This document provides an outline of a workshop on podcasting presented by Prof Dick Ng'ambi at CPUT on March 13, 2012. The workshop covered what podcasting is, who is doing it, how it works, why it is significant, potential downsides, implications for teaching and learning, pedagogical rationale, and where podcasting is headed. Key points include that podcasting allows audio files to be automatically downloaded to portable devices; anyone can create podcasts; and it gives educators new ways to deliver content to students and meet them online.

1. Podcasting workshop
By
Prof Dick Ng’ambi
Centre for Educational Technology
Presented at the CPUT Podcasting Workshop held on 13 March 2012

2. 2
Workshop Outline
• What is it?
• Who is doing it?
• How does it work?
• Why is it significant?
• What are the downsides
• What are the implications for teaching
and learning?
• Pedagogical Rationale
• Where is it headed?

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What is it?
• Inspired by the iPod
• Usually refers to any software and hardware
combination enabling automatic download of
audio files (most commonly in MP3 format) for
listening at the user’s convenience
• Makes use of the Internet’s Real Simple
Syndication (RSS) feeds
– Content is sent directly to an iPod or other MP3
player

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Podcast components
• A podcast is composed of two parts, the RSS
(Really Simple Syndication) file and the content
files
• RSS feeds contain information about the
podcast
▫ name of the podcast, author, URL of the
accompanying webpage & date of publication
• Content files can be
▫ audio, commonly MP3
▫ video

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Internet connection
aggregator
PC &/or MP3 player
Podcaster’s
arsenal

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Who is doing it?
• Anyone with an Internet connection
▫ Professional broadcasters make content available
as podcasts
▫ Amateurs are sharing their content and opinions
▫ Campuses make content available as podcasts as
well

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How does it work?
• Users
▫ connect their portable audio devices to their computer
▫ log on to a podcasting subscription service (RSS feed)
and subscribe to the site’s feeds
▫ content is “pushed” from the original source directly
and automatically to the user’s device, e.g. iPod or
MP3 player
• Allows users to listen and learn at their convenience
▫ Permits time shifting and mobile learning
• Empowers users to publish content directly and
seamlessly onto the Web

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Podcatcher (aggregator)
• Podcatcher: software which periodically checks
for and automatically downloads content to the
subscribers’ computer
 Desktop or web-based (online)
▫ Apple iTunes
 available for Mac OSX and Windows
 handles many different media types including audio, video and
enhanced podcasts
 includes an in built in directory of podcasts
▫ Juice
 free & available for Mac, Windows and Linux
 also has a built in directory making it very easy to find podcast
▫ Google Reader??

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Podcast directories
• Directory: site that collects, categorizes &
makes podcasts available for subscription
• Can be used to search for & find podcasts with
content of interest
▫ PodNova
▫ PodcastAlley
▫ Podcast.net

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Podcast servers
• Server: site archiving and storing
podcasts

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Cellphone Podcasting
Record a podcast
directly from a mobile Provide Internet access to
MP3 of your voice messages
phone

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Gabcast Gcast Hipcast Youmail FreeCon Jott
pro
Cost ✔
Conf podcasting ✔
Toll-free phone ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
num
Immediate ✔ ✔
posting to blog
Export options ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Private space 4 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
unpublished
work
Post greetings ✔ ✔
that students
hear when they
dial in
RSS feed ✔ ✔ ✔
Source: Kolb (2008: 31)

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Screen recording software

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Screenflow

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IShowU
“When words alone are not
enough”

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Podcast producer

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Why is it significant?
• It gives educators one more way to meet
students where they “live”—on the Internet and
audio players
• Barriers to adoption and costs are minimal
• The tools to create podcasts are easy to use and
affordable

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What are the downsides?
• Access to sufficient bandwidth
• Issues of file formats
• Audio medium not suitable for the hearing
impaired
• Quality of podcasts published by “sound
amateurs” not great
• Faculty may need training in using an audio-
only medium and the technology
• Proprietary tools & file formats

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Proprietary tools & file formats
• Olympus: dss
• Sony: dvf
• Apple: aiff
• Windows: wma/wmv

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What are the implications for teaching
and learning?
• Broadens educational options in a an easily
accessible manner
• Allows content to be made available to students
if they miss class
• Provides access to experts through interviews
• Student created content
– record of activities
– way to collect notes
– reflection on what they have learned

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Pedagogical Rationale

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Teaching with podcasts
• Podcast development model (IMPALA partner
institutions)

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Where podcasting headed?
• The number of podcast directories is increasing
• Podcasting is evolving at a rapid rate
– Users are demanding new features, including
categorizing, navigating, and indexing
– New ways of adding richness to podcasts are being
investigated
• provide experiences that are entertaining as well as
instructive

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Thank you
• Questions???
Contact:
Dick.Ngambi@uct.ac.za