Rationale

This page provides details regarding the rationale for designing Podcasting in the Poconos in the fashion that I have.
 * Instructions For Instructors
 * Provides details for another instructor to use this wiki with their own learners. Provides a list of materials required to be successful in teaching this course.
 * Instructions For Learners
 * Provides goals and objectives to learners so that clear expectations are established at the start of this course. Provides a list of materials required to create a successful podcast.
 * Survey: Pre-Survey *
 * The completed pre-survey provides the instructor with valuable information about the technology each learner has access to (e.g. PC or Mac) and each learner's prior experiences/knowledge of podcasting.
 * Content: Getting Started with Podcasting
 * Objectives: Restates the learner's goals and objectives
 * Instructional Materials: Provides a list of materials required to create a successful podcast.
 * About Podcasting: Provides the content/direct instruction of the course. Two short videos are presented at the start to activate prior knowledge and establish a working vocabulary of podcasting terms. Resources mentioned in the videos are listed below the video with a brief description of the resource. All resources are gathered and referred to again on the additional resources page. Detailed vodcasts are provided regarding the step-by-step use of Audacity.
 * Storyboarding: Provides more content/direct instruction regarding how to integrate podcasting into any curriculum. Storyboarding is the most important step in developing a successful podcast.
 * Examples: Examples are listed seperately after the content, but can be integrated into the direct instruction steps if so desired.
 * Additional Resources: Provides a consolodated list of all resources presented and a few other suggested resources.
 * Conclusion/Suggestions to Get Started: Wraps up the content/direct instruction portion of the lesson and provides some guidance as to how to proceed through guided practice or independent work.
 * Meeting: Podcast Meeting
 * The podcast meeting is an opportunity for learners to meet in a synchronous on-line environment. I suggest using Microsoft Live Meeting because this is the synchronous meeting tool that is available at my school and it is free for guests to download and join meetings that I host. Check with your school for the synchronous tool that is available to you. You may also consider a video conference meeting that integrates the desktop sharing feature of your video conference equipment.
 * I suggest learners complete the pre-survey and download all required programs one or two days prior to the synchronous meeting.
 * Instructors can then lead learners through the content/direct instruction sections of this course during the synchronous meeting. Instructors may use desktop sharing to demonstrate the steps learners will take to create a podcast using Audacity instead of viewing the detailed how to videos together. This process should take approximately 30 minutes. Provide enough details to for learners to be immediately successful without being frustrated. Do not get too detailed or you will overwhelm the learner. Also consider the information you gathered in the pre-survey; how comfortable are the learners with this medium? Can you push them? Learners could be provided fifteen minutes to complete the Exploring Podcasts WebQuest activity and then report their experiences back to the group when they rejoin the meeting.
 * A second meeting is suggested to occur five to seven days later after learners have time to create their own podcast and a lesson they would use with a classroom of elementary, secondary, or university level students. Learners can share the materials they have created, insights they have gained about the process of making a podcast, and ideas regarding how they foresee integrating podcasting into their curriculum.
 * Exercise: Exploring Podcast WebQuest
 * Provides learners a chance to critically analyze the quality of two published podcasts and share resources they have found to create their own podcast.
 * Assessment: Assessment of Your Learning *
 * Provides the instructor with a brief assessment of each learner's newly acquired skills and information.
 * Survey: Post-Survey *
 * Provides the instructor and the creator of the wiki with feedback regarding the learning experience.


 * Pre and Post Survey and Assessment * materials where all created using Google Forms. Participants who complete these surveys will be adding information to my Google Forms. Please contact me if you would like to create and embed your own surveys and assessments and I will be happy to remove my surveys and assessment so that you can do so.