Introduction
Podcasting is the distribution of media files using web based syndication to hand-held devices. This presentation outlines how podcasting works and could be used in Education and Training. The possible use of podcasting for the Australian Computer Society will be discussed.
About the Speaker
Tom on the flagship of the U.S. Seventh Fleet
Tom is an Information Technology consultant with 20 years experience in the ICT industry in Australia. He is a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the Australian National University. Tom is a former IT advisor at Headquarters Australian Defence Force. He is a past President of the Australian Computer Society, Fellow and Honorary Life Member.
ACS Computer Professional Program
The Computer Professional Program is education with a difference - workplace oriented and delivered by e-learning methods - it is real any time, any place learning. The CP Program has been developed by IT professionals for IT professionals and fills the gap between university education and work experience - so you can advance to the next step of your career. The CP Program will provide ACS Members an advantage in the marketplace and improves employment and career prospects.
From: Computer Professional Program, ACS, 2006
Podcasting
BlackBerry SmartPhone
Podcasting is the distribution of audio or video files, such as radio programs or music videos, over the Internet using either RSS or Atom syndication for listening on mobile devices and personal computers. The term podcast, like "radio", can mean both the content and the method of delivery. Podcasters' websites also may offer direct download of their files, but the subscription feed of automatically delivered new content is what distinguishes a podcast from a simple download or real-time streaming (see below). Usually, the podcast features one type of "show" with new episodes either sporadically or at planned intervals such as daily, weekly, etc. In addition to this, there are podcast networks that feature multiple shows on the same feed.
From "Podcasting", Wikipedia, 28 March 2006
The term "podcast" came from the iPod produced by Apple Computer, but applies to other portable digital media players. It also applies to playing the audio files with a personal computer, without the use of a portable device. It also applies to devices which can play video files. The term has more loosely been applied to any downloading of audio or video files to a computer. In reality it is the use of digital audio and video which is of greater interest than podcasting, for education and training purposes.
Podcasting Issues
- Integrate with training materials and activities
- Target devices students have
- Provide small manageable units of learning
- Use affordable and sustainable c0ontent creation techniques
Integrate with training materials and activities
Podcasting should not be used on its own for education. The video and audio need to be part of a training package.
Target devices students have
Most students will not be using hand held media players for playing podcasts; they will be using desktop or laptop computers. The media files and system need to therefore be set up with that flexibility in mind. Hand held devices have small or no screens. Computers have screens which can be used to deliver more detailed visual content than a handheld device. Graphics for podcasts can use similar designs as for presentations and web pages for mobile devices.
Provide small manageable units of learning
The one hour units commonly used for lectures delivered live are too long for podcasting education. Much shorted segments of a few minutes each need to be used. As well as lessening the load on the student this makes the content technically easier to deliver over a network.
Use affordable and sustainable content creation techniques
The major cost with podcasting is not the computer system and network for storage and delivery, but the creation of the content. Preparation of a script, recording and editing is a complex and expensive process. This needs to budgeted, including the cost of revising the material at least every year.
Some Systems
- Lectopia: Developed by UWA for recording of lectures. Now a commercial product.
- Digital Lecture Delivery: Developed by ANU for audio lecture recording and delivery.
- Open Journal Systems: Developed by Simon Fraser University (Canada) for academic journals. Has provision for multimedia and feeds. Available free.
- Moodle and ATutor are open source e-learning platforms (aka "Virtual learning environments", "Managed learning environment" or "Learning Content Management System (LCMS)"). Moodle has an ipodcast module
Preparing Content
The media files for podcasting are usually thought of as being music, but can be any audio or video, including spoken word books. In the military context, the podcast could contain digitized radar images, maps, briefings or orders. A podcast can contain binary data, formatted messages, map coordinates and word processing documents as well as audio and video.
... a lecturer starts the DLD application on the Windows PC in the teaching venue and accepts or changes some information (course code, lecture name) that is automatically retrieved from the ANU central timetable system, then starts recording using the microphone in the teaching venue and at the end of the lecture, stops the recording process. That's it.
