00:00.14 archpodnet Welcome back to the archeotech podcast episode 1 8 3 So Ed you're moving on this summer what kinds of courses. Do you plan to teach at your new position. 00:11.64 Ed Oh well. Okay, so that's cool, right? Um, be in a tenure track position which is nice. Um I will also be working in a department where public outreach public engagement is really like I mean like. 00:19.87 archpodnet Um, yeah. 00:31.57 Ed Literally and genuinely a cornerstone of everything they do. So um, you know is this I feel strange saying this is a smaller school I'm coming from the University Of Central Florida which is like 65 70000 students um it's a monstrosity. Ah. 00:45.40 archpodnet Cheese. Yeah yeah. 00:51.80 Ed It's a bureaucratic monster like all universities but it's unique because of its size. It's the large it's one of the largest universities in the country. So yeah, you t r g v only 30 something thousand students. Um, but you know. 00:56.81 archpodnet Sounds like it. 01:03.56 archpodnet So you're not going. You're not going to a smaller school. You're going to like a more normal sized school right? Just feels smaller. 01:07.77 Ed Yeah, I'm going to a normal school. Ah, it just feels smaller. Yeah, like I won't have to teach you know 2000 person sections of intro to x ah and I've not had to do that here. But um, so yeah I mean probably. 01:22.61 archpodnet Yeah. 01:26.67 Ed Um, a number of courses though you know I'm getting to retool a digital heritage course. So I've taught ah a variant of that here which is um which is ah it's a mixed undergrad graduate course. 01:32.23 archpodnet Okay. 01:45.50 Ed Called digital anthropology but I'm I'm specifically making it digital heritage and it'll be mixed grad undergrad at UtRGV as well and basically ah it sort of marries. Ah specific digital. 01:48.31 archpodnet Um, ah. 02:01.65 Ed Archeology Digital Heritage tools with this public outreach commitment. So we're going to look at things like ah open source gis particularly as it can be used to create interactive maps that are hosted online so you know. 02:11.69 archpodnet Plus. 02:17.22 archpodnet Nice. 02:19.88 Ed Way to share information with people. Um, it's also going to explore photogrammetry students get an option of software to use from open source to paid options. Um, and then also using things like blender open source 3 d modeling programs to really tweak and improve the look. Of those ah the models that come out of photogrammetry and then there'll be digital storytelling stuff right? So we'll explore ah really kind of how do you take all this information and produce a product that um, you know you could put on Youtube or Vimeo and or. 02:40.75 archpodnet Um, yeah. 02:57.66 Ed Right? like work with a museum and create a welcome video or a history of ex-community type video you know 4 to 5 minute these are not full documentaries these are digital storytelling things right? 4 or 5 minute sort of information dumps that are engaging because they have um. 03:07.80 archpodnet Um, yeah. 03:17.66 Ed You know mapping and 3 d models and other stuff that are helping to tell these stories so that's the course I'm most excited to teach I love teaching that course I've done it now a few years and sort of really walking students through this idea of pick a topic. Find creative ways of documenting that heritage and then find creative ways of sharing that heritage with the public. 03:42.64 archpodnet You know I've heard I can't confirm this but that another good way of sharing information with the public related to our and anthropology and archeology is podcasting I'm just saying It's a good way. Don't discount it. 03:52.90 Ed Um, well I'll ah I'll I But no, no I mean I would I mean obviously I'm very grateful that that you've reached out you're letting me co-host for these few weeks I mean. I I'm a huge podcasting fan I've never done it myself. Um, you know, but the the tools to do this seem ah readily available I'm I'm sitting in my my home doing this right? So um, yeah, you know that's um. 04:14.91 archpodnet M. 04:21.40 archpodnet They they are indeed without. 