Final Thoughts...

I can’t believe WRIT 2300 is already over…  Creating a podcast episode was quite the experience, but I learned a lot!  Hopefully, my podcast episode will help someone with homophone confusion!

Since a podcast is aural, I had to structure my script in a particular way.  So, when I talked about the differences between the homophone sets, “there/their/they’re” and “to/too/two,” I had to constantly remember to spell out the words to ensure that my listener does not get confused – which was quite tedious.  But other than that, I think my recording process went well.  And, since I had no prior experience with creating a podcast, I was pleasantly surprised and happy with how my podcast turned out!

However, the editing process was not as simple as the recording process.  I had never used Audacity before, so I spent a lot of time practicing and figuring out all the different editing features.  In particular, my recording had static in the background, thus I spent a while trying to figure out how to edit out the static.  After a while, I discovered the “Noise Removal” feature and since I recorded my podcast in chunks, I spent a lot of time trying to ensure that the tone remained the same throughout the whole podcast, after I removed the static.  Hopefully, the tone sounds good – at least, I got rid of the static!

Perhaps, if I had the chance to go back, I would have spent more time focusing on the music I used at the beginning and end of the podcast.  I tried my best to make the music fade in/fade out when I was speaking, but I was having some problems with the “Envelope Tool.”  Therefore, I would have structured the music differently if I had more time.  Other than that, I’m happy with my podcast!

My advice to future students:  Remember that the podcast is a big, term-long project, so try not to fall behind.  If you stay on track with all the due dates throughout the term, then creating a podcast won’t seem as stressful at the end of the term.  Also, practice with the editing features of the recording program ahead of time.  If you know where all the editing features are beforehand, then hopefully your podcast will turn out the way you want it to in the end.  Finally, try to have fun – choose a topic you are passionate about because you will have to be dealing with that topic all term long... 

Good Luck, future podcasters!

- Camellia  

Sounds Like A Homophone!

Camellia here! Welcome to the world of grammar! Did you ever type a message, but you just couldn’t remember how to spell a particular word because there’s a few different ways to spell that word? Well, in my podcast episode called “Sounds Like A Homophone,” I explore homophones (words that sound the same, but have different meanings and different spellings). I offer tips to differentiate between the homophone sets, “there/their/they’re” and “to/too/two.” Also, I explore the use and misuse of homophones in social media. So sit back, relax and enjoy my podcast episode… 

Camellia, W14, Software

Well, I don’t really have any experience with recording, so at first, I wasn’t sure what would be the best route to take.  But, after reading all of the positive comments about Audacity on this blog, I believe Audacity is the best recording software for me!

In a matter of seconds, Audacity downloaded on my laptop (I downloaded it from:  http://audacity.sourceforge.net/).  And, then in order for me to be able to export my recordings (so that I will be able to eventually post my podcast) I needed a way to convert it to an mp3 format.  So, as Audacity’s website suggested, I installed the LAME MP3 encoder and I am now able to export my recordings. 

The Audacity Manual (http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/) is the perfect resource to refer to as it answered all of my questions.  The Manual’s ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section has all the advice I need for:

Recording – How To’s  

http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/faq_recording_how_to_s.html

Editing
http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/faq_editing.html

After a few minutes of using Audacity, I discovered that it was pretty easy to understand how to use each feature – in a matter of minutes, I found the shortcuts, so simply pressing the letter ‘R’ on my keyboard allowed me to record, pressing the ‘space bar’ allowed me to stop recording, etc.  Here’s a link from the Manual to see images of some features: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/record.html. I haven’t tried out all of the editing features/adding sound effects yet but to help me with this, I will again refer to the Manual and this post I found online: https://academictech.doit.wisc.edu/onlinecourse/audio-video-course/audio-editing-audacity/editing-audio-audacity.  

For now, the Manual seems like the main source I will refer to because it is so thorough.  And, as of now, I don’t think I will need any advice from any YouTube tutorials!

I already tested out Audacity by using my laptop’s built-in microphone and as I mentioned, I already figured out how to use quite a few of the features.  I found that it was simple to use, so I don’t think I will have any troubles when it comes time to record my whole podcast episode.  Also, I managed to successfully save my recording in mp3 format and export it to my iTunes.  My recording sounded loud/clear and even though I’m not used to hearing a recording of my own voice, I am happy with the way I sound! 

