Since I'm teaching an on-line course now, I've had to learn the ins-and-outs of podcasting. I don't think I have this down yet. For one thing, the one I'm producing isn't really what I think of when I think of podcasts--although according to this definition, it's pretty much the straight-up deal. Mine is voice-over narration on top of a powerpoint slides, which scroll through (ideally!) as you listen. But my podcasts don't feature any movement or live action, which is I think what makes the really good ones so engaging. I'm still working on that. But it's a trick--you have to manage really big files in addition to trying to pull off the whole hollywood-charisma thing that people pretty much expect.
I'm using a fairly straightforward podcast program called "Prof-Cast," which was specifically designed for people like me, teaching lecture courses that come with powerpoint slides. It's not particularly glamorous, but it does the trick. The only thing is that the personal dimension is missing, and so is, it seems to me, a lot of the magic of the classroom. My students get my voice, but they don't get me, and I'm noticing already that I tend to be a little stiff when I'm narrating. It's all business.
When we're in the live classroom, by contrast, there's interaction and jokes; there are cockroaches on the floor that divert everyone's attention, there are spontaneous stories my students want to share (some of them more relevant than others!), and there's just a less formal (and probably more engaging!) atmosphere in general. In normal life I stutter, I repeat myself, I forget important things. I assume all people are like that, though I suppose there are some who are mostly perfect, and that that is part of what makes the classroom interesting. I remember the lectures of my professors in college, and they were kind of all-over-the place; part of what kept the classroom interesting was watching the professor and just being in that dynamic situation.
Good podcasters, I think, recognize this, and thus bring something else to their podcasts to compensate.
I, of course, have not yet figured all this out. I just hope I don't lose my classroom audience before I do.
2 comments:
Hi Laurel,
I can completely appreciate the "stiff"ness that can creep in when recording podcast sessions. One of the cool things about ProfCast is that it was designed for live lecture recording. (It sits in the background while you teach.) The idea is for you to forget that it is there while you engage your students.
I think most people find that their recordings are more dynamic when captured live.
Dave
How incredibly cool to have the originator of ProfCast comment on your blog! I'm honored. I can see how ProfCast would work well, recording away in the background while the instructor goes through the slides in class and talks about them. It's a very nice little program--by far one of the best out there for my purposes. And when I say "best," I mean that it works when it's supposed to. Sadly, this is almost never the cast when it comes to academic software.
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