ProfCast

While podcasting is an important tool in education (K12 and Higher Ed), and the "rest of the world," basic audio podcasts aren't always enough. There are a number of tools that let you create enhanced podcasts (audio and still images). But there is one tool that will take something many of us use on a regular basis and quickly create enhanced podcasts without a lot of extra work or know-how. ProfCast will let you take your PowerPoint or KeyNote presentations and create an enhanced podcast by doing little more than giving your presentation to your computer.

ProfCast records your voice as you move through your presentation and syncs your voice to each slide. It does all the hard work, you just have to give your presentation sitting at your computer. There are a couple of things to note about ProfCast.

Enhanced podcasts use only still images. So all those fancy transitions and fly-ins and things will not appear. ProfCast will simply ignore them and use an image of your slide in its final state after eveything has flown in and appeared.While this may seem like a limitation, it is actually a blessing for two reasons. First, the still images are nice and small and help keep the file size of your podcasts down. Second, since ProfCast simply ignores the motion and transitions, you don't need to maintain a different presentation for recording versus a live setting. Make one presentation and use it for both live and podcasting situations.

On important instructional feature that is used in both PowerPoint and KeyNote is the built list. This is when one bullet point appears, then you can click the mouse button or arrow key and the next bullet point appears. From an instructional standpoint, this is a great tool. It allows you to keep your audience from "reading ahead." ProfCast can make this happen, but there are a couple of strings. I'll explain them below based on the platform you might use.

Windows Users:
If you are using Windows, you will be using PowerPoint and ProfCast will automatically make a built list appear as it does when you are presenting.

Mac Users:
If you are using KeyNote, ProfCast will make your built lists appear just like they do when presenting. However, if you are using PowerPoint on a Mac, ProfCast will not be able to do this automatically. There is some issue that cannot be resolved between PowerPoint (or Microsoft) and ProfCast for Mac. Fear not, there is a way to make this work, it just takes a little planning at the beginning.

If you are using PowerPoint on a Mac and want to use built lists in your ProfCast, here is the way to make it work. For the purposes of this posting, let's assume we have 3 bullet points we want to list on a slide. The trick is, we use three slides. Slide 1 has the first bullet point. Duplicate slide 1 to make slide 2. On Slide 2, add the second bullet point. Now duplicate slide 2 and create slide 3. Then add the third bullet point to slide 3. This way slide 1 has the first bullet, slide 2 has the first and second bullets, and slide 3 has all three bullets. When you give the presentation, your audience will not know the difference. ProfCast won't know the difference either, and it will appear that you have a 3 bullet point list that builds on one slide.

ProfCast is available for both Mac and Windows and costs as little as $15 with the educational discount. Even the retail price is as low as $30-$60 (currently ProfCast is running a special pricing offer for $30). Pair ProfCast with a high quality microphone like the Blue mics discussed in the previous posting, and you have a great tool for creating enhanced podcasts of lectures and presentations.

iPad...First impressions

I've had my iPad for a couple of weeks now and I have to admit that I pretty much love this device. Granted, there are some limitations. For example, the Apple VGA connector doesn't actually project the screen of my iPad only specific apps is a limitation in the classroom. I would love to be able to project my iPad screen to my class for demonstrations, but right now I can't.

However, I find myself using my iPad more than my MacBook Pro. It is the device that I grab to check my mail, surf the web, play a game, and so on. It turns on in the blink of an eye and is quick to render a web page or load an app.

The battery life is great. I can use it for a couple of days and then plug it in at night and it's ready to go in the morning. The size is perfect. I haven't gotten a case to mine yet, but I think I will actually like it even better with a little heft around it. Plus I'll likely feel a bit safer with then too. This this is fragile.

I love the display. It is bright and clear. I have no problems reading news reports and articles on it. I do find myself longing for some cursor keys for simple edits, but I'm sure I'll get more comfortable with time.

One other thing that will come with time is the ability to print directly from the iPad. Right now it really doesn't work. There are some third party apps that make the claim, but none of the reviews are supporting the claims. As Apple begins to see the really instructional and educational power of the iPad, I'm certain both the projection and printing issues will be resolved.

For now, all I can say is I see the iPad as a game changer in education. It is relatively low cost, has great battery life, and educators could develop content specific apps pretty easily. Additionally, with Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, it can be used in many traditional ways as a content development tool. I'm excited to see where this product might take K12 and Higher Education.