Camellia, W14, Structure

My podcast episode on homophones (tips to differentiate between homophone sets; use/misuse of homophones in social media) generally follows the typical structure of a Grammar Girl podcast episode!  Also, the structure I have drawn applies certain aspects from the Morning Edition structure (from http://howsound.org/2013/03/my-kingdom-for-some-structure/).

The drawing of my podcast episode’s structure begins with a horizontal line.  This horizontal line represents the opening scene where my grammar issue of homophones is introduced.  Then, the structure descends into a small ‘v’ where I go over a brief history/context of homophones.  This is followed by another horizontal line and then a second horizontal line right under it.  These two horizontal lines indicate a return to the topic where I provide examples of how to use certain homophones/my tips to differentiate between the homophone sets.  I include two horizontal lines here because I go over two examples of homophone sets – ‘there/they’re/their’ and ‘to/too/two.’  Lastly, there is another horizontal line (which is a dotted line) that does not connect to the rest of the structure.  I wanted this dotted line to represent an extra aspect of homophones: homophone use/misuse in social media that I explored.  The line is separate/dotted so as to indicate that it is extra information that I found interesting, rather than it being more information to help people with homophone confusion.     

Furthermore, the last horizontal dotted line is separate from the rest of my structure because that is where my podcast episode diverges from a typical Grammar Girl podcast.  A typical Grammar Girl podcast usually ends with solutions/tips to the grammar issue, so it would end with the two horizontal lines that are on top of one another.  However, my podcast episode goes further and that is why I included the extra horizontal dotted line.    

                                                                                                                       

Well, I tried to calculate the number of citations in episode 102 "Icon for Access" of 99% Invisible.  Hopefully, I counted correctly – I counted 23 citations! 

Camellia, W14, Search Strategies

When I was researching for my podcast episode, I tried out many different research strategies.  However, the research strategy that I found to be most useful was the Library Databases.

For instance, I required some linguistic-related information for my podcast episode.  The Library database: ProQuest has a list of subject areas, including the Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA) Database.  With LLBA, I was able to access information specific to the linguistic field of study.  The wonderful aspect of using a Library Database is that there is almost always a database that is in the realm of the field of study that your topic pertains to.

However, I did search with Google Scholar nonetheless.  When I used Google Scholar, the search results were broader as opposed to a Library Database that will provide you with information under a specific field of study.  Also, with Library Databases, there is usually an ‘Advanced Search’ tab (you can choose type of source, if you want information from a scholarly journal, etc.) where you are able to narrow your search even more.

It is possible to use Google Scholar in combination with a Library database though.  For instance, when I used specific search terms, I managed to find a great article through Google Scholar, but I wasn’t able to access it unless I paid a fee.  So, then I searched the name of the article in one of the Library Databases and then luckily, I was able to access the article. 

I will probably use Library Databases in the future because I prefer to search in a way where I will get results specific to the field of study that my topic falls under.  Therefore, I believe that I will most likely be researching more efficiently when using a Library Database!

Camellia, W14, Digging Deeper

Well, I decided to begin my research on the eResources and the articles/databases section on York’s Library website.  At first, I was unsure about how many scholarly sources I would find on homophone misuse, but JSTOR ended up being a very helpful database thus far. 

Some scholarly sources I plan to use are:

- “Mnemonics Relieves Homophone Misuse” article by Carol A. Edwards (from the Journal of Reading book)

- Txtng: The Gr8 Db8 by David Crystal (publisher: Oxford University Press)

Hopefully, I will be able to find more scholarly sources as I continue to research.  I’m also interested in searching under the ‘psycholinguistic’ field of study because this will allow me to further understand ‘why’ people are misusing these homophones – is homophone misuse related to our psyche?  So far, in the databases, I have only researched under the ‘professional writing’ field of study.

A popular source I found is:

- “No LOL matter: Tween texting may lead to poor grammar skills” (from the Penn State News website)

My next plan is to look through magazine articles in terms of popular sources.  Perhaps, these popular sources will provide me with recent information that will allow me to dig deeper on homophone misuse within social media. 

