The Five Canons, Audience, & Earbuds:

1. The Five Canons, Audience, & Earbuds: Adding Podcasting to the Computers & Writing Classroom Jennifer L. Bowie ▪ Assistant Professor ▪ Georgia State University Computers & Writing 2008 ▪ May 25, 2008 ▪ UGA @ Athens, GA

2. Overview • Podcasting 101? • Considering podcasting in the C&W classroom • Rethinking the old in new ways • Integrating podcasting into C&W classrooms • Conclusions

3. Podcasting 101 • Podcast: iPod + broadcast • Digital media files distributed over the internet • RSS feeds: subscriptions and delivery • Often played on portable media players • Not just for iPods • Time-shifted & location-shifted • Started as grassroots/independent now with many companies & organizations • Increasing popularity

4. Podcasting 101: Popularity • In 2007 13% of US population has listened to a podcast

5. Considering podcasting in the C&W classroom • Another form of “writing” and media • Part of technological literacy • Another form our students may need to master • Old/new form of writing and rhetoric • Traditional form (think Greeks) • Current “popular” from (presentations, speeches, …) • Digital with “universal” access • “Better” knowledge distribution model • Lessons learned may help other forms

6. Rethinking the old in new ways: The 5 canons • Invention: "discovering the best available means of persuasion” (Aristotle) • What to say? • What topoi?Take testimony for example • Arrangement: the order of discourse • Is there a genre/subgenre? • If so, what is the genre? • Music before? After? • Which point first? • Intro? Outro? • Style: the artful expression of ideas appropriate to one’s purpose How will it be said? • Ethos & pathos become key • Things to consider: Dictation, accents, jargon, word choices, expression, speed

7. Rethinking the old in new ways: The 5 canons • Memory: “treasury of things invented” (Ad Herennium), Recall of topoi often drawing on kairos and grounded in audience and circumstances • Scripted podcasts: may delve into memory • Unscripted podcasts: just like the good ‘ol ancient days • Delivery: public publication/presentation of discourse. How it is said: presentation of argument with effective gestures, tone, words, movement, and images • Oral roots in new ways: • Editing • Sound levels • Voice modulation • Music • Visuals & album art • Performance • More “traditional” print/web based concerns • Transcripts/ text forms of the content • Websites and associated “places” for the podcasts

8. Rethinking the old in new ways:Audience, purpose, context, tone • Audience: • Their voice makes it more personal and increases their investment • Words, accents, music, length, …, and overall message more deeply considered • Better audience “visualization” • Purpose: • Often becomes more than “just another paper I have to write” • Can portray in “more” ways: music, tone, word choice, speed,… • Easily leads them into the next step • Context: • Suddenly user/listener/reader/ context matters • Will they be at their computer? Driving? Running? Cooking? Folding laundry? • Considers what matters and works for the user’s context • Tone: Tone now means something

9. Integrating podcasting into C&W classrooms: • Option from list of various media • Class weekly review • Regular individual podcast • Student selected topics (related or not) • News • Class review/reflection • Provided topics • Research papers • New approaches to old genres • Media & message comparisons • Professor response • Peer review

10. Conclusions • Fits into the goals of a C&W classroom • Provides new ways for students to consider, rethink, understand, and apply old concepts • Easy to incorporate • Leads to improved writing and investment

11. Thank you! • Jennifer L. Bowie jbowie@gsu.edu • Professional website: http://www.rhetcomp.gsu.edu/~jbowie/ • Screen Space Podcast & Blog: http://www.screenspace.org/ • Presentation slides & handouts: http://www.rhetcomp.gsu.edu/~jbowie/presentation/ • Image: Digital Media Galaxy http://www.digitalmediagalaxy.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/podcast.jpg