April 5th, 2009 by Learning Systems

With more organizations adopting their own learning management system, the traditional style of creating and distributing knowledge is being redefined.

Whether it’s corporate training or classroom pedagogy, interactive tools like LMSs and Web 2.0 technologies are seeing an end to the days in which one person dominated the floor and simply dispensed information to an all-ears audience. Now learners’ ears can finally join forces with their eyes, mouths and hands.

This isn’t to say that instructional design–the curriculum-based pedagogy in which one person dispenses information and others receive it–has no rightful place in a learning system. While the shift from lectures to hands-on learning and collaboration opens new educational possibilities, straightforward lectures are a vital aspect of any educational format. Lectures lay the framework for students to work their own way through the course material.

In a training course hosted via a learning management system, lectures can be presented in a number of ways. Information can be laid out on a web page, in a downloadable packet, or presented via audio or video. Links to related resources and other websites can be inserted. Short, to-the-point lectures provided in the learning management system create a lesson that both informs learners about the key points, and aids them in finding related information.

Podcasts are one exciting format with an array of educational possibilities. Podcasts are convenient and optimally portable, and appeal to many learning styles. They can be used to supplement and reinforce course learning material, or renew learning activities. They can serve as announcements, reminders, and updates to be heard by everyone using the learning management system. 

Podcasts can be used to distribute interviews and discussions, or to inform learners what to expect in the next lesson or activity. They are easy to create, produce, and share, and listeners don’t need an iPod to listen to them. Podcasts are typically in the form of mp3 files, making them accessible to all learners.

What are the criteria for a good podcast? Topics depend on the learning content of your course or the functions you’ve assigned to the podcasts within your learning management system. 

Especially if the content is more technical or number-oriented, keep each podcast at 5 to 10 minutes. Many listeners who don’t have an excessive amount of time to spare generally avoid long texts, courses, etc. Small installments of learning content are ideal.

The content of a podcast depends on the course material. Providing intriguing material that piques listeners’ interest is essential to any podcast. Otherwise, your listeners’ attention will begin to slip. True, choosing material that’s interesting is a matter of taste and opinion, but the way in which you present the information can make or break your podcast’s effectiveness.

Remember that listeners respond well to audio information that varies in texture and tone. Interspersing music, pieces of interviews, sound bites, etc. throughout is a great way to lend texture and continuity to your podcast. Additionally, make sure the speaker doesn’t sound like he or she is reading from a script. The dialogue should sound conversational. The listener should feel like the podcaster is speaking directly to him or her.  

Interested in adding podcasts to your course material? Creating a podcast is easy using Apple’s Podcast Producer, a simple and automatic audio editing program. Using group communication such as Google groups, social networking sites and wikis, in combination with a learning management system, trainers have an array of tools at hand.

October 15th, 2008 by Learning Systems

Continued from the last blog are the steps for creating a podcast, whether for LMS course material, educational purposes, or just for fun. Find a comfortable, quiet spot. You’ll want to feel comfortable to speak naturally, and the less background noise, the higher quality your podcast will have. 

Open your recording software, press record, and start talking! Don’t worry if there’s a little dead air or you make mistakes, cough, or if the phone rings while you’re recording. When you’re finished you’ll edit all those out. Add supplementary audio material like music to make your LMS users’ listening experiences more engaging. 

Next, compress your audio file to turn it into an mp3 player. Create an RSS feed, a push technology that makes your podcast available to others. Apple’s Podcast Producer, available with Coggno’s LMS, walks you through these steps!

October 15th, 2008 by Learning Systems

Excited about creating podcasts for your LMS course material? Creating a podcast is a piece of cake, especially using Apple’s Podcast Producer. The FSI Learning Team at the University of Illinois recorded a useful podcast walking listeners through the podcasting process. Follow these easy steps to create a podcast for an LMS course, or just for fun. Anyone can create one!

Select a topic. Write a 5 to 10 minute script, which you can feel free to ad lib or change as you go. Next, gather your equipment–your hardware and software. You’ll need a microphone and headphones. Studio microphones, which cost about $20, provide higher quality recording than microphone headsets. You’ll also need a way to capture sound: audio editing software like Garage Band on Mac, or Audacity, an open source software program. 

On Coggno’s LMS, users create their podcasts using Apple’s Podcast Producer, a simple and automatic audio editing program. 

October 15th, 2008 by Learning Systems

The content of a podcast depends on the learning management system and course material. Providing intriguing material that piques listeners’ interest is essential to any learning management podcast. Otherwise, your listeners’ attention will begin to slip. True, choosing material that’s interesting is a matter of taste and opinion, but the way in which you present the information can make or break your podcast’s effectiveness.

Remember that listeners, whether they’re students or trainees using a learning management system, respond well to audio information that varies in texture and tone. Interspersing music, pieces of interviews, sound bites, etc. throughout is a great way to lend texture and continuity to your podcast. Additionally, make sure the speaker doesn’t sound like he or she is reading from a script. The dialogue should sound conversational. The listener should feel like the podcaster is speaking directly to him or her.  

October 15th, 2008 by Learning Systems

Podcasts are a wonderful addition to course material in a learning management system. They are easy to create, produce, and share, and listeners don’t need an iPod to listen to them. Podcasts are usually in the form of mp3 files, making them accessible to all learning management system users.

What are the criteria for a good podcast? Of course, everyone has different interests, so opinions vary about what kind of content is intriguing. Topics depend on the learning content of your course or the functions you’ve assigned to the podcasts within your learning management system. 

Especially if the content is more technical or number-oriented, keep the podcast at 5 to 10 minutes. Many listeners who don’t have an excessive amount of time to spare generally avoid long texts, courses, etc. Small installments of learning content are ideal.

October 14th, 2008 by Learning Systems

Somewhere in our attic, I still have a stash of tiny tapes. They’re recordings of my favorite professors’ lectures, as well as talks given by guest speakers. In the same box, I’m sure, is my little tape recorder, back when digital recording gadgets weren’t as cheap as they are today. Years later, I wish I had those lectures on my iPod. Instead I listen to public radio programs and other podcasts as I walk or take the subway.

If your learning material is ready for uploading to a learning management system, you might consider creating podcasts for your learners. Coggno’s learning management system, complete with the Apple Podcast Producer, allows you to record, upload, and convert your own learning content into a podcast. Our learning management system is fully integrated with Apple software, and podcasts are just one convenient Apple tool for distributing your instructional material. 

August 25th, 2008 by Learning Systems

Did you know that Coggno’s user interface and various tools are fully integrated with Apple software?

The addition of Apple Podcast Producer to our LMS allows for streamlined recording, uploading, and converting of your proprietary content into a podcast for wider and more convenient distribution. Anyone can access it remotely, obtaining optimized playback on a variety of devices, including iPods and mobile phones. Learners and educators can meet their needs anytime and anywhere with our unique e-learning business model.

Our LMS’s e-learning applications also comprise iReader. This tool grants authors the ability to upload Microsoft Office documents onto the Coggno LMS straight from your desktop. Your content library can be populated instantly with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe, and other files.