Final Blog Post: Reflections

Now that I have completed the assignment, I am pretty happy with how my podcast turned out. The layout, the sound, the music and the content are all things I am pleased with. I enjoy learning about English grammar rules so emulating Grammar Girl's podcast was interesting for me.

If I had the chance to go back and do something differently, I would probably look into using more sound effects and learning more advanced editing techniques. I did not necessarily use any sounds effects, though I did use instrumentals. I also used Audacity recording software to the best of my knowledge and skill (which was basic), including what I researched about the software to understand it better. Knowing advanced editing techniques would make editing faster and easier.

One piece of advice I would offer to a student that is starting this course is, "plan everything". It may seem cliché but I found that because I had a plan for every single part of the podcast assignment (from what and where I was going to research to the layout of the script), I didn't end up wasting time later on in decision-making and it was a lot less stressful in the final stages. If you find tasks like this daunting, plan out each segment of it because it forces you to work ahead as well as manageably work toward the finished product.

Overall, I enjoyed this assignment and the freedom and creativity it involved!

Podcast Audio: Is ‘I’ really Before ‘e’, except after ‘c’ ?

My research topic was to clarify the spelling rule, ‘i before e except after c’ and to reveal things about the rule that the audience may not be familiar with. I cover a lot of the commonly known aspects of this rule like, what it tries to achieve in English writing and words that are exceptions to the rule. I also highlight the many unknowns about this rule like the originator, the era it was introduced and the foundation of its origin. I also explain the often misunderstood extensions to this rule. The broader issue I to discuss is the importance of improving our writing skills.

Week 9: Recording and Editing Software

The recording software I am using is Audacity. In high school I used this software for another creative assignment and because I was familiar with it I decided to use it for the podcast as well. This software is quite popular because it’s free to download and it’s also fairly easy to use. Also, for these reasons there is extensive information and advice on how to use Audacity. The following is advice I have collected and am considering using.

Lewis, J. Daniel. (2013, Jan 22). 8 time-saving tips & tricks for Audacity. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gej3LVNKO0E

YouTube (Advice)

8 time-saving tips & tricks for Audacity

• Selection jump- Activate Selection Toolbar (View menu > Toolbars > Selection Toolbar), enter time under “Selection Start”, double-press spacebar and the view will jump to your selected location
• Backwards editing- By editing backwards, your logged times will always be correct. But if you edit forwards, then your proceeding times will be off-sync and editing may take longer
• Playback speed- If you can listen to audio at a faster speed and pitch, then you can edit your audio faster by dragging the playback speed from the Transcription Toolbar.
• Labels- Add notes at certain points which will help to mark and quickly find any portion you want to remember

From my past experience using Audacity I know that editing can sometimes be a long, grueling process. Knowing these tips to save time can be helpful to get things done and quickly move onto the next task.

 

Lewis, J. Daniel. (2011, Sept 19). How to Improve Your Voice from a Cheap Microphone with Audacity. The Audacity to Podcast. Podcast retrieved from http://theaudacitytopodcast.com/tap050-how-to-improve-your-voice-from-a-cheap-microphone-with audacity/?utm_source=wiki.audacityteam.org&utm_medium=wiki&utm_campaign=audacity_tutorials

The Audacity to Podcast

How to Improve Your Voice from a Cheap Microphone with Audacity

·         Get closer to the microphone (2-3 inches away)

·         Turn down input volume

·         Use the EMI 78 present in the Effects tab and click on Equalization to enhance quality

 

Even though this podcast provides advice to record with a cheaper microphone, if you have an average or fairly good microphone, this is good advice to improve your voice recording quality overall.

 

Pixel, Nixie. (2012, March 31). All Things Audacity. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnTpRWf_kmY

YouTube (Review)

All Things Audacity

In this review, the creator of the YouTube account Nixie Pixel mentions one of her favourite tools on Audacity which is the Noise Removal Tool. You are able highlight five to ten seconds of the recording that includes the sound that you would like to remove. This creates a profile for Audacity to identify what sound to remove. You can then select the entire portion of the recording that you would like remove noise from and then isolate or remove it. This is helpful advice for removing background noise, especially if you are in an environment where you cannot control the noise or sounds around you during your recording. This tool prevents you from having to go through the process of recording that portion of the podcast again. The Noise Removal Tool can be found by clicking “Noise Removal” in the Effects tab.