Good Luck researching, everyone!

Camellia, W14, Topic Refinement

Before pitching to the class, I believe I already had a firm grasp on my topic.  My original podcast topic was: to offer quick tips to help people remember how to differentiate between homophones (which is words that have different meanings and different spellings, but all sound the same) and to explore why people misuse homophones.  But, the pitch did indeed help me to refine this topic.  The pitch had a four minute time constraint which forced me to talk about the most interesting/important aspects of my topic. 

After pitching to the class and brainstorming with my TA, I have come to the conclusion that my refined topic is: the misuse of homophones within social media, as well as my tips to differentiate between the homophones, specifically the homophones ‘there, their, they’re’ and ‘to, two, too.’  Overall, the pitch allowed me to specify my topic because I had to ensure my topic would be able to capture, and thus, hold my audience’s attention!

Pitching can be a useful pre-writing exercise for other writing assignments as well.  When you pitch, it helps you form a concise argument and allows you to get feedback from others on the strengths and weaknesses of your topic.  A pitch requires you to “get to the point” when pitching your topic and if you are able to do so, then you will be able to have focus throughout your whole writing process.   

Camellia, W14, Pitching

Well, since pitching our podcast ideas is just around the corner, I’ve been diligently trying to gather advice on how to go about it.

Some advice for pitching a podcast:

1. CBC radio – A few weeks ago, I was browsing different podcasts and I came across the podcast “The Next Chapter (with Shelagh Rogers)” where Rogers discusses literature.  This podcast is a part of CBC radio, so I did some research on the CBC radio website and I came across their pitch guide.  CBC’s pitch guide definitely offers reliable information because (as many others have also stated) CBC is one of the most esteemed and professional broadcasters in Canada.  CBC is no stranger to the world of podcasting as it broadcasts many different types of podcasts, one of the podcasts being “Spark.”

Some helpful advice from CBC radio’s pitch guide is:

·  Say what it is about your idea that gets others very excited

·  How would you describe your show’s sound?

2. Quick and Dirty Tips – For my own podcast, I plan to emulate the Grammar Girl podcast so I inputted ‘podcast pitch’ in the search bar on the Grammar Girl website.  Grammar Girl is one of the many podcasts associated with the Quick and Dirty Tips website.  Thus, the Quick and Dirty Tips website redirected me to a podcast episode called “How to Make a Good Pitch” by Lisa B. Marshall aka “The Public Speaker.”  The Quick and Dirty Tips website offers reliable information because it also broadcasts many different types of podcasts, in particular Grammar Girl (which is definitely a reliable podcast).  The Public Speaker podcast is also a reliable source because her podcast episodes cover a wide range of communication topics (Marshall is very experienced, especially since she has a degree in Communications) – specifically, quite a few of her podcast episodes have explored the topic of creating/communicating in a podcast.

Some helpful advice from the “How to Make a Good Pitch” podcast episode is: 

·  Say why you’re different or the best

·  Modify your pitch based on the feedback you receive

3. San Francisco Book Review – I did a quick Google search with the words ‘pitch a podcast’ and one of the first websites that came up was the San Francisco Book Review’s “How to Pitch a Podcast” by Stephanie Barko, Literary Agent.  Although, this article is about pitching in an e-mail, I can confirm that this article is indeed credible because Barko’s career is focused on pitching authors and novelists therefore, she is able to offer reliable advice on how to go about pitching in any circumstance. 

Some helpful advice from the “How to Pitch a Podcast” article is:

·  The goal is to connect with your “target” aka “who you’re pitching to”

·  “5 Things You Will Reveal to Listeners” – what is it about you that will make you good on the air (as the podcast host) and why you will fit well with the show’s theme

·  How your podcast content ties to current events

Overall, in order to create an effective podcast pitch, I will have to discuss the sound/tone my podcast will have, discover peoples’ reactions to my topic before I pitch it, discover if my topic is relevant enough, and keep the specific target (in my case, Ms. Grammar Girl herself) in mind.

