iHistory is an experiment in teaching Australian History using podcasts. Currently I own no TV, no mobile phone and no mp3 player, so how did I come to be doing this project?
Part of the answer lies in the fact that I wanted to subvert the use of mp3 players in my classroom. Instead of the endless rigmarole of confiscation, I wanted to integrate them into learning. This blog documents that project.
To subscribe to podcasts, put http://feeds.feedburner.com/ihistory into your podcatcher.
To get the latest iHistory news emailed to you, go here.
Student feedback on this project.
Teacher reflections on the iHistory excursion: Janie Alyssa Sue
My reflections on the iHistory excursion.
Please comment on this blog, or contact me
Cheers!
Dave Fagg
iHistory Podcast Project 
hi there mr fagg nice pic o.Olaurao.O
Hello,
Mr Fagg how are you going this site is great LOL
byebye Brianna
1) Its fun and different i liked it better then having to read writing of a sheet of paper.
2)4 because you weren’t allowed to listen to music. Other than that they where great.
3) Lunch and getting out of normal school work one bad point: we don’t know who won yet.
4) Yes the mp3 players where easy to operate and to find information required
5) One other use for mp3 players in class would be the same way in a similar subject.
Sounds like the excursion was terrific. Did you use chapters in your podcasts David? They would make it easy to go back and forward through the podcast so you just listen to the part you want.
I wonder what the students would include if they created an ihistory podcast?
Congratulations Dave!
Thanks Jenny!
On using chapters, I couldn’t find a way to insert chapters using non-Mac technology. It would have been a very convenient and effective way for students to navigate around the podcast.
On your second question, students are currently in the process of producing podcasts to exchange with students from the USA, so we’ll get to see what they include then!
i need to do a project on crime and puishment were do i find the infomatoin on this website?please repliy to me.
yours sincerly sunshine07.!!!!!***8
Very interesting project! Best wishes from Germany
alex
Hi Dave,
yesterday I found your page and left a post 😀
You´re idea to combine History issues with modern technology inspired me. So I installed directly the podpress plugin, to make some experiments. But on your blog or rather in the postings I can´t find any player. Don´t you use podpress? What technology do you prefer to publish the files.
Best regard alex
Thanks for both your comments Alex! It’s always great to get feedback from overseas. You’re right, I don’t use podpress. I use podomatic to create podcasts. I record the mp3 file, upload it to podomatic which creates a podcast. I then write a post in this website, and insert a link to the podomatic site. I have created a feed for my podcasts using feedburner.com
When it comes to recording mp3s, I use Audacity. This is free recording software, and easy to use.
To automatically download my podcasts, put the following address into your podcatcher (eg. iTunes):
http://feeds.feedburner.com/ihistory
Hope that helps! Happy experimenting – let me know what you come up with.
Hi Dave,
thanks for your answer. I just checked out the podomatic website. A big advantage is that you save webspace, if you upload the files to podomatic. But I like the integrated podpress player so much 😉
Some days ago I get the podpress plugin and installed it on http://www.geschichte-and-neue-medien.de, translated: history and new media ;-).
I know audacity and – as you say it – it´s really “easy to use” and a great to tool to make audio recordings. If you like you can listen to the intro I´ve created recently at my hp. Just a moment ago I installed iTunes and entered your feedburner address. I´m looking forward to listen to your “Black Death” Pod.
Have a nice day
alex
Just had a listen to your experiment with Audacity – sounds great! I think you’ve got the hang of it very easily.
Hi Dave,
my name is Michele Kennedy, ICT Coordinator at Ballarat High School. I’m currently leading a professional learning team looking at the possibilities that Podcasting offers in the secondary setting so am really interested in the experiences you’ve had with your history kids and also the exchange you’ve set up. While it’s easy for us to be consumers of Podcasts, I think the really interesting work lies in us and our kids as producers of podcasts and how that changes the way we work with them.
