Finally launching the Podcast Project [tentative title]

Today is a Saturday. It is precious because it's half of the 2 days of the week when I can catch up with my thoughts for a moment, create something that I hope people will find useful. I apologize beforehand; I feel that this is going to be a sketchy sketch of a blog entry, but I'll try to make the point clear :P

Over the span of two trimesters, I've been thinking of, planning and testing podcasting as a viable medium for student output. I've been trying to determine which among the subjects I handle would benefit more from it, what preparation needs to be done and guidelines need to be developed. I managed to pull myself down from the clouds and tell myself: to Keep It Simple, Stupid Silly!!

And hence the decision to use podcasting for my speech classes. Very logical, no? Public speaking is a course much dreaded in DLSC, though this might be universal. I've known  (many times) how it was like to be terrified and almost reduced to tears in the middle of speeches and reports; hence, having just enough self-confidence and control over one's instinct to "flee" in the face of such stress is invaluable. Every bit of practice and every chance to make mistakes are precious. I see the podcast as a relatively safe and neutral place to start for people who are very shy, like most of my students.

Much the same way, if this Podcast Project takes off more smoothly than my last attempt (which didn't really technically take off), then I might gain more confidence exploring the tool more creatively for other courses.

Or, if I'm lucky, my readers would be generous enough to share some ideas with me :)

So here's a summary of the Podcast Project so far:

First meeting of the term:   Discussed the syllabus and digital tools (requirements, including Edu20, blogging and podcasting), studied how to set up digital tools, went through the guidelines for the first minor speech to be delivered next meeting.

Second meeting: delivered short speeches (introducing themselves, etc.) after which we spent time giving each other feedback, pointers, tips for improvement, encouragement, etc.

Third meeting: Based on their assessments of their strengths and weaknesses as public speakers, I prepared a lecture/discussion on the Fight-and-Flight Response and managing nervousness. After this, they were asked to react/share insights on the discussion, but through their first podcast entry. Some of the guidelines for the podcast were: should be done in English, should not be more than 5 minutes, should include a transcript just in case the audio is not very audible), etc. Oh, and that they should also share what topic they plan to explore for their first major (informative) speech.

I hope we can publish at least one podcast every week or two. We'll see how much this tool helps in motivating students to practice their language skills, explore digital media for academic purposes and creative expression, and most important of all, to share the best of their ideas.

Here are some of the earliest submissions from my students.They have some interesting suggestions, too.

"Overcome Nervousness" by Joey Tabalno

"Nerve Breaking Sensation: DEFIED!" by McJoren Banzon

"Talking about nervousness"by Miko Palmos

"Nervousness: Is it a natural feeling?" by Alexa Villanueva

And here is my own, which I did some time ago when the podcast was also a new thing for me (sorry, I sound a bit stiff and self-conscious) but still find useful for sharing once in a while :P

Hope you enjoy this. Feedback will be much appreciated. Have a great weekend! :)