Podcasting Basics

What is a Podcast?

Podcasts are audio or video files that anybody can listen to online or download onto their portable media player. They are mostly associated with episodic content of a regularly programmed series, such as a radio show. With the decreasing cost of recording devices and release of easy to use media editing tools, producing podcasts is easier than ever!

A podcast can cover a variety of topics, from the archives of a weekly radio program to foreign language guides. Many universities create podcasts of prominent guest speakers, while a class here at UBC uses them as assignments to hone students' storytelling skills. UBC students also create podcasts and audio files to share student opinion and experience via interview.

Podcasts can be an effective storytelling tool. The four tools of a podcast are voice, sounds, music and silence, and it’s astonishing how far these can go to captivate listeners. Without visual distractions, podcasts are able to hone in on specific content and intimately engage the listener.

How Do They Support Learning?

Archive Class Lectures You can create archives of class lectures for students who missed a class, want to review what you discussed with them, or study during their commute

Digital Storytelling Students can be given assignments that help them explore and share stories about local issues.

Literary Readings Many plays and poems are better understood when read out loud. Dramatic readings help convey expressions and meaning.

Language Learning Help students learn a new language by letting them hear and practice proper pronunciations.

Audio Instructions Easily explain assignments and solutions by creating short "microlectures"

Guest Speakers Share lectures from guest speakers who can give personal and in-depth insight into the latest research and issues.

Interviews Students can hone their interview skills while talking with other students or professors about a wide range of topics.

Examples

Podcasts can be produced and used in a variety of ways. Take time to look through the examples below and look into the possibilites on how they can be applied in academic settings.

Podcasts at UBC

LFS 400 - Digital Communication and Topics in Agriculture: a course that supports students in their development as communicators of topics on agriculture and sustainability. Learn more about the project and listen to some student podcasts.

Arts One Open: Podcast lectures offering perspectives on course readings.

Continuing Studies Public Lectures: UBC Continuing Studies shares recordings of their public lectures on topics such as human rights, journalism, and sustainability.

Therapeutics Initiative Podcasts: the Therapeutics Initiative (TI) podcast is a biweekly presentation where practitioners can get a healthy dose of evidence based drug therapy information. TI is an independent organization established by the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics

CiTR: similarly, UBC's student-run radio station, CiTR 101.9 FM makes their shows available for download through podcasts. An example is Radio Freethinker - podcast production of CiTR - UBC student radio.

What Do I Need?

We will be focusing on audio podcasts because they are easier to make than video. You only need 2 things to start recording: a microphone and the software. Once you have both, you can start recording!

Software

There are a number of free applications you can use to record audio. The following software either comes pre-installed on your operating system, while others are free downloads:

Windows	Mac	Cross-Platform (Windows/Mac)
Sound Recorder	Quicktime Garageband	Audacity

Microphones

Here are a few useful links if you're looking at microphones.

The DIY Media website has a page on microphone suggestions, going over the various types of microphones available.

Choosing Microphones is a 4-minute video from lynda.com which has some helpful tips for deciding what kind of microphone will best suit your needs.
Wistia's Learning Centre demonstrates the quality of sound achieved with different mics in this 4.5 minute video.

Hardware

To set up your mic, you'll need to configure your settings - this should only take a moment.

Windows	Mac
Go to Control Panel and click Sound Once a new window opens, go to the Recording Tab. By default, you will see the name of the device and sound level meter. If you make any sound near the computer and the bars go up, it means that it is working. If it says No audio devices are installed then you will have to get an external microphone. In some cases, the device might be disabled. Right-click within the window and choose Show Disabled Devices. A list of devices will appear and enable the one you want to use.	Open System Preferences and click Sound Click on the Input tab. You will see a list of devices that you can use and choose the one you want. If it is empty then you will need to get an external microphone.

How Do I Do It?

Step 1: Plan (edit)

Keep track of your ideas and develop a written plan or outline so that you can easily discuss with others should you want to collaborate.

Use this Plan Your Audio Project Worksheet to help you plan your podcast.

Equipment and Software

Gather equipment for your podcast project:

Microphone, either internal to laptop, or an external mic. You can borrow/rent microphones and other equipment from UBC IT - AV Rentals
Computer or laptop

Software:

Garageband (Mac) - from the iTunes Store

GarageBand - (Mac) Tutorial

Audacity (Mac, PC) - Free from SourceForge

Audacity (Mac, PC) - Colin Gray from the UK has a great playlist to help you learn how to use Audacity help.

