Podcasting Resource: Magnatune

An excellent resource for music for podcasting is Magnatune . They are podfriendly and all of the music has a creative commons license of some type--and all are available for non commercial podcasts.
We specifically grant podcasts a waiver to use our music without paying any fee to a royalty collection agency, such as ASCAP or BMI. Because we work directly with artists, we can legally do this.

from http://www.magnatune.com/info/podcast


For more information on Magnatune, read their page Why We Are Not Evil.

Podcasting Primer

There are many resources on the Internet for podcasting, but here is a succinct and useful start. The goal is to create audio files, put them on the Web, and allow subscribers to be notified of updates.

A good working definition of podcasting is:

the method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio programs or music videos, over the Internet for playback on mobile devices and personal computers. Podcasts are distributed using either the RSS or Atom syndication formats.

from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting Retrieved May 26th, 2006)

Here are some resources that can help you get started:

Audacity--the free software that can help you create podcasts.My Audacity Tutorial on My Updates and New Material (Audio Editing Using AUDACITY Software)--an anchored project that will get you started with Audacity.

When using other people's work, copyright is a major consideration. If you are using other people's work, you should familiarize yourself with Podcasting Legal Guide by Creative Commons. It's comprehensive with a brief and useful section on Finding Podsafe Content.

If you are looking for a host who will supply the space and generate the rss feed, Garageband is very good. Right now I'm looking into the restrictions and ability to use songs on Garageband for podcasting.

The songs on Garageband are on a sliding scale of copyright restrictions--from full copyright to use only in Garageband podcasts to creative commons. This FAQ has the details.

If you are looking for a source for original music, you might also want to try the CTC Music Mixer, an online multitrack music editor with a library of music tracks.

The complex part is the creativity work you do for your show. Here is an interesting podcast from NPR's Soundcheck that reviews the landscape of podcasting--It's a Pod World After All.

Blog Changes Audience

Now that the workshop is over, I’m going to use this blog to communicate with my current and former students (and anyone else who reads it). As I’ve said in my classes and at workshops, I’m not a good blogger. It’s been years since I had an original idea, and I’m pressed for time with my twin toddlers.

Nevertheless, I think this can be a beneficial tool. Besides students some of the workshop attendees were interested in keeping up with educational technology and new applications on the Web, and this blog would be a good way to do that.

This week was the official start of Summer I courses, and I am teaching Graphic and Graphic Design in Education (online), Introduction to Educational Technology (online), and Special Topics: Digital Portfolios (f2f in Hopatcong). Hopefully, my students will be viewing, commenting, and blogging themselves.

Wrap up on Workshop

The workshop went very well. I'm going to continue this blog, but not specifically focus on workshops.

I've posted some links related to questions from the workshop.

Some people were interested in doing more with images but were not ready to take the plunge into purchasing an image editing software. pxn8 is an online image editing software that can do a good job tweaking your pictures.

The work on audio editing and podcasting went very well. The Web site Garage Band has a podcasting feature that might be of interest to you.

Day of workshop

Today is the day of the workshop

Soundcheck on Podcasting

NPR's Soundcheck (5/16/06) did a feature on the varied landscape of podcasting.

Nearly a year after Apple began offering podcasts on iTunes, podcasting has become a surprisingly diverse audio genre - the Wild West of the media landscape. Thousands of companies and individuals offer podcasts on every conceivable subject. Today, we look at some of the best and worst of the medium, from those offering university lectures and stocktips to indie rock and more. We'll get a state of the podcast business and hear from a skeptic who believes it may just be a fad.

Also, I was talking to a workshop participant today at graduation who wanted some specific info on wikis. I will mention these sites in the workshop, but you can get started at Seedwiki or Wikispaces.

Introductory Quotes

As I organize the material for the workshop (and check, and double check that the laptops are ready for the hands-on breakout sessions) I realize the importance of the introduction--setting the tone for the day. There are two quotes that are crucial to the larger theme of the workshop. We'll talk about them on Friday, but here they are.

If you teach him to read "It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master..." These words sank deep into my heart, stirred up sentiments within that lay slumbering, and called into existence an entirely new train of thought...From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom.

--Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Chapter 6
from http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Literature/Douglass/Autobiography/06.html



In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.

-- Eric Hoffer, Reflections on the Human Condition

Images of Workshop Location

Below are images of the workshop location. It was made on Slide.com

Senate Report

Puzzle1
Originally uploaded by wilhei55.

Shiela K. mentioned that she might refer to this blog during the report from the Senate Instructional Technology Committee. Sorry I can't be there, but I have a class in South Plainfield.

This blog is to introduce and to continue the work that I will present at a one-day workshop on May 19th, New Literacies: Subject to Change.

I wanted to try something that went beyond the usual talk, PowerPoint, handouts of my PowerPoint.

Steve H. sent an email out the the NJCU list regarding the workshop; please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Contact me directly or post on this blog.

I've tried to post a sample of the work that we will be covering as I develop the material. There are some resources for the ideas that Sheila is talking about.