Reading through David Crystal How language works at the moment. The book is mostly based around how English language works but Its giving me some ideas about how to present these shows. One idea was the have different scenarios like shows. For instance a show simulating having a parent speak to a young child. The child/like us being the learner. Over a series of shows this could help build up basic verbs. It also leaves plenty of room for a bit of fun too

Another idea came from a friend who cousin will be sitting the leaving certificate. As he will be giving her grinds, the idea will be to record some of them and hopefully be able to illustrate some common mistakes and some tips about how to do better in the oral examinations.

I know good thing come to those who wait, but my god I have been waiting for ages for this feckin microphone. I have heard some quality podcast show made by the microphones of this man, so with any luck it will finally arrive some time this week and I can get going on some shows

Saw this today would probably do this if i had pda.Podcasts are becoming easier to consume.Programs such I think to make easier to consume and manage your podcasts .

avaricum for pdas

There are big difference between oral communication and written communication.

As Daniel Pink says "Stories are important cognitive events, for they encapsulate, into one compact package, information, knowledge, context and emotion.

What I think is missing in language learning is is more of an emphasis on developing expression. After all that is the fun of learning a language,

One of the real success from podcasting is Chinese pod with Irishman Ken Carroll

Chinesepod.com is consistantly in the top five podcast sites worldwide. Chinese pod is one of the best examples of how Web 2.0 technologies can be applied in education.

“This social aspect that made podcasting so appealing” when Carrol was introduced to it in early 2005.”Podcasting is personable, and can create atmosphere,"

Carrol was attracted by different elements

• The price, it is cheap to product the podcasts
• The turnaround time = podcasting is quick, particularly in comparison with making a textbooks
• Scalability you need one good teacher that can reach potentially millions

The podcasts are free but the extra teaching materials are not. These are available from a subscribers-only learning centre. Transcripts of the lessons require a basic subscription while Flash-based interactive teaching materials require the premium level subscription.

The podcasts can be listened to back at the users pace, creating a more immersive environment. Podcasting creates a connection to the global world. With the addition of a blog the children can have an unlimited amount of responses, feed back potential and most importantly encouragement from outside the classroom.

I know this is not related to podcasting, but I m posting it anyway such is the joy I get everyday on getting on my new bike and cycling. I am a firm believer if Jesus was around today he would be cycling. I got a good deal on this from cyclotronic and it cycles like the equivalent to what I would expect a Ferrari to drive like, even though I don’t know how to drive.This it red,fully kitted out with mud guards and lights and it got slicks on it oh yeahhhhhhhhh!!

I am bit late on this but these guys won best technolgy podcasts/at the 2006 podcasts

if you follow this link this is essential viewing for anyone interested in making there own podcasts

In July 2005 iLecture Version 3.1 started to support podcasting, providing lecturers with even more options in how they can make their lecturing content available to students. This allowed the students even more flexibility and mobility in how they study.

Although the university was late adopting the podcasting, it has been offering ‘on-demand internet-transmitted lectures’ (or ODILs) lectures for playback. This is the reason it is relevant to this report, as it shows the trends of third level students listening back to there lecture material. This could be indicative of third level institutes that offer there lectures as podcasts.

Below are some of the statistics since Lectopia started in 98

lecture hits for lectopia

1999 UWA Statistics: 1,600 lectures recorded; 30,000 hits
2000 UWA Statistics: 3,100 lectures recorded; 80,000 hits
2001 UWA Statistics: 3,900 lectures recorded; 100,000 hits

2002 UWA Statistics: 5,200 lectures recorded; 150,000 hits

2003 UWA Statistics: 6,800 lectures recorded; 245,000 hits
2004 UWA Statistics: 7,000 lectures recorded; 265,000 hits
2005 UWA Statistics: 9,500 lectures recorded; 380,000 hits

What these figuress represents is that with each year of growth recording lectures it has been matched by downloads.

Also thanks to Ewan blog / is news that Kansas University are going offer 6,000 class podcasts

Now these wont necessarily mean good lectures but this defiantly opens up lectures from the four walls of the classroom. I think this will also challenge educators to update their knowledge /and there delivery of there content

This cant be a bad thing for the students!!!

One of my favourite podcasts is David Noble .

His podcast charters how he develops his podcasts and other educational technology.

His podcast is based around

• Introducing podcasting to the classroom,
• His experience learning the new tools,
• Useful educational podcasts that he has reviewed
• His projects/passions that he is currently involved in.

It takes the audience as a participant learner, and is very accessible, relevant, and educational. One of the benefits of this style is that there is no hierarchy. This can be a problem with the classroom model. At times it can feel like a top down approach. As a result this is very engaging method to learn. Whilst the listener is listening they feel like they are learning along side David. The show has high production values and through his Lappelle mic this is one of the crispest podcasts that I have listened to.

The podcast is very reflective and is almost like an audio learning log.

David has just finished making a podcast directory like David Warlick Educational Podcast Network (EPN) URL .This is a directory full of suitable and appropriate educational podcasts for pupils and there studies. Hopefully In the next couple of weeks I might have something contribute to this!!!

VerbCast started of in the summer of 2005. Partners in Excellence (PiE), in North Ayrshire, Argyll and Bute and East Ayrshire, ran a four-week project to help a group of 15 to 17-year-olds become confident in the present, perfect, imperfect and future tense of regular and irregular verbs.

Each of the 20 episodes lasts around 15 minutes and concentrates on one verb. They use relaxation techniques, music and examples of the verbs in context to allow the students to maximise their learning time and visualise the formation of French verbs.

Every week the students took an online test as a way of self-assessment.

The learner is encouraged to switch off, close there eyes and relax completely so that you are in the best possible learning environment. The programmes use alternative learning techniques involving relaxation and visualisation.

It is hoped to apply these method when I start doing my own podcast as gaeilge.

Ok admittedly I have been very poor at this in recent weeks, I have a good excuse for my lacklustre contribution to this writing as I have got my myself a job. I am working in essentially an outsourcing company providing it support for a company in the uk. The job entails entry level support which means troubleshooting/admin/trying to fix the problem/ an escalating it to a team when we can’t fix it. I am enjoying so far and I am finding it has given me a good perspective on how big organisations manage there IT.

In my experience I think we are a good help centre. The average call intake is about 30 -35 calls a day and when we are not taking calls, we are chasing up cases and making sure that they are been actioned.

I did however get a good idea of the frustration of call centres today .I was trying to set up my laser card with paypal .In this case I phoned paypal at a cost of 4.50 per minute only to be kept while the paypal advisor tried to spell my email. This is of course is necessary in there eyes with security etc/after 3-4 mins and minus the 12 euro i had my query answered.

In my short time there I have been surprised at the lack of co ordination in regard to any changes throughout the organisation. Usually the only way people notice anything is when things go wrong and usually we are in the firing line. This made me think of two links that I though t might interest those who find themselves dealing with call centres the first the world is flat and the second is something I saw over at tech crunch with call centres .i think more and more the user will be paying for the privilege.
see ether.