Distance+Learning+I

 ===**Distance Learning I** === 

Whether we like it or not, distance education has become an everyday part of our world. Students can get everything from a high school diploma to a Ph.D. working online. Many careers have licenses earned online, and many companies have online training. But when working in a distance learning environment, what are your options? What technologies are available to use?

 || The best example of a digital audio product used today in education is probably a podcast. Podcast, a term that comes from the words //iPod// and //broadcast//, is an audio recording distributed online and accessed on computers or portable media players.

For most of your students, iPods are devices for listening to and viewing music, videos, photos, or even TV shows in the palm of their hand. But for educators, iPods are an emerging teaching and learning technology. In what was a pioneering step at the time, Duke University gave iPods to 1,600 first-year students in 2004. The purpose was academic, not recreational, and the impact was a great success. Students began using their iPods to listen to course lectures outside of class, to record information during class and in the field, and to review material for exams (Belanger, 2005). But podcasts can be accessed and played on any Internet-accessible computer, making access easily within the reach of classroom teachers. ||  || Educational podcasts are everywhere on the Web. Major news organizations including PBS and the New York Times provide podcasts of key stories and current events. Members of Congress, political candidates, and special interest organizations regularly post speeches and policy statements. Book authors, scientists, and leading experts discuss their latest research and creative work.

The American Chemical Society, for example, offers cutting edge science discovery podcasts for young listeners entitled "__ Bytesize Science __." "__ History On Air __" is a series of podcasts devoted to learning about historical figures, events, and places. Most of the topics covered on History on Air are requests submitted by listeners.

Students, too, can generate podcast content easily and creatively. Writing assignments, such as an essay or a fictional story, can provide the foundation for a podcast. Community events, special projects, and creative activities can all be recorded as news items with interviews and published via podcasting. And students of all ages enjoy the process of writing, recording, editing, and posting material on the Web so podcasting can be done in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms.

There are two more advantages to teacher-and student-produced podcasts:
 * Teachers can easily record lectures, review sessions, and class discussions for students to hear outside of class. Compared to digital video, it is easier to record voice than to film a lecture or class discussion. Recording audio involves merely turning on a digital voice recorder and then conducting the class.

The tools that you will need to create and publish a podcast include:
 * Students may perform in a more relaxed and thoughtful manner when recording a podcast than when performing for a camera. With a camera, there is a tendency for some readers to overact in an effort to have fun and get laughs. Speaking into a microphone instead of a camera can help confine students to the activity at hand and keep them concentrating on your major educational goals.

Fryer, W. __ Classroom Audio Podcasting __.
 * A computer with a microphone (most laptops come with mikes now)
 * An audio editor such as __ Audacity __ (free)
 * Royalty free __ soundtracks __ and __ sound effects __ to enhance your podcast
 * Internet connection and a podcast hosting website such as __ Podomatic __ (up to 500 MB for free)

Shelley, N. __ Podcasting in the Classroom __.

//Video//: __ Podcasting in Plain English __.

>

> **Podcast.** Use __ Audacity __, Garageband or a similar audio editor (e.g., __ [|http://gabcast.com] __) and create an educational podcast in your content area. The podcast should begin with some music, followed by your narration, and concluded with music that fades out. Use sound effects and enhancements (e.g., amplification, reverberation etc.) where appropriate. You should then export your podcast to the .WAV or .MP3 format and submit this final audio file to __ Podomatic __. You will need to create a free account, login, create a URL (web address) for your podcast, then click on My Podcasts, Enter New Episode, enter the title, upload your .MP3 or .WAV file, add tags that describe your podcast, and save/publish your podcast. When you go back to My Podcasts, you will now see Episode 1 that has been published. Click on View next to Episode 1, and copy the web address for the page that opens next. Paste this web address in your Blog to share your podcast with the instructor and the rest of the class. Your web address will look something like this: http://pasha.podomatic.com/entry/2010-06-02T14_55_04-07_05. Include a broef description of how you would use this podcast in your teaching.
 * Assignments **


 * Resources **
 * Video: __ Online and Face-to-Face Learning __ (Myeducationkit)
 * The Education Podcast Network: __ [|http://epnweb.org] __
 * Screencast: __ Creating a Podcast __ (Myeducationkit)
 *  Audacity (Tutorials: __ [|http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/17-audacity-tutorial.htm] __;
 * DimDim (Tutorial: __ [|http://solsie.com/2008/11/dimdim-free-web-meeting/] __)
 * Tokbox __ [|http://tokbox.com] __
 * <span style="url(https: //ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/b8344b/system/app/themes/ember/bl.gif); list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc;">Teacher Tube (Tutorial: __ [|http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=3847419bb3de39a609af] __)
 * <span style="url(https: //ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/b8344b/system/app/themes/ember/bl.gif); list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc;">School Tube (Tutorial: __ [|http://www2.schooltube.com/help.aspx] __)
 * <span style="url(https: //ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/b8344b/system/app/themes/ember/bl.gif); list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc;">VoiceThread (Tutorial: __ [|http://www.edsupport.cc/mguhlin/archives/2008/09/entry_7812.htm] __)
 * <span style="url(https: //ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/b8344b/system/app/themes/ember/bl.gif); list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc;">SlideShare (__ [] __)
 * <span style="url(https: //ssl.gstatic.com/sites/p/b8344b/system/app/themes/ember/bl.gif); list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc;">Sketchcast (Tutorial: __ [|http://sketchcast.com/category/Tutorial/] __)