Cappuccino U

New Approaches to Learning

An article in Fast Company entitled How Web-Savvy Edupunks Are Transforming American Higher Education is one the best summaries I have seen with regard to the future of informal and formal learning.

Institutions that continue to operate as they did forty years ago when the word computer meant a huge machine in a temperature-controlled room will ultimately lose students, research funds, and the respect of students and the public. Recognizing that the 50 minute lecture and traditional textbooks, exams and curricula may not be sufficient to meet the needs of students or the public is essential to the renewal and survival of universities and colleges.

Professional Development

Cappuccino U 2.0

I've updated Cappuccino U: A new way of working and learning and posted the new version. This is not a major revision, but there are some new links and discussion. It's still free, published with a Creative Commons license.

Cappuccino U has been downloaded by more than 11,000 people in various countries since it was posted in November, 2006. It has not been advertised or promoted other than by those who have read it and written about it in blogs and other publications. I've received more comments about it than about anything else I've written or published.

Thanks for reading Cappuccino U and passing it on to others: and thanks for e-mails and other correspondence about the ideas in this book.

Creating a Podcast

Would you like to be a podcaster? You may have particular goals for a podcast series: or you may have always wanted to be on the radio. Whatever your reason podcasting is not a difficult task, but it does take time and effort to do it well.

There are numerous methods with which one can create a podcast. I'll discuss some of these and will provide links to some of the many excellent sites which explain how to use podcasting software and hardware.

Most of my examples and links will deal with Apple's GarageBand and QuickTime Pro. I'll also discuss Audacity, which may be used by Windows, Linux and Mac users.

The first step in creating a podcast is planning. Who is your audience and how will you reach them? How will they know that your podcast exists? Let's assume that you've done that and that you'll be making your podcast available through iTunes and via your website as well.

Use a written script, but make it sound live. One can deviate from a script, add to it, and, of course, edit it. But trying to do programs without at least written discussion points is difficult and risky. Interviews are different, but the interviewer still may want to have written questions or topics.

If you've had radio or public speaking experience you'll know something about voice quality and the benefits of using quality microphones. Many podcasts are made using inexpensive USB microphones and even microphones that are built into computers. The resulting podcasts are usually of reasonable quality. Recording Your Podcast is a clear, concise summary of what makes a good recording.

Apple's Podcasting Recipe: Producing a successful show is free, on-demand, three-part seminar on high quality podcasting using GarageBand. There are many other descriptions of how to create a podcast, but this one is in-depth, entertaining and easy to understand. It's an online seminar that you may go back to several times as you create your podcasts.

Audacity is free, open-source software for recording and editing sound which can be used on Windows, Linux and Mac platforms. It's relatively easy to use (see Tutorials and How to Podcast).

While GarageBand and Audacity are powerful, professional programs QuickTime Pro is relatively easy to use and produces high quality podcasts. Creating Audio Podcasts and Creating Video Podcasts provide the information needed to record podcasts with QuickTime Pro on the Mac. QuickTime Pro can also be used to create audio podcasts on Windows.

Completed podcasts must reside somewhere: iTunes links to podcasts, it does not put them on its servers.

I've used Typepad for Spotted Cow Press podcasts since I have a TypePad blogging account with space to host these podcasts. See TypePad's Podcasting Made Easy and Create A Podcast.

One of the easiest ways of posting a podcast is to use iWeb with GarageBand. I have a Mac MobileMe account so posting is easy and fast. iWeb can also export your podcast to anywhere using FTP.

I posted a podcast entitled The Cypress Hills using iWeb as a demonstration for this blog entry. I used GarageBand and recorded my comments using a Zoom H2 microphone.

One can also export a podcast to disk from GarageBand and then use it in any blog or website.

Creating a podcast is similar to creating a brochure or a visual presentation (Keynote or PowerPoint). First, we understand what can be done, and, second, we do it. There is a learning curve, but the process gets easier as you gain experience.

An Introduction to Podcasting

If you're new to podcasting (either using or creating podcasts) this posting may be of interest. If you're a veteran user or creator you may find a few interesting points or links. In either case I'd be interested in your feedback.

The term podcasting is a portmanteau (I don't get many opportunities to use that word) of iPod and broadcasting. Podcasts are audio or video digital files which are available on the internet and can be downloaded to computers and mobile devices. They may be downloaded to a computer and then to an iPod or other similar device. Most, virtually all, podcasts are available at no cost to those who download them.

The most common way of accessing podcasts is to go to iTunes , then to iTunes store,and then to Podcasts. Search ITunes Store (upper right corner of the page) for subjects, authors or key words. If, for example, you typed Photography you would find listings of podcasts at the bottom of the page.

For an example of a fine audio podcast scroll to LensWork or go back to the Search iTunes Store box again and type Lenswork. You'll see two Lenswork series of podcasts. If you click on either you'll hear the latest program; if you click on Subscribe on either of these the latest podcast, narrated by Brooks Jensen, will be downloaded to your computer: and every time a new podcast is posted it will be automatically downloaded to your computer. Lenswork also produces an excellent black and white photography magazine.

One does not have to go to iTunes to get a podcast. For example, one can access LensWork podcasts on their site rather than through iTunes. Podcasts may be found in blogs as well as on websites. They must be on a server. iTunes connects to them and facilitates subscriptions and searches. It also provides a description of the podcast.

Podcasts may be video, audio or enhanced (includes photographs or graphics).

