Podcast Review

As Mayer and Moreno explained; a podcast, or multimedia learning in general cannot be too rich in graphics, audio and video all at the same time because the learner will feel the podcast is overbearing and will lose focus very quickly. In this podcast, one learns how to make a "spud gun", but more importantly, it lays out the project very clearly, without excessiveness that causes learners to lose concentration and interest. The podcast begins with a fun introduction using light, not too loud music, with moving graphics presenting the "program" and objective. This sets the viewer up with a loose guideline to spark their interest and keep them watching. The maker of the podcast also intelligently used a very boring disclaimer bit by quickly flashing it in text and reading it quickly because in my opinion, simply saying a disclaimer verbally is EXTREMELY boring! He is very clear when he speaks, the materials are laid out very neatly, and tries not to linger on one step too long. He also very intelligently speeds up long sequences that don't need his explanation and replaces it with funny, light music. All throughout the video he adds funny texts across the screen and changes the scenery because the podcast is longer than most. I felt this podcast was made very well because no one step was being spoken about for more than 15 seconds, and continuously kept adding fun parts to the learning process such as silly music, phrases and clips.