Category: Podcast

EdTech, Podcast, Reflections

#25YearsOfEdTech: Call for Audio Reflections

Laura Pasquini

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So, I’ve been helping with a fun audio project to fill the gaps in my social schedule during the pandemic. #25YearsOfEdTech has been a fun way to connect, learn, and share with a community of brilliant professionals — so here’s our reflection as we get meta to podcast about the podcast.

We are about halfway through this audio book club project now that chapter 12 is out. In this bonus episode of “Between the Chapters” Martin, Clint, and I take a pause to get meta — it’s a podcast about the podcast. We share about our audio labour of love, specifically as we discover what it means to augment text to audio and how to share an aural history of ed tech through these episodic personal/professional reflections.

X-Ray Specs by @visualthinkery is licenced under CC-BY-SA & Remix by Laura Pasquini.

Questions for the @YearsEd community:

  • What location should the TV/film version of this book be shot?
  • Who should play Martin Weller in the film/TV adaptation of the podcast?
  • Anyone want to help with the graphic novel version?

Call for Community Voices: BONUS “Between the Chapters” episode for the 25 Years of Ed Tech book

  1. READ a chapter (or the whole book) to find a topic/year/idea that interests you. You can also get meta to audio reflect on one of the “Between the Chapters” episodes too!
  2. REFLECT & SHARE YOUR AUDIO THOUGHTS via Vocaroo or your own recording device you can send us via a URL (e.g. blog post, website, Dropbox link, etc.)
  3. SEND us the link to your recording so we can add your voice to the podcast! You can do this via the website contact form or DM @YearsEd or laurapasquini on Twitter.

Audio reflection questions/prompts:

  • How are you involved with this ______ topic/chapter/year?
  • What were your reflections back to a particular year in the book?
  • Share your experience with this particular technology, practice, or ed tech topic. 
  • What ideas and concepts most interested you from a specific chapter?
  • What is missing from a specific chapter or the book that we should talk about now? 
  • What questions do you have for the author, Martin Weller? And/Or what questions or thoughts do you want to pose to the @YearsEd community?

highered, Podcast, Research

The State of Higher Ed Podcasts in 2019

Laura Pasquini

Over the last couple of years, I have been looking at the landscape of podcasting within higher education. Today podcast and audio listening now has 50% of the US ear (The Infinite Dial 2019 report), as we witness some exodus from social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.  With the options of audio streaming platforms and increased ownership of smart speakers, I was not surprised to see the increase in weekly audio online listening:

As someone who listens to, creates, hosts, and enjoy podcasts, I have been following how my college and university colleagues have been involved in developing their own podcasts for the past couple of years: https://higheredpodcasts.wordpress.com/ Thanks to iTunes U, universities found a way to share their audio and video lectures, lessons, and student-produced podcasts. Now, we have innovative colleagues willing to share about their scholarship, offer suggestions for teaching, and tell more about their own practice on campus. I have shared shared some of this research and training materials in a previous blog post: Pod Save Higher Ed: Resources for Podcasting.  Over the Spring Break, I completed a review and update of the podcasts my peers are making. There are a number of additions, updates and archives, especially as more higher ed professionals are finding accessible ways to create and stream their audio productions.

For the purpose of my research, I am investigating podcasts that share about the higher education professional (graduate students, staff, and faculty) experience. These specific types of podcasts may offer a new way to learn, offer professional development, share a story, and/or improve to our practice in teaching, research or service. My review is to look at the genres, topics, audiences, issues, and ideas being shared in the higher ed podcast land. Here is the list of podcasts I’ve curated and I am currently examining in 2019 [also shared http://bit.ly/higheredpodcasts]:

If you have a podcast I should include in this review of podcasts in 2019, please let me know! Here is how I am defining a “higher ed podcast” for the purpose of this study:

  • the podcast content is created and shared to support professional development, learning, and/or information distribution
  • the podcast has a target audience which might include graduate learners (e.g. masters or doctoral researchers), professional school students (e.g. social work, medicine, etc.), staff/administration, and/or faculty in higher education
  • the podcast is in an audio and/or video format that can be subscribed, downloaded, and/or streamed from an electronic device (e.g. computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile)
  • the podcast is a program, show, broadcast, and/or episodes with a specific purpose or topic focused on the higher education domain
  • the podcast includes original content development intention: it was designed for a podcast, e.g. recorded college/university lectures, conference panels/presentations, professional learning webinars, recorded meeting, etc. (unless it was edited to fit into a podcast)
  • the podcast can be active or archived (no production since 2017)
Podcast, Professional Development, Training & Development

Pod Save Higher Ed: Resources For Podcasting

Laura Pasquini

This month, I have found myself sharing more and more about how we can think about social, digital tools to tell our stories in higher ed. There are many ways to share our experiences and highlight the amazing things students, staff, and faculty are working on at and beyond our institutions. I have found podcast hosting/producing to be a very rewarding experience to support my own learning and development. There is no shortage of knowledge I have not learned from podcast guests, the research of topics, and the notes for each episode  I have hosted – thanks @BreakDrink & #InVinoFab podcast!