 

So far I have done a test recording and I am pleased with the way I sound. The basics of the software are fairly easy to use like recording; pressing play, pause, fast forward and rewind, along with setting up the microphone and cutting and pasting tracks. However, I do admit that there are a few settings that I am unfamiliar with but they are settings I will most likely not be using, as they are for more advanced recording purposes. If I do need to know more about Audacity I will definitely visit their tutorials website (http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Category:Tutorial).

Week 8: Podcast Episode Structure



My research topic is the spelling rule 'I before e, except after c'  and my story structure is quite similar to the typical structure of the episodes in the Grammar Girl podcasts. Mignon Fogarty in the Grammar Girl podcasts usually begins by introducing a scene or event of when someone asked her something grammar-related or a time when she came across a word or grammar rule that raised questions for her. After the introduction of the topic she then discusses the history or any background information on that particular topic, as well as provides context. After this she returns to the topic and states a solution or points of advice. My story structure deviates a bit from the typical structure of the episodes in the Grammar Girl podcasts which is illustrated by my drawing. 

I have used some aspects of the Morning Edition Structure in my drawing. My story structure is similar to Grammar Girl's in that it introduces the topic with a scene, which is the horizontal line and then provides history and context, which is the first “v”. The difference in my structure from Grammar Girl's is that I briefly return to the original scene throughout the podcast, which are the shorter horizontal lines. I then give more context, scholar opinion, examples and discussion which is illustrated by the consecutive  “v” area in the drawing. In the end of the podcast I return to the research topic and provide a solution and advice as Grammar Girl did, which is shown by the longer horizontal line, similar to the first one.



Grammar with Alexandra Structure

 

A total number of citations that I have counted in episode 102 of 99% Invisible’s podcast titled, “Icon for Access” was 21. Hopefully I have calculated them correctly!

 

 

 

Week 7: Google Scholar vs. Library Databases

While researching for the podcast episode I have had a lot of experience using Google Scholar and different library databases. Google Scholar provided scholarly articles and case law documents while library databases had a variety of sources that were both scholarly and popular. For the podcast I used both of these databases to search for scholarly journal articles and scholarly books. Though I had difficulty finding sources on either of these databases, for this podcast assignment I preferred to use Google Scholar.

Based on my experience researching the ‘I before e, except after c’ spelling rule I did not find many articles and books that were relevant to my topic on either database, however there were a few articles that I was able to locate on Google Scholar. When I found a scholarly journal article that I wanted to view that wasn’t available for free I would use the York University Library database and login to eResources to gain access to the same article. I continued the process of searching for scholarly journal articles on Google Scholar and then using my eResources account to find the article. I found that using them in combination was most helpful in the initial research process but I did not end up using these sources as part of my podcast.

I also found that the “advanced search”, content and search results of both Google Scholar and the York University Library database were the main differences between them. What was important to me was being able to narrow my search results to the most relevant sources and because of the limited “advanced search” that Google Scholar had, it limited my use of the database. Comparably, on the York library database, there were much more options for narrowing down search results. On Google Scholar the search results consisted of numerous pages but only the first few pages were relevant while on the York University Library database there was only one page of search results and they were not relevant at all. This surprised me considering that the York Library database had a range of sources from journal articles to films, whereas Google Scholar only had journal articles.

For the future, it is difficult to say which database I will rely on because for this particular assignment I found that, based on my topic neither of the databases were as helpful as JSTOR (jstor.org) and ProQuest, (search.proquest.com), however another topic may have created better search results. Google Scholar or library databases are useful in different situations, therefore my reliance on either of them would depend on what I am researching.

 

 

Week 5: Digging Deeper

Now that I have refined my research topic to the knowns and unknowns of the spelling rule ‘i before e except after c’ I have begun to search for both scholarly and popular sources. The scholarly sources I have found are from Google Books, Google Scholars and JSTOR and the popular sources I will use will be news article and reference sources.

Google Books will be used to locate dated spelling books or manuals of English spelling online that make reference to this spelling rule to understand when it was primarily introduced and to identify who created the rule and Google Scholars and JSTOR will be used to find journal articles about the rule’s use in history as well as modern day English education and also to retrieve scholars’ opinions on this rule’s use in teaching. In JSTOR I have narrowed my search to The English Journal, English Education and The Journal of Educational Research to retrieve journals that are specific to the discipline that will be relevant to English, spelling and grammar. Also, I previously cited in my research plan that I was going to use the database called Literature Online but I have found that the search result that I received were not as helpful as I had thought they would be so I have chosen not to use it and I will be looking for another database instead. In terms of texts I also expect to find books as source aside from eBooks that are mainly spelling books and manuals that include explanation of the spelling rule or citations of its originator.

