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the technique they used to create their groundbreaking
Amsterdam Al Pod.
Joyce Winslow
jwins@uoregon.edu
When UO School of Journalism professor and associate dean Al Stavitsky decided to try podcasting his J201 class from an international media conference in Amsterdam, he thought of it as "kind of a crazy experiment." But anyone familiar with Stavitsky, the voluble, kinetic "Podfather of the School of Journalism," could have predicted its success.
Stavitsky seems born to broadcast. In fact, before coming to the University of Oregon, he spent eight years as a radio and TV journalist. As he says, "Just put a mic in front of me, give me a cue--and I go!"
Spurred by the explosion in the popularity of iPods, Stavitsky first integrated podcasting technology into his Mass Media and Society course in the fall of 2005. His goal in using the medium was to "add value to the class, instead of merely recording lectures."
Stavitsky encouraged student participation by keeping the podcasts short (15 minutes or less), entertaining, and useful. He often embedded enticements, such as information that was important for upcoming tests, and soon listening to the "Al Pods," as students dubbed them, became cool. Word-of-mouth and peer pressure among students did the rest. Some students really got involved, dreaming up the nicknames "P-Daddy" and "Podfather" for their mentor and creating the catchy rap theme song for his broadcasts.
But the Amsterdam project was more ambitious. For one thing, it was his first videocast, requiring some technical expertise in recording and editing. Then there was the time difference (nine hours), and the worry of uploading and transmitting extremely large files successfully from an unfamiliar location in time for his Wednesday class.
Fortunately, Stavitsky was able to enlist expert help from GTF Michael Huntsberger, who accompanied him on the trip. Huntsberger took over the chores of recording, editing, and transmitting the videocast segments, while Stavitsky focused on introducing his students to some of the salient differences between European and American media, interspersing tidbits of Dutch history, travelog, and interviews with conference attendees.
Back in Eugene in time for class the following Monday, Stavitsky and Huntsberger shared their post mortem of the Amsterdam videocasting experience with students. Both were impressed with how today's technology has contributed to what they call the "democratization of media": the ability for almost anyone to record and post a file on the Internet, dramatically changing the way we get--and produce--news.
Just ten years ago, putting together the Amsterdam Al Pod--which was essentially a TV broadcast--would have involved huge expense. But instead of having to employ massive cameras, sound crews, special lighting, and videotape editing facilities, the Al Pod duo were able to produce and transmit a fairly sophisticated broadcast using an inexpensive hand-held digital video camera with a microphone connection, a laptop, iMovie (included with Mac OS X), and a hotel wireless connection.
Over the past year, student reactions to the Al Pod component of Stavitsky's Mass Media and Society course have been overwhelmingly favorable. "Students love this class!" exclaims Huntsberger, citing a Blackboard survey in which 221 out of 240 students responded positively. All said the podcasts were valuable, and some even preferred them to textbooks.
Reactions to the Amsterdam podcasts are not yet documented, but it appears that the experiment was an unqualified success. Alina Padilla-Miller, one of the GTFs who monitored the class during the videocast and closely observed students' reactions, thought they were thoroughly engrossed. "The first video Al Pod was new, exciting, informative and humorous." she reports. "The students were amused and surprisingly engaged. I would scan the room to see if continued interest during the twenty-minute videocast was still noticeable. I found that the majority of the class was indeed still watching with little to no side conversation. The second videocast was also exciting, informative, and humorous. The difference here was that there was a bit more information in a shorter time slot. Students were taking notes while they intently listened and watched the videocast… What this told me was that even though Professor Stavitsky was physically not in the classroom, his dynamic presence was. The videocast Al Pods had many of the same components that make Al's lectures so interesting and engaging, with the added bonus of visual surprise. However, had the students not first met Al, I don't think the interest would have been the same. I believe that it felt more personalized coming from their own professor rather than some random guy with a microphone."
It seems safe to say the Al Pod is here to stay, evolving and adapting to technological advances. Stay tuned.
Stavitsky's students are not the only ones privileged to tune in to the Al Pod. Thanks to the work of instructional technology coordinator Andre Chinn, anyone can access the Al Pods by going to http://jcomm.uoregon.edu/weblog/ags/ Click the link "Al Stavitsky's Blog." To view the Amsterdam Al Pods, click on the podcast links for Al Pods 8 and 9.
If you're interested in learning more about podcastingin education, look for Huntsberger's and Stavitsky's article, "The New Podagogy: Incorporating Podcasting in the Journalism Curriculum," in the 2007 issue of Journalism and Mass Communication Educator.