Podcasting at WMU

Creating Accessible Content

2009-11-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

The National Center for Accessible Media has created guidelines for creating accessible content on iTues U. The guidelines addresses how to created closed captions, audio descriptions, open and closed captions. Click Here to access the materials on the iTunes Store.

iTunes U upload issue is fixed

2009-05-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

The upload issue has been solved. iTunes U will now upload your podcasts and movies.

WMU on iTunes U-Upload Issue

2009-05-21T07:33:00.001-07:00

Currently we are experiencing issues with uploading podcasts. PDFs will upload. Many locations around the U.S. are reporting the same issue to Apple. I will provide an update as soon as the problem is resolved. Thanks.

Students who use iTunes U score better than Students in class

2009-03-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

A study "iTunes University and the Classroom: Can Podcasts Replace Professors?" was conducted at the State University of New York Fredonia. The research was conducted with two groups of students, those who attended and class and those who listed to podcasts on iTunes University. The results were surprising. Students using iTunes U scored better on tests than those in class. The ability to review information and pause to take notes seemed to play a role in the test results. The class was created for the purposes of research and scores for both groups were low because the class results did not affect actual grades.

For more information click here.

The study was reported in eSchoolNews on March 6, 2009. eSchool news is accessible at: http://www.eschoolnews.com/

Resources for Web 2.0 teaching activities

2009-01-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Clicking on this link will take you to a website with resources for teaching in the Web 2.0 world. Please provide feedback on this blog and the website by emailing bradley.morgan@wmich.edu or calling 269-387-5363

Thank you.

Podsafe Music Sources

2008-11-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

Macintosh Users: Garageband is included on the Mac platform. Garageband is the application used to create podcasts and includes a large number of musical resources for your use.

On other platforms, I recommend two sources of podsafe music:
Free Play Music Dave's Imaginary Sound Space

Do student expect technology to be used in their education

2008-10-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Students expect colleges to have technology available to support their learning and professional development. An article from Campus Technology describes the results of research by CDW Government. Please click here to read the entire article.

Podcasting is Serious Business or Is It?

2008-06-18T05:21:00.000-07:00

Sara E. Fogie teaches bacteriology at the University of Alberta. She has developed podcasts that includes among other things, songs about bacteriology. You can read the entire article at the Chronicle of Higher Education: Bacteriology

What is the ideal length of a lecture?

2008-06-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses the length of a lecture when capturing for online use. I would be interested in opinions on this article and what you believe the correct length is for a lecture both online and face-to-face. The link to the Chronicle article is Chronicle of Higher Education

Will they come to class if I podcast?

2008-05-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

The answer is yes! There are a number of steps that you can take to make sure your students find value in attending class. This article from the Chronicle of Higher Education provides some good hints for assuring attendance. The Lectures Are Recorded, So Why Go to Class?

EduCAUSE Learning Initiative-Guide to Podcasting

2008-03-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

EduCAUSE is an excellent resource in the instructional technology world. They have recently released a report on podcasting. The report is comprehensive and includes information on what constitutes a podcast, several case studies, and discussions on learning as well as some future predictions for the technology. This article is available by clicking on the following URL: ELI Discovery Tool:Guide to Podcasting

iTunes Accessibility

2008-03-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

There are some issues with accessibility on iTunes U. Apple is working to resolve those issues. If you are interested in learning about accessibility on iTunes U here are two links of interest:

Apple Accessibility
iTunes U and Accessibility

The University of Wisconsin has a nice tool for creating QuickTime text tracks. The tool is called "World Caption". You can check out this tool at World Caption

CourseCasting now a staple...

2007-12-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

eSchool News reports that podcasting of lectures is now a staple at institutions of higher education. Creating or viewing a podcast is quite easy. Podcasting is technology that is easy to use and very reliable. The entire article is available at 'Coursecasting' now a higher-education staple

Updated iTunes Services are now available

2007-11-28T07:37:00.000-08:00

Apple is pleased to announce several updates to the iTunes U service, including:

Enhanced File Upload Support

Enhanced File Upload Support
iTunes U now provides a complete redesign of the Upload and Manage Files webpage, including adding the ability to edit file metadata. To see the new Upload and Manage Files webpage enhancements:

