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Throughout the entire August 22 semester I have put hours of work into learning and creating. In that process, I have found plenty of ways to correlate my work and others to the learning outcomes and in this storyboard, I hope to convey that accurately.

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-Compose and interpret across a wide range of purposes and audiences using writing, as well as oral, visual, digital and/or other methods appropriate to the context.
This learning outcome is pretty straightforward in terms, as it really boils down to creating different projects and including all types of modalities to do so, especially one of those modalities relates more to the content of the project you are working on.

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-Employ reflective and critical strategies to evaluate and select credible and relevant information sources.
What does this mean? I take this as researching your research. Find out your source's credibility by looking into the author, the website or journal in which it may have been published, etc. Looking into past works and using them for future works to put forth more credibility to whatever you may be working on.

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-Evaluate social and ethical implications in writing and information literacy practices.
This learning outcome is also pretty straightforward in terms of its meaning. Throughout the semester there have been plenty of opportunities to research a wide variety of topics and in doing so, it is extremely important to evaluate the implications of the topics you might look into or how you portray what you find. You should also make sure to state the implications of the topic you choose to research as context is also extremely important.

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The artifact presentation was an exciting and fun project, as I was able to choose whatever I wanted to present. In doing so, I had to make sure it came from a credible source, which wasn't hard as it was an official trailer released by Nintendo. Many of my peers mentioned the use of a trailer being very unique and it allowed me to explore all the uses of modality that video game trailers employ in order to keep viewers interested and build anticipation for the upcoming release. I talked about the use of music and how music that sounds uplifting can make the viewer feel that emotion and how sounds from the game can bring a sense of familiarity to those who have been long-time fans. I also mentioned the visual elements like gameplay and introduction of a select few new pokemon that have never been seen before as well as the use of captions that help explain certain elements of the game, including pokemon descriptions, story line plot, and other things.

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Major Project 1: Ask. The Archival Collage

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This is the first project assigned to us this semester in which we were asked to research 3-5 items or topics from our class archives and create a collage and subsequent essay that describes the aforementioned collage. In doing this, I went into a large collection of audio projects that ranged from podcasts to old radio shows and even music. In doing so, I had to interpret these audio heavy modalities and compose them into a collage (visual) and an essay (writing). During this process, I looked further into each source/item I chose. I researched the creators, the actors, and anything else to make sure the sources were real and didn't have any controversial skeletons in their closet, so to speak. In doing this, I also took into account whether or not these topics had any negative implications for those who might see them. In all my research, I found my sources to be credible and ethical.

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This is the collage I created for the previously mentioned Major Project 1.

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This article was the focus of my Major Project 2 and subsequently tied into my Major Project 3. This article goes in-depth into the field of podcasting and the pros and cons of audio podcasting versus video podcasting. Daniel J. Lewis, who is the author of this article, is an extremely credited individual, having been a host of 3 podcasts, extensive work in the audio and video field, and creator on Youtube. Daniel posts plenty of tech reviews and hosts the podcast from which this article derives itself, and thus has plenty of knowledge pertaining to the world of podcasting. I used this article to dive into how the use of audio modality or video modality affects the formatting of podcasts. Inside the article, Daniel employs the use of video modality, linking a video of his own in which he reviews different types of microphones and compares them to each other, from their price to the sound quality to how easy it is to use each one. Using this video gives extra credibility as well as helps those who might be thinking of starting a podcast a good base of what to expect for their audio.

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Whether you're a new or experienced podcaster, you may face the decision of whether to be in audio or video podcasting. Here are the pros and cons of each format, and things you should consider.

I'm omitting "enhanced AAC" because it's a quickly dying format with limited compatibility and few practical needs that can't be met with effective show notes.

This topic was inspired by Steve Hart's feedback.

Hi Daniel.

Do you know of any research that helps establish if people prefer video podcasts over audio only podcasts?
My feeling is that people are more likely to listen than watch, particularly if the video only features 'talking heads'.

Would be interested to see any stats or research into this area.

Cheers,
The Steve Hart Radio Show

Audio benefits

1. Widely consumable

The most powerful thing about audio podcasting is how easy audio is to consume in various environments. You can listen to podcasts while cooking, driving, playing games, mowing the yard, and even working. It's easy to listen to one thing while doing another.

2. High quality for low cost

The Audio Technica ATR2100-USB ( Amazon.com | B&H) is only $50 and produces acceptable quality for any audio podcast. You can plug it straight into your computer (or many mobile devices) to record without expensive equipment.

3. Easy production

If you can cut, copy, paste, and delete text on your computer, then you can edit audio! It's easy to remove sections you don't want, and clean up dialog without leaving any noticeable signs of editing.

4. Popular choice

Only six out of the top one hundred podcasts in iTunes (as of March 3, 2014) were video. Even Leo Laporte's This Week in Tech has only the audio edition in the top 100, but not the video edition.

This, alone, doesn't mean it's the best option, just that more top podcasters chose audio, or their audio formats are more popular.

5. Supported by all podcast apps and directories

You can play MP3 audio files on almost any device or media app. Even old flip phones can playback MP3!

There are several apps that support audio and video podcasts, but many popular apps (such as Stitcher, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio) support only audio.

Audio disadvantages

1. Difficult to share

It's hard to make audio go viral. Some media hosts, such as SoundCloud and Audioboo, have partnered with Twitter or Facebook to automatically embed media players for direct links to media files. Aside from these couple exceptions, audio is far less common for sharing or embedding.

