Simple podcasts

Well I've just done my first podcast and it was a lot easier than I thought. Ok it was only 2 minutes long but that's ok and to be frank any longer and my audience would have fallen asleep!!

So why was it so easy. Well it was just some brief information i wanted to deliver and the fact the audience wouldn't stay still for too long meant it needed to be short and sweet.

I set about by reviewing the topics I wanted to get across, in this case 3, then some bullet points of the vital elements to talk about. Hey job done in 5 minutes! With my draft script written i was ready for a run through.

Now this is where a little I.T. knowledge helps. Currently in my workplace if someone calls me on my landline and i don't answer, it records the message and leaves a .wav file in my email for me to listen to. So there is option 1 for me to record my podcast - call myself. The only issue is i have no control over the file size.

So option 2. Using Adobe Captivate I can alter the bit rate settings and volume levels and record direct to this application. I can also trim the audio as I feel appropriate. Now i can control the file size a bit and i found that a 2 minute recording is only 3Mb. Job done.

With newsletters full of text and technical information this will hopefully be an excellent way of getting across what can be said in only a few minutes.

Simple screencasts

Making a recording, screencast or simulation couldn't be any easier these days with the many software applications on the market. From Adobe Captivate to Screenr these packages make it fairly easy to capture a piece of software as it happens on your own screen.

So here are a few tips on getting it right first time.

Why are you using a screencast in the first place - is it just to show a series of button presses and the process the user must follow? Or could it be something fundamental such as how to enter specific information in to dialogue boxes. Either way having a clear think about what you are trying to achieve is essential. Screencasts are quite passive and discussion would probably be through a comments box if available. They could be used though in a face to face environment if required (more of this later).

Then think about how the user will use this information. Screencasts make great resources but if someone is trying to follow a process and tackle it at the same time then they may need two monitors. One to watch and one to practice the learning.

Keep it short and snappy. It's amazing how long a user can really sit there and watch a simulation happening. If you learning goal demands that it's a complex or lengthy process then try creating in small segments. It's more than likely your users will only require small elements anyway.

Have a think about audio as it's not always neccessary. It does provide clarity and context but adding text box descriptions to your simulation may do that just as well.

Where are you going to store this resource? Placing it in a VLE / LMS / Intranet you are at the hands of network speeds. If users are recalling this over low bandwidth systems then you could be holding back a huge amount of your users. So have a good look at the size of your files when complete. It's here that using a screencast in a face to face situation could work well if you are reliant on a piece of software running over a network.

A few elements to consider and dependant on the screencast software you choose then you really can be very creative.