Instructional Technology
Conference 2007

Title: Creating and sustaining a poodcasting infrastructure using direct digital recording and text to speech software.

Name: James Janossy

Audience Level: all

Audience: Faculty, Instructional Technology Specialists, Distance Learning Professionals, Deans

Length: This workshop requires a minimum of 2 hours; if scheduled to be a pre-conference
session, the conference call for proposals indicates scheduling from 1:00-4:00 PM (three
hours). The third hour would be highly beneficial for hands-on work by participants
under the guidance of the presenter.

Abstract:
Podcasts can enhance the learning experience by overcoming reading difficulties, making
use of multiple sensory modes, and capturing discussions otherwise lost. This workshop
demonstrates how to create digital audio files by direct recording and by use of text-tospeech
software. Attendees use a sound editor to polish multiple formats of audio file, use
software to create high-quality audio from text, and learn the equipment and staffing
requirements to sustain podcasting as an instructional technique.

Description:
This pre-conference workshop covers learning enhancement using podcasts, and what a
college or university needs to provide in terms of support for this purpose. The workshop
includes coverage of these topics:

• brief overview of the podcasting phenomenon
• methods for creating podcasts (computer recording, digital recorder capture,creation using text-to-speech software)
• direct podcast recording with a modern direct-to-digital recorder
• audio leader and trailers preparation and application
• digital sound recording using a computer
• basic sound editing operations
• legal concerns and copyright issues
• methods for distributing podcasts; download and streaming options, effects oncomputer-based listening and listening with portable sound devices (.mp3 players)
• examination of successful podcasting operations
• integrating podcasts with published instructional materials
• typical equipment and staff budget requirements for each level of podcast creation support and infrastructure.

Participants in this workshop will learn, by demonstration and hands-on exercises, how to create podcasts using multiple methods and formats, and the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Selected participants will actually operate the presenter’s hardware and software to create a typical “mini-lecture” podcast. Participants bringing laptops will be provided with their own loadable copies of the Audacity shareware sound editor and executable evaluation copies of TextAloud text-to-speech software, so that they can join in the hands-on exercises, as well as take home the operable software for extended exploration. Each participant will be provided with a learning guide including illustrations of the processes performed in the workshop. The presenter is co-author of the Information Technology Workbook (Stipes Publishing, 2006) which is supported by 80 podcast mini- lectures freely distributed at www.ambriana.com , demonstrated in the workshop. Participants will gain the skills to replicate the types of podcasts that can be examined now at this web site.

Session Type: Pre-Conference Workshop

Contact information/affiliation:
James Janossy
DePaul University School of Computer Science
243 S. Wabash Avenue, Room 400
Chicago, Illinois 60604
(773) 325-8629
e-mail: jjanossy@depaul.edu

Equipment:
Venue must provide a computer projector and screen, and needs to provide a publicaddress
sound system if the workshop room is larger than 30 people. A wired or Wi-Fi
Internet connection for the presenter is desirable but not necessary.
Note: the presenter will bring a laptop, multiple inexpensive microphones, a digital
recorder, and a small sound system. Participants will be encouraged to bring IBM PC
laptops if they wish to perform hands-on work.