Sunday, February 15, 2009

Previous Podcasts: Fall 2008

I recently listened to a couple of the podcasts from Dr. Strange's fall 2008 EDM class. The first podcast was done by two students and was called Lessons from Life: The Last Lecture of Randy Pausch. The second one I chose was created by three students and was called Can YouTube Be Used for Educational Purposes? In listening to these podcasts, I found that, in my opinion, the best were done by three or four students as opposed to two. The more opinions you get, the more engaging the conversation. I have compiled a checklist that might be helpful to go through when creating a new podcast.

1) Be very thorough and complete on your topic; know exactly what you will discuss before you begin your podcast, and give a good introduction.
2) Give lots of explanations and details; also give any examples from personal experience.
3) Although you may have notes as a guide, do not make it seem as if you are reading directly from the paper; converse with your classmates.
4) Don't rustle your papers too much, as it is noisy and distracting.
5) Be enthusiastic about the subject you are covering.
6) Pronounce your words clearly and precisely.
7) Be sure to include what YOU would do as a teacher when discussing your topic. Agree or disagree, but make your case known.
8) Do not take too much time to pause; keep the conversation rolling.
9) Reply or refer to other classmates by their names. Don't say "you" or "he/she".
10) Keep the information interesting and exciting.
11) Practice your podcast with your fellow classmates BEFORE you actually record it.
12) Do your best to avoid "um"s, "uh"s or "you know"s. It makes you sound like you are unprepared.

I hope this helps! Good luck to all in doing your podcasts!

1 comment:

John said...

That was a very good list and I agree with all of your points, especially #3. Some students are not as accustomed to public speaking than others and could really benefit from your suggestions.