Podcasting

The following article is from [|www.novemberlearning.com]

What is a Podcast?

Podcasts are audio or video content that can be downloaded on a computer or fed to a mobile music player (mp3 player or iPod.) Podcasting allows anyone to create and self-publish a syndicated “radio or video show” and gives broadcast radio or television programs a new way to distribute content. There are a couple of things that differentiate a “regular” audio file from a podcast. The first is that most podcasts are saved as MP3 files. An MP3 file is just another type of file. Nothing fancy. Just as you may already be familiar with pdf files, text files or Excel files, you can now add MP3 to that list. The second thing that makes a podcast unique is that it is an audio file that others can subscribe to using RSS. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication and we’ve already discussed it in a former lesson. For the true techie aficionados out there (and those who want to impress their colleagues) know this: A podcast isn’t a podcast unless it is being subscribed to via RSS. If there is no RSS involved, a podcast is simply an audio file. A lot of people will refer to audio files as podcasts – but technically they are incorrect. One last point… A podcast is posted somewhere on the Web and others can subscribe to it and download it either onto their computer or their MP3 player (like an iPod). So – for a true podcast to happen… It sounds confusing, but once you get the hang of recording and encoding, you will be well on your way to being a podcast superstar and competing with the rock band U2 on the iTunes Music Store! Why has podcasting become so popular? What can we say? So enough with reading – let’s listen to a few made by educators and students. @http://classroomfiles.com/DrTyson.mp3
 * Your audio file is posted somewhere on the Web
 * The file is usually posted as an MP3 file
 * People are able to subscribe to your files via RSS
 * Podcasts are easy to produce
 * You can create one using free software
 * They are easy to distribute via the Internet
 * They are portable – you can listen to them when and where they want
 * If they are attached to a blog, your audience can give feedback
 * It helps educators tap into a technology many young people are already using

@http://bobsprankle.com/podcasts/0506/rm208vodcast.mov

@http://www.liberty.k12.mo.us/svjh/langhorststudycast6.mp3

The ability to create and post podcasts on the Web is still relatively new at the moment, but search engines dedicated to searching this medium are starting to pop up. Try >> Another option is to search through iTunes. iTunes is free software that organizes music for an iPod or MP3 player. The software allows podcasters, including teachers and schools, a way to publish podcasts for an authentic audience. If you already own an iPod – you will already have this software installed on your machine. If not, you can download it from @http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/. Need help with downloading iTunes? I’m sure your students have already done this – many times! // Once installed, this icon should automatically appear on your desktop. // To find the iTunes icon, for Windows users click Start (lower left) click iTunes icon. For Mac users, look for the icon in your dock. Once you open to the icon, you will be taken to the Music Store. Click // Podcasts // on the left menu. Scroll down to the bottom of the page until you see a // Categories // list. Select // Education //. Select K-12 as a // Subcategory //. You will see a long alphabetical list of podcasts. You can click on any one to listen to it. It may take a moment or two for it to start. iTunes stores a list of the podcasts, but not the files themselves. The podcast is brought to you from the Web to iTunes, to your player. If you click on a title of any podcast, you will hear a sampling from the podcast. To hear the entire podcast click the Subscribe button. (You can always delete it later.) Below are three options for podcasting depending on if you want to record from a PC, a Mac, or even from your cell phone. Each site offers instructions for installation and operation. Audacity – http://audacity.sourceforge.net Garageband – @http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/ Gcast – http://www.gcast.com November Learning does host its own podcast channel that you may be interested in. To find it, open the iTunes Music Store. In the search box, simply type in November Learning. We think you will enjoy what you find!
 * Finding Podcasts**
 * Podzinger – @http://www.podzinger.com/
 * Podscope – @http://www.podscope.com/
 * Blinkx – []
 * iTunes**
 * Step 1** – Look for the Download button and select whether you will download to Mac or Windows.
 * Step 2** – Once you click the Download button click Run to install. (This process will take around 5 – 7 minutes to complete.)
 * Step 3** – The installation process will guide you through a series of links to finish the process. Click // Next // through each window and // Finish // when complete.
 * Software for Creating Podcasts**

MOBILE PODCASTING

Imagine, for a moment, that your class is on a field trip to your city’s local aquarium. Small groups of six or seven students are moving around from tank to tank with their chaperones, and they are collecting information on what they are seeing to discuss back at school. Sound pretty typical? What would happen when one of these groups see one of the aquarium’s marine biologists? Hopefully, they would take the opportunity to discuss what they have learned with this scientist and even try to learn more. Unfortunately, only this one small group had this experience. Most of the other students return to school without being able to have taken advantage of this fantastic learning opportunity. This is where mobile podcasting can be of great benefit. Through this method of podcasting, one group of students can record the conversation, and everyone else can hear the conversation back at school (or home) after the audio file has been posted to the Web. So how is mobile podcasting done? Well, one option is to carry around a laptop so that students could record directly into the computer. Another option is to carry around iPods with microphones or some other digital audio recorder. Both of these options are valid and would allow students to bring their recordings back to school to edit and post. But many schools still don’t have these tools for their students, and even more of them don’t allow students to bring them outside of the school walls. The third option is to record a podcast with a tool that each chaperone probably already has in their pocket: a cell phone. Gcast is a fantastic, free tool that allows anyone to podcast by any phone. This phone might be a cell phone, it might be a phone in the classroom, or it could be a phone in a student’s home. Once you setup an account in Gcast, recording a mobile podcast couldn’t be simpler. Just dial Gcast’s toll free number (there is also an international option), follow the voice prompts, and record. That’s all there is to it.
 * Enter Gcast**