Digital storytelling has the potential to cultivate agile learning and kick start creativity in our college/university pedagogical practices and research projects. With a growing population tuning into podcasts (at least 44% have listened to a podcast, and 26% are monthly listeners in the US in 2018), this storytelling medium is on the rise. Podcast creation and listening has increased for a variety of reasons: access and portability to listen on a variety of devices, a way to fill the daily/work commute, the growth of smart speakers, and the increasing mention of new and interesting fiction and nonfiction series that have reinvigorated podcast listening (thanks, Serial, Season 1).

Podcasts offer both information and entertainment outlets for listeners to tune in anywhere, anytime they want. This on-demand, audio content allows the media to be streamed or downloaded, and offers listeners a way to participate in the slow web movement.  Instead of a quick like, comment, or post we typically experience on social media or online, podcasts provide a longer form, intimate experience and connection with the hosts and ideas shared. This longer media format often offers deeper insights, showcases personality and personal styles, and helps to interpret current projects and experiences from this audio narrative. With a wide variety of creative formats (e.g. interviews, commentary, panels, storytelling, etc.), podcast episodes can vary in time, style, and approach. The audio medium of the podcast lets you decide the frequency, distribution, and how you will produce the topic. Additionally, you can include resources for listeners to access further information through episode details, resources, show notes, and transcripts.

I think MORE of my college and university colleagues should consider exploring podcast creation to share personal stories, thoughts, and reflections on the work we do. For higher ed, the podcast medium allows for hosts/producers to extend knowledge to a campus community, academic discipline, and practitioners who want to engage deeply on specific topics, ideas, trends, and/or issues. To plant the podcast production seed, I thought I’d share a few podcast planning/development resources I’ve been curating from a recent workshop I facilitated, called Pod Save Higher Ed. Here is the podcast planning and brainstorm resource guide to be downloaded (as a PDF file) shared under a Creative Commons license:

https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7228223.v1

I wish I had a quick “how to,” accessible guide to for higher ed podcast hosting and producing when I first started in 2010 (as Jeff and I lamented about in a past BreakDrink episode). This is a quick OVERVIEW of useful curated podcast resources, tools, tutorials, and suggestions I hope will help you if you are currently podcasting and/or considering to start your own podcast:

http://bit.ly/podsavehighered

There are SO many ways to produce a podcast these days. This open document is a space to SHARE and LEARN about HOW higher education professionals create, make, produce, and host their own podcasts:

http://bit.ly/behindthepodcast

Take a LISTEN to podcasts for and created by higher education professionals who want to share resources, ideas, and aspects about their own work:

http://bit.ly/higheredpodcasts

The time for higher ed professionals, practitioners, graduate students, researchers, instructors, administrators, and more to gain a share of the podcast ear. Higher ed hosts and producers, it’s time to raise our mics and let our tales be told through podcasts. Go ahead and launch the podcast you have always dreamed of creating now! I hope to listen to your pod story soon, @LauraPasquini

p.s. Be sure to share your podcasting story and let others know how/why you started your own podcasts OR how podcasts help you in your professional life in higher ed: #PodSaveHigherEd

Reference:

Pasquini, L. A. (2018). Pod Save Higher Ed: A Resource Guide To Inspire Storytelling & Podcast Making in Higher Education. figshare. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7228223.v1 and http://bit.ly/podsavehighered

Podcast

Behind the Podcast: How Do you Pod, #HigherEd Hosts/Producers?

Laura Pasquini

There seems to be growing number of higher ed podcasts. These are podcasts produced for, by, and about different aspects of higher education. This might be about the life of a faculty member, academic writing, teaching, scholarship or a particular discipline. There are a number of postsecondary podcasts about student affairs, learner support, technology, marketing, admissions, and general things happening at colleges and universities. I know this as I have been analyzing a few of these lately (here: https://higheredpodcasts.wordpress.com/) and I’m preparing to help others create their own podcasts (i.e. students, staff, and faculty).

Confession time: I may have started podcasting with @BreakDrink in 2010; however, I am really learning how to podcast now. In a recent conversation with Jeff on the last episode of BreakDrink, we had a candid conversation about how we tinkered and cobbled together our past and current podcast episodes … and the things we learned along the way.

From live episodes on BlogTalkRadio  and YouTube Live (formerly Google+ ON AIR LIVE hangouts) to thinking about audio, editing, and then some now,  we break down what’s behind our podcasting curtain in episode #30. Jeff and I also reflect about the process of thinking about WHAT you want to talk about and the WHY would you podcast — because recording and EDITING takes some effort to make it sound quality. These are some of the MANY things I have been thinking of for this form of digital storytelling… and there is more to come.

So much has changed in podcasting. There are so many MORE podcasts, different types, and others flooding into the audio market of narratives, interviews, panels, and promotion on the streams. There is SO much available to make a podcast that Podcasting for Dummies is on it’s THIRD edition (I know this, as I am studying and preparing my lessons with this text now!) and ways to share, host, and subscribe. There is NO shortage of “learn how to podcast” blog posts and websites that are a mix of hype, promise, and expensive equipment funded by search engine optimization, click ads, and empty promises to encourage you to buy into the hosts book, materials, etc. Some of this is good, and much of this is crap — as there are easier ways to start a podcast and play with this medium, if you are interested.