An mp3 recording is saved on the teaching venue PC behind the scenes. Some short time after the lecture, the mp3 is automatically transferred to a processing server ...
From: "How does the DLD Lecture recording work?", Program Leader, Teaching and Learning Environments, STS, ANU (undated)
Podcast content is prepared as other digital content. For music a sophisticated recording studio and complex post processing may be used. For spoken word a microphone and PC will do. For military purposes, the content may need to be converted to a format compatible with the display device and the file made small enough for the available commutations channel. It should be noted that with the content already available, a simple conversion may be all that is required. As an example digital audio of a briefing could be recorded and sent along with accompanying Power Point slides.
Podcasting Feeds
Once the digital audio, video and other data is prepared, Podcasting uses RSS or Atom syndication, popularized with blogs (web logs) to distribute content. The syndication uses small XML files which provide an automated catalog of material available using standardized metadata elements. The user can subscribe to an RSS (or ATOM) "feed" and then receive podcasts automatically to their PC. The data downloaded to the PC can then be automatically loaded into an iPod or similar hand held player. A hand-held device with a wireless Internet connection, such as a PDA or smart phone, can combine the functions of the PC receiving the podcast and the portable player. In the military context a hand-held terminal can be used.
An example is the RSS2 feed for Radio National's "All in the Mind" program. The URL for the feed is http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/mind.xml. The file starts with a comment to identify it for those who see the raw file (it is intended to be read by an RSS reader, not a web browser. There is then a heading to identify the feed:
<rss version="2.0">
-
<channel>
<title>All in the Mind</title>
-
<description>
All In The Mind is Radio National's weekly foray into the mental universe, the mind, brain and behaviour - everything from addiction to artificial intelligence.
</description>
<link>http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/mind/</link>
<copyright>Australian Broadcasting Corporation</copyright>
<language>en</language>
<itunes:author>ABC Radio National</itunes:author>
-
<itunes:summary>
All In The Mind is Radio National's weekly foray into the mental universe, the mind, brain and behaviour - everything from addiction to artificial intelligence.
</itunes:summary>
<itunes:link rel="image" type="video/jpeg" href="http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/mind.jpg">All in the Mind</itunes:link>
<itunes:category text="Science"/>
<itunes:category text="Health"/>
<itunes:category text="Public Radio"/>
<itunes:category text="Australian"/>
Each Item in the Feed
Each item in the feed is then described:
<item>
<title>2006-03-25 The starving brain</title>
-
<description>
SUMMARY: The pressure to be thin is more intense than ever – and with around 80% of teenage girls choosing to diet – some slide down the slippery slope into anorexia nervosa. While our knowledge of this puzzling disorder is still limited, some inroads of understanding are being made into what occurs in the starving brain. In this week's program we hear some of the latest scientific research into the mechanisms of anorexia, and a young woman who's on the path to recovery gives a moving insight into what she's been through.
</description>
-
<link>
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/mind_20060325.mp3
</link>
<pubDate>Sat, 25 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
<enclosure url="http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/mind_20060325.mp3" length="14476330" type="audio/mpeg"/>
-
<guid>
2006-03-25 The starving brain - Sat, 25 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +1000
</guid>
<itunes:author>ABC Radio National</itunes:author>
-
<itunes:summary>
SUMMARY: The pressure to be thin is more intense than ever – and with around 80% of teenage girls choosing to diet – some slide down the slippery slope into anorexia nervosa. While our knowledge of this puzzling disorder is still limited, some inroads of understanding are being made into what occurs in the starving brain. In this week's program we hear some of the latest scientific research into the mechanisms of anorexia, and a young woman who's on the path to recovery gives a moving insight into what she's been through.
</itunes:summary>
<itunes:duration>0:30:08</itunes:duration>
</item>
It should be noted that the RSS file does not contain the actual digital audio, just a reference to it (metadata). This makes for a small file.