2. Low accessibility for hearing-impaired

Audio can't be consumed by the hearing-impaired. You can help this by having your episodes transcribed, or by writing great show notes (my recommendation).

3. Visual subjects don't communicate well

Try to review paintings in audio, describe a beautiful scene, or train on software or hardware. While these are all possible to do, if you can communicate well, they take a lot more work and time than simply showing something. This is why nearly all of my one-on-one consulting sessions involve video (webcam or screenshare).

4. Doesn't engage well on YouTube

Many people want to be on YouTube because it's a massive social network and even a search engine of its own. It's possible for you to publish your audio to YouTube with just your cover art or a slide presentation. This kind of "hacking the system" it's far less effective and will probably turn away potential a potential audience.

Video benefits

1. Prominent media players

When you go to a website with an embedded video, you know what to do with that video. It's often more compelling to click play on the video than to read through the written content.

This is a problem that can be helped in audio podcasting, but it needs more support.

2. Easy to communicate visual subjects

Instead of spending time describing something in order to discuss it, video allows you to simply "show and tell."

I do recommend being more specific than simply saying, "here" and "this," but you don't have to be so descriptive to say, "In the upper-right corner, just to the left of the logo, are two red and white RCA inputs and outputs."

3. On-screen aids to help accessibility

Video also makes the easy things even easier to communicate. Instead of saying, "Email feedback at My Awesome Podcast dot com," you can just say, "Email me," and display the email address on the screen.

This works for many details, and even allows for commentary, corrections, footnotes, and more. Consider how I added a footnote to my video " How to add or change your podcast cover art."

4. Engaging and shareable

We're humans and we relate with other humans. Showing your face in video allows your audience to get to know you even better than just hearing your voice. They can see your expressions, read emotions, and learn to recognize your appearance. This can result in more engagement.

(Side tip. Unless you're doing drama or interviews, always have the subject look directly into the camera (or near it) instead of off-camera.)

5. Free "hosting" and leverage on YouTube

YouTube is social network of its own. I think the quality and usability of comments has increased since Google+ was integrated. Being on YouTube can help you reach a whole new audience.

When you upload your videos to YouTube, they can live there forever without any foreseeable hosting expenses.

You even have the opportunity to monetize your videos more easily on YouTube than finding a sponsor for your show.

6. Search-engine optimization (SEO) with YouTube

Many people will even search YouTube for things before they search Google.

Being on YouTube also gives you more opportunities to appear on the first page (and higher position) in Google search results.

7. Great longtail

Because publishing video lets you get onto other platforms and be more shareable, you'll find a larger "longtail" for video content than audio. "Longtail" is how much your media is consumed over time. The timelessness of your content greatly affects this.

I see many of my YouTube videos continue to receive more weekly views than their equivalent audio podcast episodes.

Video disadvantages

1. Expensive for high quality

Getting good video means you need a great microphone (which should not get in the way of your face), good lighting, and decent camera-in that order. Even with cheap options for each of these needs, you'll still spend several times more for video than audio.

2. Complicated production

Editing video is a lot more complicated than audio. You need to learn about color correction, composition, video codecs, resolutions, frame rates, and more.

In video, it's not good to try removing every verbal crutch because this leaves noticeable edit points in your production. You can sometimes cover these up with B-roll footage (other relevant video or images, such as a second shot of the product you're reviewing), but this means more stuff you have to find or record. Watch how I use my own B-roll footage to cover up my edit points in my review of the Electro Voice RE20 microphone.

3. Hard to consume

Try watching a video while driving, mowing the hard, or using deadly cooking utensils. Actually, don't. I want you to stay alive with all your body parts.

Watching video requires a lot more attention than audio. This is a good reason to keep Internet videos short, so that it's easy for your audience to watch the whole thing without the commitment they'd have to give a movie or TV show.

4. Small support by podcast apps and directories

Many new and popular podcast apps don't support video podcasts. Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn are just a few. But it does seem like a growing trend.

In-car entertainment is also likely to support only audio for driver safety.

Why did you choose your format?

What made you choose audio or video? If you publish both, what kinds of growth do you see for either format.

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Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.

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Should your podcast be audio, or video? - TAP163

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Whether you're a new or experienced podcaster, you may face the decision of whether to be in audio or video podcasting. Here are the pros and cons of each format, and things you should consider. I'm omitting "enhanced AAC" because it's a quickly dying format with limited compatibility and few practical needs that can't be met with effective show notes.

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To further discuss Daniel's article, the implications of his chosen topic are quite positive and informative, as he helps those who might want to transition from audio to video a good grasp on what to expect as well as giving those who may be starting fresh a good idea of which option to choose going forward. He never says that one may be better than the other and takes a very neutral stance while still inserting some of his opinions on both the good and the bad of podcasting in either form.

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All in all, all of my projects related back to these three learning outcomes I've listed and all of them have helped me to create strong pieces of writing, as well as amazing creations, such as my worknet and collage. Making sure I used credible sources that had strong, positive implications and found ways to incorporate different modalities in order to create a wide range of accessibility as well as using certain modalities that fit better with my chosen research topics helped me become a better researcher and creator. Pushing me into unfamiliar avenues, allowing me to come out of my comfort zone as a writer, and broadening my scope of literature and modality as a whole are just a few things following these learning outcomes has done and I hope I can convey that accurately through my work and this storyboard.