This semester has been filled with nothing but new experiences. During this semester I learned how to write, edit, record, and publish a podcast. The entire process was somewhat new to me, especially when it came to editing the episode. Thankfully with the help of Dr. Kelly and Audacity tutorials, I believe I produced a good and enjoyable first podcast episode. One of the most enjoyable and difficult experiences I had during this process was finding public domain audio clips to put in the episode. I believe that audio clips in podcasts can help with the transition of the story. My search for free public domain audio clips was long but rewarding. I found two audio clips, one was of waves hitting a ship and the other was of the wedding march. I used these clips for the transitions in the story. The audio clip I struggled with the most was the main theme for the entire show. It had to embody the sense and tone of the whole series, which is why it took me so long to settle on one.
The main thing this semester taught me was patience, the value of working together, and being okay with asking for help. From researching to publishing the actual episode, I had to learn how to be patient. Every phase of creating a podcast takes time. I am a person who likes to finish a task right after I start it. So, when I had to slow down my process it made me feel anxious. However, through that experience, I developed more in-depth analysis and was overall happier with my final product.
Another lesson I learned during this semester was how important it is to work together. I never knew how important this was in the field of history. The monthly critiques and updates with our entire class allowed us to bounce our ideas off one another. These comments helped spark new ideas for all our projects. Also, I worked with a co-host for my episode. This made the over episode and recording process more enjoyable.
The last lesson I learned this semester was that it is okay to ask for help. This is something that I have always struggled with in my academic career. Asking for help is not something that should be discouraged. Dr. Kelly also taught me that if you need anything, whether it’s just advice or permission, all you must do is ask. The worst thing that can happen is that someone says no. If that is the case, then you’ll look for solutions elsewhere. Or you can ask, and they will say yes. Overall, this semester taught me that not asking for help or permission can become an obstacle when progressing in a project.