Seems that Bendigo is a bit of hub of podcasting – with the work that Jenny Ashby is doing out at Epsom Primary also looking really interesting.
What would you say has been the biggest challenge for you in having your kids produce podcasts ?
Hi Michele – thanks for your email. Together, regional schools will take over the world! I agree with you that consuming podcasts is not the way, and that students and teachers creating podcasts is the way to go.
I find producing podcasts really fun! But my students find it harder. They are all in years 8&9, some with limited experience using ICT. The main problem would be the ‘technical side’ of podcasts. They can write a script and record it pretty easily. But then the editing process is more difficult, particularly as they usually only have my laptop to work from – and editing is always slow when working in a group as they do.
I use Audacity to edit our podcasts, and that’s a fairly simple program. But I think that this leads into a question of the breadth of ICT use by students. Most of mine are proficient in a narrow range of uses: word processing; viewing photos; chat…but not much more than that. That’s partly because they are younger.
Do you foresee similar challenges with your students, or different ones?
Hi Dave,
I’m about to start showing some of our teachers how to use Audacity for recording sound and exporting as MP3’s – and then plan to do the same with a group of year 9’s next term. I have a year 9 elective that is titled Digital Imaging but I want to also do some Podcasting with them, as I found this term when I had the subject for the first time that there are only so many classes you can teach them Photodraw for !!!
While I’m hoping to encourage some other teachers to have a go so we can swap Podcasts – we’ll have to see. I tend to jump in the deep end with technology and work it out – but some of my colleagues want a bit more certainty before they start so hopefully I can encourage them to have a go. I think the kids will be really keen to create their own – the trick will be to find meaningful topics that will work well.
Technology won’t be a major issue as we’re scheduled into a computer lab anyway – although getting access to some good microphones may be an issue for us.
Sounds like you’re doing some really interesting topics with your podcasts – I really liked that idea of the history challenge across Bendigo. Pity I’m in freezing cold Ballarat !!!!
Hi Dave I’ve been at your site because there was a request on a mailing list for some ideas about podcasting and I thought of you. I was interested in your comment about the Year 7&8 students only working on your laptop. What is the reason for that?
For the very ordinary reason that we have extremely limited access to computers. We have 2 computer labs which are almost fully booked with regular (IT & Maths) classes, so it’s difficult to get a timetable match between my classes and the times the labs are free.
I think that using i-rivers in school is a brilliant idea i think that it gives a better understanding of school work and makes it alot more fun and interesting i thurly enjoy using the i-rivers at our school its brilliant nice Job of the whole web site mr fagg you never know one day i-rivers maybe the new invention on how education is taught in schools lol
Emma 🙂
Thanks for your comment Emma – in my experience, most students really enjoy using them, especially those who absorb information by listening.
Hey Mr Fagg.
Nice stuff, I wish I did Aust Hist last year, I’ve got it this year but it would have been awesome last year.
I was very interested to read all this stuff, its great what your doing.
What kind of microphone do you have?
Catcha,
[Jared]
p.s WHY DID YOU SHAVE YOUR WIZARD BEARD?! haha
Thanks Jared! I’ve got a Logitech USB headset – the USB connection tends to cancel out static etc.
The beard was just too scratchy – I’m just not cut out to be a wizard…boohoo
Hi Dave,
I saw your presentation a couple of years ago at HTAV on how to podcast, and
have used it for the first time with Year 9s quite successfully! Thanks! The
kids were generally engaged and showed that they had learned something.It is
a lot of fun teaching it too.
I was just wondering-do you sell your scripts? I have a hearing impaired
student and having a script (such as your William Buckley one) could be
useful for that student to ensure that the gist of what is being said can be
followed. I haven’t as yet used one of your podcasts, but want to give it a
go sooner rather than later.
Also, have you ever used Camstudio? A great little freeware screen capture
program that you could video making a podcast to show the students. You
probably know of this already.
thanks again and keep up the excellent work!