EDM 310 Podcasts Review

I have reviewed podcasts from my own EDM 310 Spring 2009 class as well as podcasts from EDM Fall 2008. In all, I enjoyed most of them. There was much in-depth well thought out information. However, I would improve some things. First of all, when doing a podcast it is important to sound conversational. Many students sounded as if they were reading from a script. Perhaps they wanted to make sure that they had given all the information, but podcasts are supposed to sound conversational. Know your material well so that you can discuss it. Second, many students repeated the sound "um" which denotes nervousness. Perhaps the idea of performing in front of the class or on the web made them nervous. I know that this made me nervous. Perhaps in the future, podcasts can be done one group at a time without an audience of fellow classmates present. I heard some papers shuffling which was somewhat distracting. Note cards may help in the future as well as maybe a practice run on a tape recorder before the actual podcast so the students can become more comfortable with themselves in front of a mike.
I would use podcasts in my classroom experience as a teacher. I would employ some of the above tips in order to ensure a smooth production. I would also like to add that of the professional podcasts that I've heard on the web, some were too conversational. The hosts talked about everything from the weather to the coffee they were drinking to their vacations before getting down to the subject that they were supposed to be speaking on. So my fellow students shouldn't feel so badly at this critique. We all have room for improvement.