So… that being said, I thought I’d reach out to my own community to aggregate information from actual podcasts that I listen to in higher ed. I am doing this to share with campus stakeholders I’ll be working with over the next couple of months to share the work you do, how you do it, and, of course, promote YOUR podcast. My hope is to aggregate resources, promote your pods, and create a cohesive Creative Commons resource to share with my learners and YOU! This effort is to go “behind the podcast” (I miss you VH1) to understand how higher ed friends create and make their podcasts. I hope you can share resources, advice, and ideas for current/future pod producers, hosts, and makers. If you podcast or know someone who does in postsecondary education, please contribute to offer insights to peers about your technical troubleshooting and  audio experiments in the land of the pod here:

http://bit.ly/behindthepodcast

Here is the basic information I am hoping to aggregate in this open doc. It would be great to learn about the how, where, and what you podcast for your own higher ed pod AND feel free to add what you want based on these prompts:

  • Podcast (name):
  • Host(s):
  • Website or Where it Streams:
  • Social Media:
  • Describe your pod (brief description about the type of podcast/format):
  • Hardware (mic, earphones, etc.):
  • Software (recording, editing, etc.):
  • How do you host/produce your pod (in-person, Skype, etc.):
  • Where do you record (describe and/or post a photo) – share your #podcaststudio:
  • Hosting Services (Libsyn, Buzzsprout, SoundCloud, etc.):
  • Resources, reads and/or advice for podcast hosts/producers (things you’ve learned):

Thanks pod friends! I appreciate your help. #PodSaveHigherEd

#3Wedu, Podcast, wine, women, WomenWhoWine.edu

Sharing Women’s Stories in Higher Ed with the NEW @InVinoFab Podcast #InVinoFab

Laura Pasquini

The Women Who Wine, or #3Wedu podcast has been a cherished space for a small group of us (Patrice, Tanya, Jess, Nori & moi) to pour a glass of wine and chat about issues women face in higher education. As life evolves, so does the #3wedu podcast. With an interest in sharing and amplifying other women’s stories in higher ed, Patrice (@Profpatrice) and I have decided to create an audio-only podcast in a similar vain, called — In Vino Fabulum – which translates to In Wine, Story [Podcast Trailer]:

The #3Wedu podcast will continue the conversation and hopefully open up the pod-waves to bring new voices, ideas, issues, and movements. You might see the hashtag, #InVinoFab, but now we’ll have new guests on the audio-only podcast to share their story and have a bit of a chat/laugh. We welcome members of the higher education community to join the #3Wedu conversation to discuss issues and share what’s firing them up, specifically their interests, causes, work, movements, challenges, and more. We know there is a greater spectrum of voices among women, and we want to share these narratives.

The option to go audio only for this podcast is intentional. We think podcasting is an intimate space where fragile stories and perhaps sensitive topics could be shared. We recognize that some of our guests and their stories may want to remain anonymous on the web. We get and respect that — and we want to welcome others who want to share a public story openly or perhaps a private tale anonymously. Besides the longer format stories/interviews, you can expect to see some shorter episodes (5-15 minutes) we hope to put out in the coming months. These short stories, or vignettes, will include bits and pieces from the news, current events, relevant issues, and, perhaps, things we’re reading/watching/listening to. Of course, it would be wrong for us not to include a random fact or two about wine, right?

Here are a few of the recent episodes we launched off during Women’s History Month:

Our first guest for the 3Wedu: In Vino Fabulum podcast is, Dr. Ali Black (@draliblack) who shared with us her values around the ethics of care, gentle writing, and the importance of deep, thoughtful writing work with The Women Who Write.

Our conversation led us to talking about the women she writes with and how this type of support really empowered and encouraged herself and others in the group to reconsider how they approach their work, research, writing etc. with the systems and structures of our institutions. This women’s collective is one of many we see taking form at our colleges, universities, and within our society. I look forward to talking to more “wise women” and other packs of ladies who are re-writing their own way in postsecondary education. Speaking of packs, we did talk about wolves and what it means it means to be a “wild” women who embraces a wild nature:

“To establish territory. To find one’s pack. To be one’s a body with certainty and pride, regardless of the body’s gifts and limitations. To speak and act on one’s behalf. To be aware, alert. To draw on the enate feminine powers of intuition and sensing. To come into one’s cycles and to find what one belongs to. To rise with dignity and to retain as much consciousness as possible.”

~Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women Who Run with the Wolves

If that quote has sparked your interest, you can find the full episode streaming from HERE with a complete set of show notes filled with resources here:

https://3wedu.wordpress.com/2018/03/23/episode-no-2-draliblack/

#InVinoFab: In Vino Fabulum Podcast

Do you have something to share with us? Are you working on an interesting project that involves women in higher education and/or wine? Why don’t you share your story with the #3Wedu community? Is there a topic you’d like to learn more about around women, wine, or higher ed?

You can also reach out to us by email: InVinoFabulum@gmail.com