Video podcasts are essentially video lectures or relatively short interviews which are similar to what we see on news broadcasts. Some video podcasts are created by professional studios while others are made by amateurs with inexpensive video cameras and software.

The presentations from the annual TED Conference ('Inspired talks by the world's greatest thinkers and doers') are available for viewing and downloads as video podcasts. Production qualities are high and the lectures are excellent. We watch the presenter and the presenter's graphics, we see the audience, and we feel as if we are there. I recommend these lecture highly.

But video podcasts need not be highly produced. Take one video camera and a camera operator, a classroom at the University of Vermont, a famous west coast author (Eden Robinson), a professor of Canadian Literature (Paul Martin) to introduce her, and a classroom of interested students. Mix well. The result in this case is an intriguing presentation and discussion which will stay online for years. The cost was minimal. Paul has also produced a podcast in which discusses how he uses podcasts in the classroom and in online teaching.

Enhanced podcasts incorporate images (photographs and graphics) into the podcast. One can easily add images using Apple software such as GarageBand, but there are ways in which this can be done using Windows. iPods are the only portable devices that will play extended podcasts.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) produces enhanced podcasts and other innovative mulitmedia products. You can access the podcasts at SFMOMA's site or through iTunes.

Jeff Curto uses enhanced podcasts in his History of Photography and Camera Position podcasts. The enhanced format allows him to discuss particular photographs or use photographs to illustrate a technique or approach. Like most podcasters, Jeff is always pleased to get responses to his podcasts. He often discusses the comments and questions he receives from listeners/viewers at the beginning of Camera Position podcasts. His History of Photography podcast is recorded during the class he teaches on this subject.

In the next posting I'll discuss podcasts and education, both informal and formal.

Solitary Learning

We have been taught that most learning takes place in classrooms where, as a result of listening to lectures and doing exercises, we learn from those who apparently know so much more than we do. In the traditional school system we're then tested on how well we can reproduce what we've been told. In elementary school we were given extra marks if we could reproduce that information neatly.

If our teachers, our parents and society did their jobs well we became excited about learning, and we were innoculated with the curiousity virus. We continue to learn daily and can't imagine stopping that process. We learn alone, although facilitators can often help us to learn more effectively.

I enjoy solitary learning: reading, finding new knowledge on the web, observing people and nature. I do some of that in my office and my yard, but I do a lot of it in my Cappuccino U locations in this city and elsewhere. I travel with my iPhone and my laptop, but when I'm in a local coffee shop I'll take only my iPhone.

Weekends, evenings, and early mornings are great times for solitary learning, but so is the time we spend travelling by public transit, and the time we spend waiting for others to arrive at meetings or appointments.

No one learns for us and no one can keep us from learning new ideas and information. Technology and society have made knowledge and creativity accessible to us all: but each of us chooses what we do with these opportunities.

Professional Development

Cappuccino U: The Podcast

I had the recent privilege of having my son, Paul Martin (the Canadian Literature Professor at the University of Vermont, not the former Prime Minister), interview me on a Spotted Cow podcast. We discussed Cappuccino U and its implications with regard to learning, teaching and operating a modern University.

You'll find the podcast using iTunes, searching for Spotted Cow Podcasts, or you can go to my podcast site. I think you'll enjoy the discussion.

My Saskatchewan Cappuccino U Office

I'm spending two weeks as an artist in residence at the Wallace Stegner House in Eastend, Saskatchewan. I'm working on a book and photographing in this great town on the edge of the Cypress Hills.

The Eastend Arts Council installed high speed internet in the house. I borrowed an Airport Express Base Station (thanks, Lu), plugged it in to a power bar, plugged the ethernet cable into it and now have wi-fi throughout the house and in the yard. It's a wonderful system.

This morning I uploaded a blog entry with photos of the yard from the yard.

Here is my latest Cappuccino U office.

Nomads at last

Wireless communication is changing the way people work, live, love and relate to places – and each other, according to an article by Andreas Kluth in the April 10, 2008, issue of The Economist.

Urban nomads do business, work and learn using wi-fi in cafés and other friendly locations. They are early adopters, empowered by laptops, Blackberries, and iPhones.

Kluth, who is based in San Francisco, has done an excellent job of describing these nomads –people like you and me, people who are always connected to each other and the world through the latest techology.

Andreas and I exchanged e-mails about his article on a Sunday afternoon. I'm assuming that he was sitting at a sidewalk café in San Francisco (one of my favourite cities), answering e-mails and reading blogs. I was at home watching a western Canadian blizzard in action, answering e-mails and reading blogs.

Enjoy the article. It would go well with a cup of fine coffee at your local Starbucks.

Urban Nomads

Free Online University Courses

Openculture has created a comprehensive list of free online courses from great universities. I've downloaded two of these through iTunes and look forward to spending time with them.

We'll soon see more courses available online, some of them for credit.

Jane's Top Ten Tools for Learning 2008

Jane Hart is a Learning & Performance Technologist and one of the bright lights on the blogging scene. Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day features great products for those of us who are interested in e-learning.

She recently asked me to contribute to her Top Ten Tools for Learning 2008 page and my top 10 were posted this morning. She is asking learning professionals from around the world to contribute their top 10 learning tools so please join me and many others who have already contributed their favourites . I've learned about a lot of new online tools by reading the lists contributed by people from various countries.

Technology is wonderful. I'll probably never meet Jane or Clive or Harold in person but I feel that I know them. I've certainly learned a lot from them and the other people who blog about informal learning.