The course I am taking on media enhanced learning is turning out to be quite interesting and surprising for me. I have discovered a number of things that I previously had absolutely no idea about. Specifically, for this blog I want to talk about my first impressions regarding the concept of 'new podcasting'.
Simply put....I was surprised and shocked to learn that thousands of people are creating their own podcasts and that some of these podcasts are even available on iTunes. I am referring to it as 'new podcasting' just for my own transition into a deeper understanding because my experience with the 'old podcasting' was listening to a convenient stored video recording of a lecture or seminar or even a meeting. Wow...I didn't anticipate this trend coming! I was already trying to understand why and how people have the time to blog away for hours on end, writing for someone or no one. And now, I find that thousands of people are also talking their hearts out to anyone who wants to listen. I thought that was a pretty strange and random thing to do so I started listening to a variety of audio podcasts on a variety of topics. I was amazed at what I heard! What a bunch of clever talented people out there. How did I not know about this? I feel humbled and a bit intimidated by all the very talented, knowledgeable and articulate folks. I don't expect that most podcasters are getting paid any money, but I can hear the pride and passion in many of the podcasts. It seems to me that many podcasters do have something interesting to say, and they just want to say it, even with no idea who may be listening or not. It is a big commitment of time and effort to make a regular podcast. My respect now goes out to good podcasters. At minimum it must be a good mental exercise, requiring self- discipline, research, self-analysis, reflection and perhaps even engaging dialogue with listeners who respond. Podcasters should be studied. Perhaps they have found a way to manage depression or create inspiration, or simply access their inner creativity. I have to say....the faceless podcasters have influenced me. I am not sure where I will find the time just yet.....but I will give this a whirl. I am thinking that I will start by making some songs that I perform into podcasts and see how they sound. I also have to create a speaking audio podcast for this course...as proof that I am willing to face humiliation and embarrassment in the pursuit of knowledge and growth and overcoming the fears of doing new things like this. So far, I am delighted to discover so many amazing resources available to support individuals who want to do some podcasting. I discovered that there are a number of companies providing the hosting for the podcasts and making podcasting easy (e.g. Pod Bean, and Lib syn). Because I am a newbie, of course I don't want to make a commitment and don't want to pay anything until I understand the value part of this endeavor. If I get hate mail after my newbie efforts, I might not be inclined to continue in this direction. To get the ball rolling, I set up a free account with Podomatic. It was easy, fast and efficient. I even asked their online support staff that welcomed me by email to the site what software they recommend for recording the podcast. I received a rapid and friendly response and they mentioned that many beginners like me are very comfortable with the function and ease of use of a free download called Audacity. I listened to a podcast about how to make a podcast and heard an enthusiastic testimonial that a wonderful microphone for creating high quality audio recordings is the Shure NV-88 Lightning Microphone. But I quickly learned that my combo-jack input on my laptop won't support the fancy microphone described above. So, the quest for knowledge and results continues and led me to learn that I can get a very good USB microphone, once I can figure out which one is the best value for the price. Well I better end this blog so I can spend more time preparing the upcoming podcast. Surely, you must be getting tired of reading? Cheers, Geo Leave a Reply. |