2014-07-18

PodOmatic

One of the tools used for yesterday's ET630 class summary was PodOmatic, a platform for users to create and publish audio and video podcasts.  The educational value of podcasts is immense.  Course lectures can be had for free (look for example at Khan Academy and MIT Open Courseware).  Although I do not teach foreign language in school, I see the value in using podcasts in foreign language classes: learning vocabulary, reciting dialogues, conducting interviews, etc.  (I did some of this in the summer of 2013 when I took Korean language classes at Sogang University in Seoul, Korea.)

You start by signing up for a free account on the PodOmatic website.  PRO members are allowed more bandwidth and they can get more storage.  There isn't a separate app for mobile devices or tablets, per se, but there are apps for Android and iOS that allows you to listen or watch podcasts on PodOmatic.  Once you register, you will eventually have your own URL for your own podcasts (here is mine).



(Note that once you post your first PodOmatic podcast, you get a free 30-day PRO membership, which is nice.)

According to this help page, you can use the PodOmatic Audio Recorder to capture audio, as long as you have a microphone (I haven't used this feature yet).  You can also use a separate program to record and edit audio, which is what I did.  I would recommend Audacity, which is FREE.  Once you create your podcast, you upload it to the website.  One nice touch is the ability to upload a picture as well, a useful feature.  Go to my PodOmatic page and see the podcasts I have created thus far.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for clearing up something for me Felix. I though PodOmatic made podcasts as well as provided a place to listen to them. Now I know I need Audacity as the partner to PodOmatic. I found Pod extremely easy to use to comment on the class summary. Thanks for introducing it. It's great.

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  2. Actually, according to the help pages, you can create podcasts using the PodOmatic Audio Recorder (as long as you have a webcam or microphone), but you are limited to one hour of recording. (I didn't try this feature.) Audacity is one possible program to use in tandem with PodOmatic -- I used it because I was most familiar with the program.

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  3. GarageBand is another tool that can be used to create audio, and that comes free with Macs. Audacity is also free.

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  4. I thought this was a good tool when you did the class summary. This would be a good tool to use to post directions to something on your website. Maybe a student missed school and needs directions (or maybe a student who was there wasn't listening). It could be a welcome on a website, too.

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