04:31.70 Ed I you know I won't lie being the I actually I'm really bad at self promotion I'd love to pretend I'm really good at it. But I'm not except in my classes right? like hey look at this weird stupid thing I did kids oh that's weird least stupid. Thanks Dr. Gt um but yeah, you know I mean. 04:42.88 archpodnet Um, read. 04:49.80 Ed Ah, yeah I don't have I'm not committed to them having to use a visual format I mean if if students want to explore I mean obviously ah you know podcasting. It's one of those things. It's like oh there, you know five years ago 10 years oh there's so many a year ago. Oh there's some and yet. 05:03.91 archpodnet Yeah. 05:08.38 Ed It's like we still need more like we haven't hit the wall. 05:08.94 archpodnet Right? Yeah, absolutely well and and the interesting thing not to make this an ad for you know podcasting but None of the interesting things that people don't seem to really understand about podcasting is it doesn't necessarily need. To be this episodic weekly thing that you do for years right? I mean a lot of people do see podcasting that way. But as an example, you can create 1 ne-off series like short run series that can just be depending on where you put them again. They don't even have to be available on. Say popular podcasting platforms. They can simply just be audio files that you have in a place which which can be more accessible to certain people. You know if you're trying to get this information out because video is great and all but video is difficult to watch while you're driving. For example, right? It's difficult to watch while you're doing other things but a lot of people will take the audio format. 05:59.30 Ed Um, well safely? Yes, ah. 06:02.91 archpodnet So well. Yeah yeah, I just I didn't say it was impossible. It's just difficult. Yeah, but like for example, None of the hosts of the life and ruins podcast on the archeology podcast network he created a I think he did this as part of his ph d. He created a series on the apn called sightb bits and there's only been one season so to speak of sight bites but he recorded a None episode series with None different guests all about Chaco Canyon and it is just a complete. end- to end like 5 hours give or take about Chaco Canyon and there hasn't been any more of that and he hasn't done any more series of that he wants to and and I would encourage others anyone listening to this that wants to do you know a short run series like that we have the platform for it now that is on all the different podcasting services. But those episodes can also just be placed. You know on a website. For example, where people are coming to that website to look for information about a topic they can this is just one other way to do that. it's like it's like I always say with advertising too right? like maybe our audience isn't on Tiktok. Maybe our audience isn't on whatever the newest social media thing is. But there are some people there that would benefit from hearing this information. So why not put ourselves out there for that for that handful of people if it's if it's low cost to you right? So that's what I say on public outreach is yes to do as many things as you possibly can. Because you're going to hit different segments of the population with each one of those things. No None thing is going to be perfect for everybody. They're all going to find value in the little things that you do. 07:32.88 Ed Yeah I think that's um I think that's exactly it right? like you know I'm exploring specific tools and forms of outreach and I mean you've hit the nail on the head that I think a lot of public Heritage Public Archeology folks. 07:37.48 archpodnet Now. 07:52.38 Ed Are maybe shy or even ah ah, feared of talking about right? like um, we can't no individual can do it all? Um, but we are missing audiences when we don't do I think specific things and I you know this is I think. 08:05.35 archpodnet But. 08:10.46 Ed Again, This is kind of like a fascinating opportunity for experimentation. Um, you know if you're in a situation I'm you know I'm speaking to listeners but I'm also speaking to myself I'm thinking out loud. Ah, you know if you're in ah, an area. 08:14.20 archpodnet Yeah. 08:27.33 Ed Whether that's a research area or a geographic area or a location or whatever and you want to do this sort of work I mean obviously you know sort of social media outreach like Twitter and you're writing a bunch of tweets and tweet streams or or whatever I'm I'm on Twitter I'm not very good at it. Um. 08:40.30 archpodnet Um. 08:46.16 Ed I'm on all well not much social media So I'm clearly not good at that. Um, but um, you know that that that ethos of experimentation I think is fascinating because. 08:48.76 archpodnet The. 09:01.26 Ed Any we're all surrounded by by these stories you know and I mean I think the best heritage The best archeology is always narrative driven and that's what I'm trying to do in my classes is get students to think about constructing narratives now I'm building that around you know, let's create ah a video or a presentation or you know. 09:08.64 archpodnet Yeah, so. 09:17.18 archpodnet Ah. 09:20.52 Ed And in some ways that's kind of an old fashioned view of public outreach and digital heritage and that's Fine. You know I'm old So that's okay, but um I think the the podcast I think you know this is where as an educator somebody who tries to like. Tear apart to the degree possible The hierarchy of the classroom. You know this is the sort of thing I mean talking to you thinking out loud about this. This is the sort of thing that I very much look forward to bringing up with ah the students like you know pick an option video podcast. Whatever. 