The news articles I plan to use are reports on the concern of the rule’s use in academia, similar to the article I have retrieved called “Schools to Rethink ‘i before e’” which is from BBC News. It discusses the issue of England considering removing the ‘i before e except after c’ spelling rule in teaching. I hope to find alternate articles like this from newspapers and literature or education magazines and news clips. I hope these popular sources will add depth and will contrast the expositional aspect of the podcast. The references sources I have already made us of are dictionary definitions from the online dictionary called Dictionary.com and the Oxford Canadian Dictionary 2nd ed. to define terms that I will explain. I also plan to use the online encyclopedia on Britannica.com to retrieve information on concepts of the spelling rule that I will explain in the podcast episode.

I am sure there will be other scholarly and popular sources that I will come across in the research process that I haven’t listed, but here are the sources that I have considered using for the final podcast.

References

 

BBC News. (20 June 2009). Schools to Rethink ‘i before e’. BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8110573.stm

Reed, Alonzo (1884). Word lessons: A complete speller adapted for use in the higher primary, intermediate, and grammar grades. Clark & Maynard.  

 

Sever, Franklin Pierce. (1892) The Progressive Speller: A Complete Spelling Book. D.C. Heath & Company.

Tallant, Anne (1834). The practice book; containing lessons in dictating, with questions, intended to remove difficulties in English instruction, and to communicate interesting historical and natural facts (2nd ed.). London: J. Hatchard & Son. 

Week 5: Topic Refinement

I found that the podcast pitch exercise helped me to refine and decide upon my topic. The process of explaining my research topic to my tutorial class in a four minute pitch forced me to think about whether my idea was clear enough to be understood in such a short window of time. The pitch also helped me be more direct in the delivery of my research question and watching my peers present their pitches was a learning experience. The preliminary research that was also involved in preparing the pitch provided me with the opportunity to discover whether my topic was feasible. These are all important steps in beginning a research assignment and can therefore be useful as a pre-writing exercise for other writing assignments.

 

In a social science class I am enrolled in, we completed a similar exercise for our final essay called an essay proposal which I found helped me to identify my thesis and in-turn my research plan, essay outline and first draft so I see this "pitch" process as very helpful.

My refined show idea is to cover the knowns and to reveal the unknowns of the spelling rule ‘I before e except after c’. As part of the Grammar Girl podcast show I plan to explain the rule, discuss things we have come to know about the rule and aspects most of us overlook in terms of the rule. I was primarily thinking of covering a variety of grammar rules that many of us we were taught throughout our years in English class and which we still recall today. However, I realized that focusing on only one grammar rule was not only more specific but would also fill the 15 minute requirement for the final podcast episode.

Week 3: Pitching Advice

The three sources I gathered from the web that discussed advice about pitching ideas on podcast and radio shows were:

CBC Radio Pitch Guide. (2013). CBC. Retrieved January 24, 2014, from (http://www.cbc.ca/pitch/radiopitchguide.html)

One key piece of information I gathered from this source was to begin the pitch with the most exciting content and if you are unsure what that might be, tell a friend or peer and pay attention to what excited them. What excites them about your topic will excite the audience as well.

 

BBC Academy. (2014). BBC. Retrieved January 24, 2014, from (http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112135815)

Lisa Ausden, executive producer in BBC Vision raised a good point in the quote I retrieved from this source. Appealing to the audience through some format of participation whether it is a joke to get them to laugh or even an activity can relax what can sometimes be a tense atmosphere.

 

This American Life: Submissions. (2014). This American Life. Retrieved January 24, 2014, from (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/about/submissions)

This source provided a reminder to connect the topic to something universal because it answers the “so what” question that the audience will have. The editor will more likely pay attention to content that can make a broader connection because it shows the clarity and depth of the topic.

 

I know that each of these sources are reliable because the CBC is a notable broadcasting corporation in Canada for both television and radio and BBC is also a well-known British broadcasting corporation. This American Life is a radio show broadcast and also develops documentary films in the United States, Canada and Australia. The ideas on these website pages were also presented in a professional and organized manner; they included detailed information on the contributors to the information and date of revisions. Copyright symbols and the content of the website links themselves also signaled that these websites were reliable.

