Thing #17 - Podcasts: no iPod needed!

Introduction
The following podcast was included in the original Learning 2.0 program. Turn up your speakers and click the Play button to listen:

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The word podcast is used to refer to a non-musical audio or video broadcast that is distributed over the Internet. What differentiates a podcast from regular streaming audio or video is that the delivery method for podcasts is often done automatically through RSS.




In 2005, "podcast" was named the "word of the year" by New Oxford American Dictionary and with the growth of podcasting over the last 24 months, it's easy to see why.

Podcasts take many forms, from short 1-10 minutes commentaries (like the one used at the beginning of this post) to much longer in person interviews or panel group discussions. There’s a podcast out there for just about every interest area and the best part about this technology is that you don’t have to have an iPod or a MP3 player to access them. Since podcasts use the MP3 file format, a popular compressed format for audio files, you really just need a PC (or portal device) with headphones or a speaker.

iTunes, the free downloadable application created by Apple is the directory finding service most associated with podcasts, but if you don’t have iTunes installed there are still plenty of options.

For this "thing" participants are asked to take a look at some popular podcast directory tools. Do some exploring on your own and locate a podcast that is of interest to you. Once found, you can easily pull the RSS feed into your Google Reader account as well, so that when new casts become available you’ll be automatically notified of their existence.




Discovery Exercise

Part One:
The best way to learn about podcasts is to listen to a few of them. Sample a few of the educational podcasts below: English/Reading
Math
Science
Social Studies
Part Two:
Find and subscribe to a podcast. (Pick either Easy or Stretch - or both!)

Easy
Find a podcast (or two) that interests you using one or two of the podcast directories listed above -- ideally, related to your teaching/professional role -- and subscribe to it using your Google Reader. (Locate the RSS or Subscribe icon and click it, then select your Google Reader, or copy and paste the feed URL into the Subscribe field in your Google Reader). Listen to a bit of your subscription(s).

Stretch
Download and install iTunes. Find and subscribe to one or more podcasts of professional interest using iTunes. You can add any podcast feed to iTunes (even if it's not listed in the iTunes Store -- see the podcast directories above) by copying the podcast feed URL, then opening iTunes and selecting Advanced > Subscribe to Podcast and pasting the URL). Listen to a bit of your subscription(s).

Help Resources for iTunes:
Learning Activity

 Write a brief blog post sharing your initial thoughts about podcasting in education.

Points to include in your post:
  • Which podcasts did you preview?
  • What did you think?
  • Which directories did you search and were you able to find podcasts of value?
  • Do you have any ideas about incorporating existing podcasts into your classroom or professional learning?
  • If you already use iTunes (or other podcatcher) and/or have an iPod or other MP3 player that you use for podcast listening, please share a bit about your experiences.
  • If you are a podcaster, or have used podcasting with students, please share a bit about that as well.

    Please include "Thing 17" in your post title.

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