Mobile - if you need to be mobile (for interviews) and are looking for an all in one recording/hosting option for short podcasts, try the *Opinion podcasting app

Step 2: Script (edit)

Prepare your content by putting together a script:

Include an introduction and conclusion section in your podcast
Write for the ear. Writing for what something sounds like is different than writing for reading. Here are some resources:

Print vs Radio
Writing for the Ear: Hearing Voices: Narration: Writing for the Ear
Kurt Vonnegut's 4.5 minute video lecture on the shape of stories.

When you are finished writing, read your script aloud to see if it sounds natural.
Do a mouth edit. Basically read your script to see if you trip over your words - if so - edit them to something that comes more naturally. See Revising Sentences.
Have a colleague read your script to check if it matches your objectives for learning.
Mark your script for recording by underlining for emphasis, inserting vertical lines for pauses, arrows for vocal inflections or any other notes

Script Resources

Step 3: Record (edit)

Before you begin recording get signed permission of people who will be speaking on the podcast. Also, make sure to rehearse the script in order to avoid unnecessary pauses or stumbling on words. Speak in a consistent, natural pace.

Location

Make sure that you record your podcast in a quiet room.
Be aware of noise going on outside of the recording room such as construction, busy hallways and loud conversations.
Turn off fans, A/C, and extra computers that generate noise.

Audio

Be sure to talk as closely to the mic as you can without distorting the sound, about six inches is a good distance.
Do a test recording to make sure the surrounding noise isn't too loud or distracting and that you are speaking at an appropriate volume.
Aim the microphone at chest level instead of directly in front of your mouth

Recording Resources

Audacity Tutorial
Penn state digital commons video tutorials including podcasting with Audactiy and podcasting with Garageband.
Top 10 Recording TIps

Step 4: Edit (edit)

Edit to clip together your recorded audio files and to ensure that audio volume is balanced throughout. Use the noise filter to reduce background noise. Utilize music where ever needed but make sure it is not distracting from the audio.

Editing Resources

Audacity Tutorial, Penn state digital commons video tutorials including podcasting with Audactiy and podcasting with Garageband.
Tips for editing a podcast in Garageband

Step 5: Publish (edit)

If you don't require privacy or security settings for your podcast, iTunes is probably your best bet. iTunes is the home of a lot of podcasts, and enables you to reach a wide audience. Students don't need an account to download them. To get on iTunes U, speak to your Instructional Support Unit.
If you do require security or privacy settings, consider using Kaltura, a UBC-hosted service. Kaltura offers options for learning activities that require students to record, upload and share content through Connect. Compared to YouTube, Kaltura offers more granular control over content and contributors. Here are two pages, detailing how to upload your video to Kaltura and how to share videos.
Post additional material: if you have worksheets, transcripts, or other material a listener might want, post them somewhere your audience can access.
After you've finished your project let us know! Get in touch with the CTLT to have your media added to the list of examples, and to join the DIY community!

Publishing your content

When you've finished recording, editing and exporting your content to an acceptable file format, you'll need to publish it so that you can embed it where you like. You can publish your content on:

Your own website.
UBC's Kaltura platform
UBC's YouTube Channel: using the upload form
Your own YouTube Channel: YouTube Help
Soundcloud for audio files.
another free content hosting service.

Embedding your content

Once your content is hosted (on YouTube or Kaltura) you can embed it in a Canvas course, WordPress environment or on a wiki page. See how-tos below.

Embed on UBC's CMS WordPress
Embed on the UBC Wiki
- YouTube
- Kaltura
- Audio - including Soundcloud.

Feedback

Podcasting Basics

Podcasts at UBC

Software

Microphones

Hardware

Step 1: Plan (edit)

Equipment and Software

Step 2: Script (edit)

Prepare your content by putting together a script:

Script Resources

Step 3: Record (edit)

Location

Audio

Recording Resources

Step 4: Edit (edit)

Editing Resources

Step 5: Publish (edit)

Publishing your content

Embedding your content

Resources

For Students

Students and Copyright

Audio

Events