Podcasting for Professional Use

Go ahead; turn up the volume and click it. The above audio post is an example of a podcast (an audio recording for the web), just to show how easy it can be to make greater use of your phone for professional use. Audio on the web or podcasting provides a quick and easy way to bring experts into your classroom and into professional discussions for colleagues. Podcasting is an extension of the ongoing explosion of blog site creation which uses text.

I invited Nora Carr, columnist for eSchoolNews and Senior Vice President, Public Relations, Luquire George Andrews, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, to be a part of this show. We explored some of the issues related to public education and podcasting. We had a good time with our chat. My lack of sophistication with podcasting shows as I allowed it to get past the five minute limit of my podcasting service. I could have just keep adding on other audio recordings in a series of links, but we had gone on long enough for this example.

Once talking to Nora, all it took was tapping the Conference button on my cell phone and dialing my podcast recording system, tapping the conference button again to bring Nora back in, having our discussion and then tapping the # key on the phone to indicate that the recording was finished. All the rest of the audio storage, posting and linking was automatic until I returned to this posting to add text and pictures.

I encourage all department members to make the most of that phone technology in your office. Check out this link if interested in the running debate underway on whether podcasting is "ready for the masses". I'd be happy to help you use that phone in your office or cell phone in your pocket to make the case that it is.

Telephone Conferencing - The Underused Technology

Phones may be the one technology that we are very comfortable using. However, the Conference button on your office phone may be one its most underused features, and its range of use might surprise you.

There is a quick procedure to create a telephone conference with more than two people using the Conference button on office phones. This applies whether you are dialing on-campus, off-campus or a mix including local and long distance numbers.

1. Dial the first person you want to participate in the call. Once you have them on the line press the conference button.
2. Dial the next person and get them on the line and press the conference button again. At that point both parties should be on the line with you. That is, for every person you call, you will press the conference button twice.
3. You can repeat these steps for up to 6 persons.

BKEMGE

This blog provides news and information by and for the members of the department of Birth to Kindergarten, Elmentary and Middle Grades Education.