09:48.41 archpodnet Yeah. Me. 09:56.41 Ed What other options exist then I'm the I don't know create a bunch of tikt talks I'm not on Tik talk because I don't you know I mean I don't want to be spied on but I guess that's all social media so doesn't matter. But but um, you know a I I don't even know. 10:01.29 archpodnet Ah. 10:06.88 archpodnet Ah, right. 10:13.40 Ed Ah, in fact, many of us probably don't even know what the next big thing is maybe nobody does right now. But um I I'm deaf and the last thing I want to be is closed off to the next big thing you know what I mean. 10:25.16 archpodnet Yeah, well in in relation to your just you know, fun, fun comment about being spied on with Tiktok You're totally right? There are some services out there that who knows you know where. Where the information is going or whatever but I can't think kind of the way I look at it is these these people who are spying on and looking at my information they're learning stuff about archeology because that's what I'm posting like I'm not posting about my personal life like let these let these spies in China Russia wherever they happen to be. 10:50.40 Ed Um I love it. Yes. 10:59.53 archpodnet Just learn a little bit about archeology. What's the harm. You know. 11:02.16 Ed I like the old joke that right like your and nsa handler hey Steve I'm going to talk about faco today. Oh that's really interesting I didn't know about that. Thanks you know I know you can't respond Steve or you know insert not american name. Um. 11:11.50 archpodnet Ah, absolutely yeah. 11:18.98 archpodnet Yeah, yeah. 11:21.44 Ed Yeah I mean I like that I mean obviously I know I can't hide from the world I mean I'm an educator. My face is out there. You know I mean none of us really can and in some ways it's it's it doesn't make sense to um, you don't have anything to hide I mean until I do but. 11:29.87 archpodnet Sure. 11:37.79 archpodnet Well this is this is your hockey stick moment too. This is your None appearance on the archeology podcast network. So it's only up from here. That's all I'm saying. Ah. 11:39.81 Ed You know. 11:45.75 Ed Um, finally finally the the platform I've I've I've longed for. 11:49.24 archpodnet Ah, finally exactly ah man. Well this has been really great I'm looking forward to having you on the next couple of episodes I have no idea what we're going to talk about yet. But that's what keeps it interesting. So. I I know it's going to be I know it's going to be fun though and I really hope that man just thinking about the the classes that you're teaching and the and the students that you're teaching I would put this out to you and I'll put this out to any other educators that are listening. We can put together something like the site Bytes Channel which I think is a ah, really great opportunity for students to put something on there that they can then do something with right? We have an embeddable player. Well our platform is changing right now we'll have an embeddable player coming back and what that means is you can you can embed a ah player right on any website that somebody can listen to. You can definitely embed a link to the show using that website's built-in functionality and and listen to it right on the site there so it would be a good addition to any project somebody is doing but the apn is happy to help educate and produce and have a location to to host that podcast. So not only. The student have a place to put that that is no cost to them. But other people may have a chance to listen to it too because we'll put it into our all shows feed at the same time which currently gets anywhere from 40 to None downloads a month so that's a worldwide audience on that feed. For that one particular show even if the individual show doesn't have you know a ton of downloads. So um, it's a great way like I said I put that out to you and put that out to any educator listening to this that wants their students to use podcasting as a platform but doesn't really know where to start and me and my my cofounder Tristan if you happen to be over in the Uk were both. Willing to you know, video conference into a classroom or something and and talk to you guys about podcasting as well as ah as a platform and and how to do it and and you know our successes with it. So yeah. 13:50.90 Ed Well I I love that and challenge accepted. 13:54.44 archpodnet Indeed indeed all right? Well again. Thanks Ed for coming on to the show and I look forward to the next couple of episodes while Paul is out of the country and with that I think we will see everybody next week thanks a lot. 14:08.90 Ed Thanks.