Click Upload And Manage Files in the Tools area of a Course page.
Click a tab to indicate the group where you want to upload, delete, move, reorder, or replace files, or edit file metadata.
Do the following, depending on your task:
To upload a file, click Add New File and select the file.
To delete files, select the files' checkboxes and choose Delete Files from the Choose Action pop-up menu.
To move files to another group, select the files' checkboxes, choose Move Selected Files To from the Choose Action pop-up menu, and then choose the destination group from the pop-up menu.
To reorder files within a group, select the file's checkbox, and then click the Up Triangle button or Down Triangle button to move the file up or down one position in the list.
To replace a file, select the file's checkbox, click the Arrow button, and then select the updated file.
To edit file metadata, select the file's checkbox, click the Pencil button, and then type a new title and artist. Click the Checkmark button to save your metadata changes.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each group in the Course page.
Click Done.
Notes:

There is no longer a Trash group within Course pages. Deleting files is now a one-step process. Previously, you moved files to a Trash group and then emptied the Trash. With this update, iTunes U immediately removes files from within a group when you choose Delete Files from the Choose Action pop-up menu.
If you previously moved files into a Trash group to delete at a later time, iTunes U temporarily saved the files in a new Recovered Trash group to help prevent unwanted data loss. If you no longer need the files, delete them from the Recovered Trash group. When the Recovered Trash group is empty, iTunes U permanently removes the group from within the Course page.
Replacing a file rather than deleting and uploading a new file is important if you want to save previously defined bookmarks and iTunes U popularity index entries associated with a file. You can replace the existing file using the Arrow button in the Upload and Manage Files webpage.
You cannot use the Upload and Manage Files webpage to work with files within a Smart or Feed group. iTunes U dynamically generates the contents for Smart or Feed group types. To modify these group types, use the Course page tab editing features within iTunes U.

Classroom Capture: Is it effective?

2007-10-17T05:53:00.001-07:00

A new study just released says capturing classroom content electronically and making it available to students has a large effect on student rentention. Additionally, student grades are better in classes capturing class content. The full article is available at Can Classroom Capture Boost Retention Rates?

Students Use the Internet for Education

2007-08-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

I'm a parent of a teenage daughter. She spends a lot of time on the computer. She IMs, listens to music and tells me she is studying. A recent study supports her claims. The study by the National School Boards Association found 50% 0f students used the internet for education. 59% of students discussed education related topics online. The survey included 9 to 17 year old students, parents, and school district leaders. I have provided a link to the article in the THE Journal.
Research:Students Actually Use the Internet for Education

I need music for my podcast

2007-08-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

Music is a nice addition to almost any podcast. It can be used at the beginning and end of your progam. If you always use the same music it becomes an audio signature for your program. Use music between the different segments of your program. It creates an audio cue for your listener, and makes it easy to transition to a new segment of your program.

It is important to protect intellectual property. The University has guidelines on acceptable uses and protection of intellectual property. Fortunately there are several ways to obtain music legally. The Faculty Support group has created what are known as "Acid Loops" for your use. You will find them at http://itunes.wmich.edu . Login as public and you will have access to copyright cleared music. You will find the music in the Podcasting at WMU section.

Apple makes podcasting very easy with their Garageband application. Garageband is a part of the iLife suite and is shipped on every Mac. They provide music, jingles, and sound effects for your podcast.

Your last choice is to subscribe to a service that provides podsafe music. Podsafe music is music that is licensed for use in podcasts. Read the licensing agreement carefully. Frequently the music is free, but you are required as a part of the license to provide attribution. The definition of attribution is to provide credit to the performer for allowing you to use their music.

The Creative Commons is an organization that assists programmers and musicians with the complexities of licensing programs and music. There are several websites that you can link to from the Creative Commons site ( http://creativecommons.org/audio/) The link that I use is http://ccmixter.org/ creative mixter

At the site http://music.podshow.com/ you will find music licensed for use in podcasts. Again read the license agreement. Attribution is required for the use of music from this website. They provide a large selection of music. If you would like to use this site contact us before registering. You will need to know the URL of your podcast feed. WeI can help you determine the URL.

The final website in this list is a pay per track approach to podcasting music also known as royalty free. Music is usually licensed in a manner that requires payment each time the song is played. This is known as the royalty fee. On this website you purchase a licenses for $29.95 per track, but royalty free. You can use the music as many times as you would like for the initial $29.95 fee.

Chronicle of Higher Education Article on Podcasting

2007-07-19T13:30:00.001-07:00

This article provides some best practices for podcasting. The article can be viewed at http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i21/21a03201.htm

The article recommends making it easy for professors, start small, listen to what students want, and think seriously about intellectual property. The article can be viewed in its entirety at the link above.

Welcome to Podcasting at WMU

2007-07-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Podcasting at WMU. We will provide information on how to podcast, best practices, new research, as well as the latest developments in podcasting. Please feel free to provide your expertise by posting articles on podcasting.

New features, and updates will be posted to this blog prior to general release. This will allow you, the user community to provide input prior to production releases.