vodcasting

=Vodcast= Author(s): Ashraf Abrahams Editor: Aatika Shema

1. Definition
Vodcast is a " Video-on-demand-casts" and it is a term used to describe a **Video Podcast.** This is an online stream of a video clip. Podcasts traditionally refer to audio streaming and the term vodcast was used to differentiate between video and audio, however these days both video and audio online streaming is referred to by the generic term Podcast and the term Vodcast has mostly fallen away. Vodcasts (and Podcasts) are similar to traditional broadcasting such as television and radio where a show can be created and disseminated to the masses, however, unlike the traditional broadcast medium, the show is disseminated online and is not restricted to a particular time-slot. Another important difference is that is a lot cheaper to produce a vodcast than the traditional broadcast medium, since all you need is a video camera, a pc and an internet connection. The content is uploaded on the internet with a subscription feed. With a subscription feed you can subscribe and your computer or mobile phone will automatically download it which makes it available offline at any given time.

Software for vodcasting
[|Miro-Vodcast Software] [|iTunes-Vodcast software] [|Juice - Vodcast software] [|Doppler - Vodcast software]

Ready Made vodcasts
[|Commoncraft] [] []

3. Examples of applications for Teaching and Learning
It is expected of students to be critical thinkers, problem solvers, innovative and be aware of what is happening globally and they have different kinds of information and communication devices. These devices are normally restricted in the classroom but is actually the key in helping the student to meet the expectations of being thinkers, solvers and innovators. Avaliability of band width and slow internet access resulted in limited use of vodcasting in education but after 2005 there was a complete paradigm shift. Now the vodcast can be a recording of the enire lecture that replaces the "student-lecturer contact session" or it can be a podcast that accompanies a presentation to provide explanations to the slides. Vodcasts can be used as presentations of topics allowing learners to download the videos and go through the lesson at their own pace. In this instance the student can view/watch the content in his/her own time and repeatedly watch it to grasp difficult concepts. It is especially useful for practical demonstrations, tutorials and for distance or e-learning. In IT education for example, it is often used to demonstrate a particular technology or application and learners are able to follow the video tutorial while themselves completing the task. This is of value in large classes when the lecturer is not able to answer and address all questions that arise in a class setup. Another common use for vodcasts are student demonstrations of work as well as video reflections of student experiences inpost graduate programmes. There are, however certain limitations which is access to a computer and/or a cell phone that has airtime to download the content. The creator of the vodcast must package the content in small segments that is easily downloaded. Despite the claims of increased band width and fast internet is downloading still problematic and technical problemsa may arise. It is also important to have the contact sessions with, specifically, undergraduate (first year) courses and this can merely act as supplementary. When cell phones are used, the display size are also problematic and students may become distracted when watching this.

Basic steps to create a vodcast
These may vary from one institutions to another and depends on a number of factors including students devices to be used, size of the vodcasts and equipment and software avaiolable to the lecturer.
 * 1) Plan the lecture and prepare the presentation slides;
 * 2) Ensure that the equipment and software is available for the recordings;
 * 3) Prepare the recording and test all equipment and software;
 * 4) Check the video resolution to keep the file size small and start the recording;
 * 5) When the recording is stopped, add the title slide and effects;
 * 6) Video is the exported in the desired format and imported into the streamng server (adapted from Dharmadhikari, 2011).

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4. Other resources (articles, guides, videos, examples...)
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[] [] [] [] [] Kay, R.H. 2012. Exploring the use of video podcast in education: A comprehensive review of the literature. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 820-831. Hada, Y. 2012. Development of a mobile video learning system for cellular phone. 2012 Seventh IEEE International Conference on Wireless, Mobile and Ubiquitous Technology in Education. DOI 10.1109/WMUTE.2012.48 Tripathi, M. & Kumar, S. 2010. Use of Web 2.0 tools in academic libraries: A reconnaisance of the international landscape. The International Information & Library Rieview, 42, 195 - 207. Dharmadhikari, V.B., 2011. Creating Educational Lecture videos compatible with streaming server using low cost resources. 2011 IEEE International Conference on Technology for Education, 116 - 120. DOI 10.1109/T4E.2011.26