To set up an account in Gcast (http://www.gcast.com), begin by clicking on the //**Sign up now, it’s free!**// link on the top right corner of the page. You will be taken to a form that asks your email address, your zip code, and a password. Complete the form and click the //** I Agree, create my account  **// button. On the next page, you can edit your podcast’s name and description, and you can upload a small photo to represent your podcast if you choose. Click //** Next  **//. The next step will ask you to enter the ten-digit phone number **you would like to register as well as a four-digit PIN number.** >> If you are going to be the only person calling in and recording with your account, you would want to use the number you will most often call from. This will keep Gcast from asking you to enter your registration phone number when you call in. If you are going to have students call in on your account, I would suggest entering a fake phone number. This way, you don’t have to give out your real number to your students. Make sure you remember this number though, because you will have to enter it each time you call in.Click **OK, finished**, and your account will be created. You will receive a confirmation email at this point. Before you start podcasting, open this email and click on the confirmation link. You’re now ready to podcast! Normally, Gcast would be setup as an account for an individual, but with the following method, it could easily be used with a whole class in a field trip type situation.
 * Registering for a Gcast Account**
 * Suggested Method for Class Podcasting Using Gcast**

As stated before, once students are finished recording, they will press 3, and the recording will immediately be published. But now, what can you do with these recordings? Well, you have a few options. SUBMITTING PODCASTS TO iTUNES So, you’ve spent some time working with your class developing podcast episodes that you would like to share with others in your school community or even around the world. If you have a blog, you can easily post your podcast episodes there. But if you stop after doing so, you have not tapped into one of the easiest to use podcasting directories around: iTunes. Being most well known for its music store, where you can purchase music online, iTunes also hosts a directory where users like you and me can freely post our podcasts so that they can be searched for and subscribed to by anyone, anywhere. The directory works through the power of RSS, which means that your podcasts are not actually stored in iTunes. You have to put the podcast somewhere that is RSS enabled and provides you with a feed address. Two of the easiest options are: your blog or FeedBurner. If you are going to use your blog, I would suggest you create a category called Podcast. Whenever you create a new podcast episode, place it in that category. If your blogging service creates a feed for individual categories, you will submit your category’s feed address. Otherwise, you will submit the feed address of your entire blog. As I mentioned, another option is to use FeedBurner. In FeedBurner, you would create an account and upload all of your podcast episodes to this account. FeedBurner will provide you with a feed address that you can submit to iTunes. One of the main advantages to using FeedBurner is that there are some robust podcast management features provided to you. For more information on FeedBurner, visit http://www.feedburner.com.
 * 1) Create an index card for each chaperone. Each card should have three numbers on it:
 * GCast’s toll free number (888-654-2278)
 * The phone number your registered when creating your account
 * Your four digit PIN
 * 1) Provide students with some type of assignment that will require them to call in at different points of the day and record.
 * 2) When students are ready to make a call, they will get the index card out, call Gcast and follow the voice prompts.
 * 3) When they are finished recording, they will press 3 to publish their podcast. Within 5 minutes, their podcast will be found within your online Gcast account.
 * 4) After the field trip, you can change the PIN number so that students can no longer call in until the next time you want them to.
 * Options for the Recordings**
 * 1) Provide parents and others with your Gcast account’s address. They can visit this account and listen to podcasts as they are coming in from the field. The address will be http://www.gcast.com/u/yourusername.
 * 2) Your podcast in Gcast is RSS enabled. You can give the feed address to parents so that they can subscribe to the podcasts if they have an aggregator, or if you have a blog that allows you to insert feeds within, you could have your podcast come from your phone and published to your computer without ever touching a computer.
 * 3) This option is great if you want to edit your podcasts. Login to your account, or go to http://www.gcast.com/u/yourusername. Each of your podcast recordings has an mp3 icon next to it. Click on the icon, and you can download the podcast onto your computer. Form there, you can edit the podcast using Audacity or Garageband. Post your final, edited version to your blog or wiki to share.


 * Steps for Podcast Submission**
 * 1) Decide what service you want to use for your podcast: your blog or FeedBurner. Either way, upload your podcast into your account.
 * 2) Copy the feed URL of your blog, blog category or FeedBurner account. This is usually most easily done by finding the RSS icon on the page, right clicking on it and selecting the Copy Link Location or Copy Shortcut option. Doing so allows you to capture the needed address.
 * 3) Open iTunes. If you don’t yet have iTunes, you can obtain it for free from http://www.apple.com/itunes. When iTunes opens, select Podcasts from the left menu bar. This opens your podcast library, which will be blank unless you have subscribed to podcasts in the past. At the bottom of this window, select Podcast Directory.
 * 4) In the center of the page, you will see a large button that says Submit a Podcast. Click this button and paste the copied feed address into the blank provided. Click Continue. At this point, you will be asked to login to your iTunes account. If you don’t have an iTunes account, you will need to create one now.
 * 5) After creating an account and logging in, you will move on to the next step where you will be asked to verify and add additional information to your podcast’s settings. When finished, click Submit.
 * 6) If everything was entered correctly and your submission goes through, your podcast should appear in iTunes shortly. If there are problems with your submission or if you have technical questions, you might want to look at the guidelines and suggestions posted online at: @http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcaststechspecs.html.