone audience

The tips
• Speak clear and slowly
• Detail, the audience don’t see
• Drink lemon and honey!

• Be patience with yourself, it get’s
  better

Let’s go
• Introduction to Audacity

• Record your voice/podcast

• Edit sound

• Add music?

SoundCloud
• Online audio distribution platform that
  enables its users to upload, record,
  promote and share their originally-created
  sounds.

• Social media features to connect with
  other users of the platform.
   – Follow or get followed by other users,
     comment on or favorite other user’s
     podcasts, etc.

• Free account gives you up to 2 hours of
  audio upload per year.

Licensing
• SoundCloud does not claim any ownership
  rights in your content.

• Publish under two different licenses:

   – All Rights Reserved – Creators keep all rights.

   – Creative Commons - Creators have the choice to
     give up certain exclusive rights normally
     associated with copyright, while retaining others.
     There are six different licenses that provide users
     with different levels of freedom.
      Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that has released a set of
      free and voluntary copyright licenses. (http://creativecommons.org/).

Privacy Settings
• Public: anyone can listen to your
  podcast.

• Private: you have control over who
  has access to your podcasts.
  – Private sounds won't show up on your
    public profile and can't be searched
    for.