Frequently Asked Questions

I’ve never done anything like this before. How will I know what I’m doing?

You learn as you go. You come up with ideas for what you plan to do and you solve the issues about how to do it as you go. Part of the fun is in doing something new and challenging!

This is groupwork. What happens if someone in the group is not doing their fair share?

Your progress on this task will be carefully observed, and anyone not doing their part will be noted. Marks will be allocated based, among other things, on the observed performance of all group members. There will also be an anonymous post-task analysis by all group members where you will be asked to rate the participation of your partners. There will also be random in-class observational assessments... If you do less, you will get less, it’s that simple.

How do we organise interviews with members of the public or business owners? What if they won’t talk with us?

If you explain what you are trying to do, and ask politely and respectfully, you will find that most business owners are quite willing to assist with interviews, advice or assistance for students working on legitimate school projects. Ask your teacher for specific advice if you need it.

It may be that some people really are too busy or not willing to help out… that’s fine, there are plenty of others who are!

Will these podcasts be available on the Web afterwards?

Yes. You can also download them to your iPod or MP3 player to listen to offlline.

What if I don’t have an iPod? How can I hear them?

Although podcasts got their name for the ability to download them to a portable music player such as an iPod, they can also be listened to as a direct link on a webpage, or even burnt to a CD and played on a regular CD player. We can solve all these issues as we go.

What software will I need?

Podcasts can be created using freely available open-source software, downloadable for no cost . Similarly, all audio resources, sound files, interviewing software, etc, can be obtained for free from the Web. Anyone without access to the internet can be supplied with the necessary software on a CD. Primarily you will use Audacity, Skype, PowerGramo and Freeplay. You may also integrate the use of other software as you see fit.

The webpage and summary sheet can both be created using Microsoft Word.

How will we be assessed?

A complete marking rubric will be supplied to you shortly. Basically your assessment will be based on your contribution to the goals of your team, your participation and involvement in the planning and production process, the accuracy of the information contained in your podcast episodes, your creativity in translating that information to an audio format, and the quality of your finished product.

What about the chapters we don’t cover, the ones that are done by the other groups?

It would be expected that every student will have access to all the podcasts and associated study notes. You will be exposed to the other chapters by listening to the podcasts of the other groups, and using their supplied study notes.

When is this due?

Because this is the first time we have done something like this, the due date will be decided upon once the work gets underway, and we can assess more accurately how long this is likely to need... You will be given adequate time to complete the task. UPDATE! This project is due on Monday June 5.