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Educational Monograph
Text Box: Podcasting is not limited to the iPod or even to MP3s or portable music players. In some respects, podcasting is not even new: both streaming and downloadable audio are as old as the World Wide Web, and the RSS specification that enables podcasting has been around for several years. What’s new about podcasting is the ease of publication, ease of subscription, and ease of use across multiple environments, typically over computer speakers, over a car stereo, and over headphones - all while the listener is walking or exercising or driving or traveling or just sitting and studying. TAP podcasts were recorded with minimal financial outlay. We used a headset and a free software Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net). Some instructors also used IPod to record the raw files during the lectures. It also doesn't matter which platform or application is used to record the audio. However, TAP’s instructors like to use Audacity because it is open source, cross-platform, free and allows the mixing of multiple audio files. With Audacity it is also possible to edit or reuse the files while keeping the original copy of the files intact. After creating a podcast, the MP3 files are saved to WebCT web server, and are tested with an MP3 player. For ease of management and navigation, the files are placed into one directory. To date, the podcasts for the Technology Transfer: From Invention to Marketplace (ENTR 215) course have not been placed on iTunes and/or other clients that often include directories which help listeners find podcasts of interest. Podcasting is not limited to the content delivery to the students. We are encouraging students to create their own podcasts - as a record of activities, a way for auditory learners to collect notes, or a reflection on what they have learned. Analysis. Although this is an extremely exciting new educational tool, podcasting has its downsides. Mainly, some students might not have sufficient bandwidth to download podcasts and are therefore not able to utilize this technology for their learning. Additionally, because podcasting is primarily an audio delivery technology it has limited usefulness for the hearing impaired students. Podcasting is a lecturing tool but not designed for interaction or two-way of students participation. Due to the fact that podcasts are created by faculty members, the quality of speakers’ voices, speech patterns, intonations and other sound effects may be lower than that of a professional broadcast. Finally, faculty members who wish to record their lectures or other instructions in the podcast format need to prepare notes and may require training using the technology. Nevertheless, we are convinced that the benefits for our students are worth the effort and we will continue to work on creating an audio experience that is both engaging and instructive. Rozaliya Volynskiy is Associate Professor of Computer Science at Howard Community College. Columbia, MD 21044 Lev Volynskiy is Associate Project Manager for the NSF-TAP grant at Howard Community College. Columbia, MD 21044