Based on the advice I have gathered, the information I need to have prepared for my podcast pitch next week is exciting details that will interest my podcast episode, thought provoking and entertaining material for audience participation and the ability to connect my topic to a bigger issue or idea. In relations to my specific topic: “i before e except after c”, I will need to include some of the interesting content that I have already researched about this spelling rule and connect its importance of use to the bigger issue of improving our writing skills.

Week 2: Topic Selection

I have chosen to create my podcast by emulating the style of “Grammar Girl”. I have chosen this podcast show because I enjoy learning about grammar rules and I sometimes find myself correcting others in proper use of grammar. The specific grammar issue I will be covering in my podcast is the spelling rule: i before e except after c. I have had difficulty using this rule and I think it would be helpful to others to explain the rule and how to discern exceptions to the rule to improve our spelling habits.

I hope to emulate the structure of Grammar Girl’s podcasts as well as the style. The host, Mignon Fogarty who is referred to as “Grammar Girl” begins each podcast by introducing a particular grammar rule that has become a problem for many people, explains the grammar rule and then she continues to explain why it is important to follow. She includes several examples of the grammar rule’s usage by individuals on social media or from personal conversations. “Grammar Girl” also incorporates the historical origins of the grammar rule and makes use of quotes by scholars and experts. I hope to use my content in the same way to elaborate further on the grammar rule’s significance and also to be informative for listeners that are being introduced to my topic for the first time.

I found advice for topic selection on SPARK and my favourite pointer that was mentioned was to write down all of the topic ideas that you have brainstormed and then narrow down your topics by moving from broad to specific. I know that brainstorming ideas (both broad and specific) has been helpful in my search for a topic, but the topic selection advice I received in lecture this week about preliminary research was most helpful. I realized that, as Professor Bell mentioned, we can consider the broad topics that she posted on Moodle but we should also examine the podcast websites themselves. While looking at examples of topics that have been covered by other podcast hosts it helped me to think about more specifically what I wanted to discuss.

To make the advice I received online and in lecture more useful for students in my position I would also advise them to not only look at the website for the podcast they are emulating, but to also explore other podcasts websites. This can help them to explore different recording styles that may add to the creative aspect of their podcast and may also spur new ideas. I would also advise students to make deadlines for their brainstorming process so there is not too much time spent searching for a topic and decisions are made quickly in order to move onto the next task.

Week 1: About Me

I am Alexandra Plummer, a third year professional writing major in the periodical stream. I hope to also study communications sometime in the future. I am not exactly sure what I would like to do after graduating but I know it will involve reading and writing because those are my areas of strength. I enjoy reading anything from drama and crime fiction to reference books and newspaper articles and I also enjoy writing essays.

I’m interested in learning new ways of finding and organizing research as it is the foundation of any project or assignment at school and occasionally at work. I hope this course will improve my research gathering skills and suggest better methods of arranging the research. In doing so I hope the process of completing research-extensive assignments and projects will become easier for me as well.  

Research I collect on a regular basis usually involves searching for media reports, definitions of words, historical events and well-known people. I realize that on a daily basis I do most of my research on the internet, however, when it comes to academic research I find that the library has better resources like reference books, novels and research texts. In general, some of my favourite research tools are the York online library catalogue and JSTOR (http://www.jstor.org/), an online database for scholarly journals.

As far as information management, I have never used Zotero or RefWorks. I have always found it easier to record all of my reference information without using software but, as I take on different research assignments in the future I may consider using them. Having the opportunity to use software and research tools that I have never used before is exciting. For this reason, I look forward to the upcoming podcast assignment.

I have no experience with either radio or podcasting but I have completed various voice recording projects in elementary school and high school which I enjoyed. For this assignment the topics I have considered so far are “Grammar Girl”, “Lexicon Valley” and “Spark”. Grammar Girl and Lexicon Valley caught my attention because I enjoy learning about grammar and language usage rules so I thought it would be interesting to explain them in my podcast, creatively. I also think it’s easier to explain topics you are passionate about which I can use to my benefit. “Spark” also interested me because researching technological innovations could be a really fascinating topic for the audience of my podcast, especially in light of the countless, bizarre innovations that exist.

It’s always fun taking part in creative projects like this; I look forward to all of the research skills I will learn in this course and can’t wait to begin the podcast assignment!