Works Cited

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. (2013, August). Cbc radio program development               

            group pitch guide.  Retrieved from http//www.cbc.ca/pitch/radiopitchguide.html

Marshall, L. B. (Performer) (2011, November 17). How to make a good pitch. The Public Speaker. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/business-career/public-speaking/how-to-make-a-good-pitch

Barko, S. (2013, February 13). How to pitch a podcast. Retrieved from http://sanfranciscobookreview.com/2013/02/how-to-pitch-a-podcast/

Camellia, W14, Topic Selection

Hello again everyone!

For the past week, I have been listening to many different podcasts and I have decided that I definitely want to emulate Grammar Girl.  As I stated in last week’s blog post, editing is a passion of mine so I always try to be aware of the many different grammar rules.  I believe that it is important to adhere to grammar rules because it allows the writing to be professional and comprehensible to the readers.  I am intrigued with anything grammar-related, so I can’t wait to create a 15 minute podcast all about grammar.

I also plan to emulate the style of Grammar Girl.  In each episode, Mignon Fogarty aka “Grammar Girl” addresses a specific grammatical element or rule that may confuse people.  Then, she uses concrete examples that will help the listener remember how to follow the grammar rule in the future.  She delves into the history of the grammar rule and references credible sources, as well as talks about how the grammar rule is used or misused in our culture today.  I enjoy this style.  Just like Grammar Girl, I also want to present professional studies/facts from credible sources and I want to present examples from advertisements, social media, etc. in my own podcast.  I also enjoyed Grammar Girl’s pacing in her podcasts – she spoke clearly and overall, it felt like a relaxed podcast.  I also want to emulate this pacing because it will allow the listener to absorb the grammar rules more easily.

After much consideration, I realized that I’m highly interested in the common grammar mistakes I see on social media or in advertisements.  Specifically, I notice that there is common confusion over whether it’s “your or you’re,” “its or it’s” and “whose or who’s.”  Therefore, I think I will talk about apostrophes and all of the different ways an apostrophe is used/misused.  I listened to a Grammar Girl podcast that talked about apostrophes and I just hope to expand on the topic.

I already had the idea about creating a podcast on apostrophes (while looking at the Grammar Girl website) before looking at SPARK, so I did not refer to SPARK to help me with topic selection.  However, I believe SPARK’s suggestion to explore your interests when coming up with a topic is very useful because from experience, I have discovered that research for an essay, project, etc. is less overwhelming when it pertains to your interests.  My only advice (to other students in my position) is that you may have so many different interests that you want to tackle, but you must always keep the constraints of the assignment in the back of your mind.  Good Luck!     

Camellia, W14, Introductions

Hi everyone!  My name is Camellia and I am a second year English major.  I have also taken professional writing courses and I am strongly considering becoming a Professional Writing major as well.  My passions include reading, writing, journalism, and editing.  I am currently enrolled in an introductory linguistics course (which I am enjoying very much) and I hope to continue studying linguistics in the future.

I believe everyone researches to a certain extent, especially with the help of Google.   With the click of a button, Google allows me to stay updated in all things books, music, etc.  There is so much information available at our fingertips, so I hope to learn how to research efficiently in order to find the exact information I am looking for.  I want to learn the research tools that will allow me to discover the most credible information that will support my future research.

I have never used the information management software: RefWorks or Zotero.  I used Google Scholar and it was an excellent resource, especially when I needed to search for literary criticism for past English courses.  I have used York’s eResources – which was also a helpful tool.  Also, I have made countless trips to York’s Scott Library where I searched through shelves and shelves of books in order to find information to support my research essays.

I always listen to the radio, but I do not have any experience working in a broadcast environment.  I have heard of the term “podcast” many times but I have never listened, nor created a podcast before.  Therefore, I am a little intimidated about creating a podcast because as of now, I don’t have any tools that I can use to record my voice.  I am intimidated because a podcast is solely audio and I want to ensure that I create a podcast that will hold the listener’s attention throughout. 

After looking through the list of podcast shows and topics, I am considering Grammar Girl or Lexicon Valley for the course project.  Since writing and editing are two of my passions, I always pay keen attention to the way things are written and I am obsessed with anything grammar-related, so I think Grammar Girl will be perfect for me.  However, since I am taking a linguistics course and I have an interest in the way in which languages function, I believe Lexicon Valley is also a possibility for my podcast.

I am excited to see where WRIT 2300 will lead us all…