Last time around in this here little series about podcasting your lecture, we covered the first step in the process: recording (you can read the article here).  This time around, we’re going to have a look at what you do after you’ve got your raw audio recorded – the editing process.

Before we get started, I’d like to repeat some caveats that I brought in the first column.  First off, I’m using the term “podcasting” generically – meaning (in this context) the online distribution of recorded lecture material.  The platform on which the audio file is listened could be an iPod (or another portable MP3 player or mobile internet device), but it could also be via the browser’s built in audio player, or a desktop audio player such as iTunes or Songbird (an open source alternative to iTunes – and one of my favorite apps).  Second, I’m not an audio expert. ...

There are lots of reasons why you might want to podcast your lectures.  You might be teaching an online class or providing supplementary lecture material for students in one of your regular (face-to-face) classes.  Or, even better, maybe you are embracing the open courseware movement, and making your course material available to people both inside and outside of your university – regardless of whether they are actually enrolled in the class.

Now, to be clear, I’m using the term “podcasting” generically – meaning (in this context) the online distribution of recorded lecture material.  The platform on which the audio file is listened could be an iPod (or another portable MP3 player or mobile internet device), but it could also be via the browser’s built in audio player, or a desktop audio player such as iTunes or Songbird (an open source alternative to iTunes – and one ...

On Monday morning of last week, the Michigan State University community (faculty, staff, and students) was  greeted with the unfortunate news that ANGEL (our campus wide course management system) was down.  The day dragged on with no fix.  Many on campus (both student and faculty alike) reacted more like it was the zombie apocalypse than a problem with the server that would (eventually) get dealt with.  Emails flew hither and yon about what we (the faculty were supposed to do), students dialed up their “oh my god, what am I supposed to do, I can’t get to my course” freak-out factor to DEFCON 1, and there was general mayhem on campus.  In the immortal words of Dr. Venkman, “Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!” (well, not literally, but that was definitely the vibe on campus for awhile).  When all was said and done, ANGEL was down (or up, but completely...

For a number of years, WordPress (http://www.wordpress.org) has been enjoyed increasing attention in the academic community.  It is open source, has an incredibly easy install process (especially for a server side app), is remarkably flexible, and has a great development community behind it.  Part of the allure of WordPress is that it has a very flexible templating system.  If you are so inclined, you can build a theme pretty easily – all you really need is a decent knowledge of CSS & XHTML + a little PHP.  But what if you don’t want to dig your hands into developing a custom WP theme?  The great thing is, as mentioned before, there is an incredible community of developers behind WP – including people who develop themes (both free & pay).  The big question is where can you go to find great themes for WP.  Here are some places to start:

• WordPress Free Theme Director (http:...

A couple of weeks ago, Prof. Hacker kicked off a series called “Challenging the Presentation Paradigm” with a look at Prezi. This week, we’re going to look at Bee Docs Timeline as an alternative (or a supplement) to presenting lecture content with a more traditional, linear slide program (such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote).

Bee Docs Timeline (http://www.beedocs.com) comes from Bee Docs, a 2 person boutique software developer based in Seattle.  As its name suggests, Bee Docs Timeline allows you to create visually compelling (and somewhat interactive) timelines.  You can give your timeline a custom look (background, font, colors, etc.) or choose from one of the pre-designed templates (there are only 7, but they all look decent)

Content for your timeline can come from a bunch of different sources.  The easiest (and most flexible) way is to manually enter each it...

With the semester creeping closer and closer and many of us frantically prepping new classes (or doing vital updates to existing classes), the topic of lecture slides invariably crops up. 

Are my slides really that useful to my students, or are they just a crutch for me? Should I use my old slides (with necessary minor updates)?  Should I throw my slides out, and try something completely new? 

We are all aware that using lecture slides comes with some pretty problematic baggage.  Personally, I’ve got to admit that I often feel a little academic guilt about using lecture slides – even though I’ve gone to great lengths to avoid “Crappy PowerPoint Syndrome” – CPS!  (keep text to an absolutely minimum, no massive bullet point lists, lots of illustrative images, use slides to stimulate discussion, etc, etc, etc). 

But let's all be honest here, its unlikely that we’re...

Social network apps and platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have revolutionized the way academics maintain existing social & professional connections, renew those connections, and forge new connections within and across disciplines.  In particular, Twitter has transformed the the ways in which many scholars (especially those in the digital humanities) connect and share ideas.  But as we rely more and more on these social networks for communication (and even collaboration), we inevitably start worrying about what might happen if we were no longer able to access our Twitter or Facebook account (the horror!). 

Granted, the likelihood of a massive server failure at Facebook that would cause a loss of data for users, for example, is quite low.  However, there is always the possibility that your account might get hacked (through no fault of your own) and irrevocably messed with. ...