Rambling Teacher's Blog

This is what I have done: Created mp3 files on topics related to the IT curriculum; Included musical interludes - radio program style; Increased the length of the casts from 11 to 20 minutes; Varied the bit rate from 128 Kpbs mono down to 56 Kpbs mono; Prepared ideas in the form of bullet points and kept my speech unscripted. This is what I have learned: Keep the file size small - a 56 Kbps mono-channel is sufficient; Use podcasts to introduce a topic, not for revision; Keep it short - no longer than 10 minutes; No need for so many musical breaks. If the cast is short, then just use music to tell the students that I am moving to another section; Ask the students to answer questions or write an entry on an online forum. Continue to speak in a conversational tone but stick to the planned examples. If you have examples of your own, then please share them in the comments.

Last Thursday I fiddled with Audacity on my PC and made my first audio cast for my Year 11 IT class. The next day I was full of anticipation. They listened to it, and here are the things they did not say: Wow, Mr Elias, I didn't know you were so talented. I will listen to this on the treadmill tonight. I have never understood so many concepts in so little time. Mr Elias, you have a great recording voice. You should be on radio. All the same, I felt that it worked really well. The students had been praying with a friend who lost her father, just before my class. They arrived at different times and were feeling understandably upset. The fact that they could start listening whenever they arrived really helped. They also laughed at my joke, which is always a good thing! Here are some of the things they did say: It was easier to understand than the textbook. Use music to break up the sections. Don't make it so long, it gets boring. So, the next time I podcast, I plan to keep it sim...