Podcasts: What? How? Why?

There is a wealth of online information about the use of podcasts in the educational environment. The resources below explore what podcasting is, how it is done, and why educators and librarians might want to include it in their instructional toolbox. Links to podcast directories and helpful documents are also provided.

What?

Podcasting: Applied Learning Technologies Institute,
Arizona State University
This concise summary borrows from Wikipedia and other sources to detail podcasting and RSS (Really Simple Syndication).

How Podcasting Works
Stephanie Watson of How Stuff Works presents this informative and interactive article describing how podcasting works, including a video introduction to the topic by New York Times media guru David Pogue.

Podcasting 101 for K–12 Librarians
This post by Esther Kreider, Director of Libraries and Technology Integration at Edison Schools, Inc. in New York, presents good basic information about podcasts and offers her rationale for why podcasts should be used in K-12 schools and libraries. This page also contains an extensive set of links to podcast resources online.

Sunnyvale Public Library Podcasts: Audio and Video
Broadcasts of Library Programs and Sunnyvale Voices Stories
The Sunnyvale Public Library site is an example of a well-organized, mature site with access to a range of audio and video podcasts appealing to a variety of audiences.

Podcasting 101
Greg Schwartz, Library Systems Manager for the Louisville Free Public Library (and host of the Uncontrolled Vocabulary blog), has put together an excellent wiki covering all the major issues related to podcasting.

Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki
This wiki is an online community of librarians committed to collecting and organizing resources to promote best library practices, including podcasting.

There’s Something in the Air: Podcasting in Education
Gardner Campbell, Assistant Vice-President for Teaching and Learning Technologies and Professor of English at the University of Mary Washington, provides an in-depth and well-researched article on the potential educational value of podcasting. The article contains many useful links to primary and secondary sources online related to the issues raised in this intriguing essay.

The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education
The Center for Social Media at American University’s School of Communication provides this guide to help educators interpret issues related to “fair use” and copyright.

Media Education Lab: Resources related to Best Practices in Fair Use
The Media Education Lab from Temple University’s School of Communications and Theater provides additional resources related to the American University publication, The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education (referenced above), including Powerpoint slides, video, and a podcast for teachers who teach teachers about these issues.

Podcasting Legal Guide
Creative Commons, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of sharing and building “upon the work of others, consistent with the rules of copyright” offers this site summarizing legal issues specifically related to podcasting.

How?

Learning in Hand: Create Podcasts
Former teacher Tony Vincent writes with a focus on implementing technology tools in the classroom, particularly hand-held devices. This website has some great resources for getting started with podcasts based on four-part model that includes pre-production, recording, post-production, and publishing.

Sweetwater: Podcast Central
Although this site is aimed at professional audio and musical instrument enthusiasts, it offers an excellent orientation to the major elements of podcast development, particularly RSS (Really Simple Syndication). The site’s sections define elements of podcasting: how to produce podcasts, ten podcasting tips, audio production gear, and a podcast directory focusing on music/audio interests.

How to Podcast
Jason Van Orden’s website provides an extensive combination of text and video based tutorial information for all aspects of podcast production and “publication.” This site is especially suited for Windows-users, but the basic concepts are applicable to all computers.

How to: Create Your Own Podcasting Show on Windows
This ZefHemel.com site presents a clear and simple guide for creating audio podcasts on a Windows-based computer using the open-source Audacity audio recording software.

QuickTime Tutorials: Creating Audio Podcasts
This Apple site has simple, concise links to make audio podcasts with QuickTime Pro for both Macintosh and Windows computer users.

Podcasting Toolbox: 70+ Podcasting Tools and Resources
Mashable is a media-based social networking site that “mashes” together multiple media concepts and resources. This portion of the website is dedicated to tools for podcast producers.

Creating a Podcast: Find Out How
This page from Apple provides a nice video introduction in how to use GarageBand 08 and/or 09 to create a podcast.

Learn to Podcast
Go directly to iTunes and the iTunes video podcast library, where you can view episodes related to the Apple iLife suite of programs that work together to help users easily create podcasts with GarageBand, iMovie, and iWeb.

Google FeedBurner Help: Feed 101
What is RSS? What is a web feed? Who cares? This site from Google is a good introduction to the arcane world of RSS, subscriptions, and feeds that help get podcasts distributed to the wide world of the Internet.

Podcasting in Education Resources
Compiled by Gary S. Stager, this site has a wealth of resources for educators interested in podcasting.

Making a Podcast
This Apple site is a must for anyone engaged in advanced production of podcasts that meet technical requirements for submission to the iTunes store.

iTunes Link Maker
Another tool for more advanced podcasters is the iTunes Link Maker, which is a great way to find and copy links to podcasts in the iTunes Podcast Directory so that the links can be pasted into web pages you create.

Tips For Podcast Fans
This Apple site has some useful, straightforward tips on how to access podcasts and take advantage of the features built into iTunes for finding, accessing and managing podcasts on your computer and portable device.

Royalty-Free Audio Sources
Four Bees Free Media
Podsafe Audio
Royalty-Free Music from Incompetech

Why?

Implications of Podcasting in Library Land
Librarian and technology trainer Michael Stephens, of Tame the Web blog fame, shares some thoughts on the implications of podcasts for libraries and librarians.

Podcasts and Libraries
Stephen Abram, Vice-President of Innovation at SirsiDynix, reflects on data from the Pew Internet and American Life Project on emerging tech use on the Internet, specifically looking at podcasts and libraries.

LibrarianInBlack.net: Podcasting and Vidcasting
Digital Futures Manager for the San Jose Public Library, Sarah Houghton-Jan, summarizes library conference presentations by Greg Schwartz and Jeff Humphrey focusing on audio and video podcast issues related to libraries.

Podcasting in Academic Libraries
Jason Puckett is the Instruction Librarian for User Education Technologies at Georgia State University Library. His Librarian X blog features an article that looks at the use of podcasts in academic libraries.

Study Tests Effectiveness of Podcasts vs. Lectures
A recent article made a splash in the blogosphere when Dr. Dani McKinney, professor of Psychology at State University of New York at Fredonia, released the results of her study comparing the effectiveness of podcasts to live lectures on student performance.

Podcast Directories

SirsiDynix Institute Event Archive
iTunes Podcast Directory
Podcasts for Educators, Schools and Colleges
The Education Podcast Network
Podcasting: A Wiki List of Libraries
Podcast Directory List: Google Search Results

Documents

Educause Connect: 7 Things You Should Know About Podcasting
Guide for using iPod and iTunes for Teaching and Learning (pdf)
iPod Notes Feature Guide (pdf)
Information Circulars and Factsheets: United States Copyright Office