Podcaster Steve Sloan
2005, December 2
mp3
Duration 37:30 min
Accessed Sunday, December 28, 2008 4:42:56 PM
1 - Quality?
16000 Hz stereo with a 32 bit sampling rate seemed to be more than adequate - a balance between ensuring it is high enough that one has a sound quality that does not distract from the podcast content ... yet low enough to minimize file size to facilitate downloading and storage
2 - Broadcast quality? - well constructed / intelligible
If the quality of the broadcast was to be compared with radio then it lacks for structure and conciseness.. beyond a mention at the beginning of who was being interviewed and the general shared interest of both the host and guest in podcasting . it wasn't clear how things might evolve the title offered some suggestions but only a very small portion of the podcast was devoted to the topic suggested in the title - podcasting course plan. discussion on the benefits of podcasting for both academics and their students proved to be interesting
3 - Suitability? does it meet the needs of the intended audience people interested in learning more about podcasting, its benefits, its possible applications in an academic context ...
Some of this seems to be there (read the general comments down below for details). However, in the absence of a clear structure or introduction, I have to wonder just how many people would have had the patience to take notes and listen for the gems of information.
4 - Length? is it of an appropriate length for the subject / intended audience
37:30 minutes in 16000 Hz much too long for what was talked about.. some repetition of key points.. namely downloading and improving student access to academic lectures .. but.. then again.. typical of the "folksy" nature of podcasting
5 - Interest? does it engage you
First 10 minutes did engage my interest .. I enjoyed the conversational style and there did seem to be enough of a focus plus discussion on the topic in a context that I could relate to .. however the last half seemed to go on forever.. some information that was local in context seemed out of place and undermined my interest .. repetition of some topics was also observed .. likely contributing to my own thoughts about the relevance and suitability of listening to justify listening to the last half
6 - Academic quality? is it based on research / argument / opinion
Academic in topic but conversational style .. general dialogue ... Sometimes appearing to drift off task but host guided it back to topic of podcasting in academics. In the absence of a compass (introduction) at the beginning it might have appeared to be more off task than it really was.
7 - Suggestions for improvement? how could it be altered to better suit the needs of the audience
Provide the listener with options on how to approach podcast
- listening to the whole thing
- chapters inserted
- topics listed with timings
- transcript
- introduction and structure of the interview
- abstract to give me some idea as to the focus
- glossary of key terms that may be new to people
This gives adult learners who are often time starved and task oriented .. a chance to quickly assertain the importance / relevance of one resource amongst many to warrant investing the time required to listen to all or part of a podcast
8 - Suggestions for use - if it were part of an information source for practitioners, what brief notes would you put on the site to place the podcast in context
Provide potential listeners with a general abstract with time lines and specific reference to sections of the podcast to target specific topics that may be of interest to target listeners. Something to the effect of "Conversation between a noted US Podcaster Steve Sloan (EduBlogger) and Masters in IT student Gwen Dapper on her plans to teach podcasting. In the process they share the benefits to faculty and students in using podcasts and how easy they are to set up."
content - Key benefits of podcasting
Key benefits of podcasting for students include
- time shifting
- remediation
- improve access to advanced materials for adv learners
- improve access to content for disabled students
- improve access to disadv students (single parents, etc.)
- commuting time becomes functional time
- future access to same material incorporation of speech or parts of speech into one's own podcasts
- capitalize on student culture / acceptance of tech
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