Podcasting and iTunes 4.9
Podcasting is suddenly everywhere. With the release of iTunes 4.9, which allows you to both subscribe and publish podcasts, I thought I might briefly touch on the topic.
What is Podcasting? From Wikipedia:
Podcasting is a method of publishing files via the Internet,
allowing users to subscribe to a feed to receive new files
automatically. It became popular in late 2004,
intended largely for downloading audio files onto a portable audio
player. However, listening to podcasts does not require a portable
device and it is not traditional "broadcasting" to a mass audience at a
fixed time.
The word "podcasting" is a portmanteau that was coined in February 2004 and combines "broadcasting" with the name of Apple Computer’s iPod audio player (although podcasting was not invented by Apple, nor do podcasts require a portable player or Apple software).
It is distinct from other types of online audio delivery because of its subscription model, which uses the RSS
2.0 XML format with an audio/mpeg enclosure. Podcasting enables
independent producers to create self-published, syndicated "radio
shows", and gives broadcast radio programs a new distribution method.
Listeners may subscribe to feeds using "podcatching" software (a type
of "aggregator"),
which periodically checks for and downloads new content automatically.
Some podcatching software is also able to synchronise (copy) podcasts
to portable music players. Any digital audio player or computer with audio-playing software can play podcasts. The same technique can
deliver video files, and by 2005 some aggregators could play video as
well as audio.
In the not-too-distant past, you had to search for podcasts. My family and I often downloaded Podcasts of BBC Radio for instance, but they were broadcast late at night or had hard to find schedules. With the release of iTunes, that is changing.
Most of the time (at the current moment in time, that is), podcasts are free. Of course, I remember when music was also a free download. iTunes now makes it easy for you to search out a podcast or discover new ones. You can even publish your own!
Podcasting is just fun. More than that, podcasting may have a direct impact on eLearning and education. Think about the benefits, including a direct link to the employees’ ears, assistance for auditory learners, and more. A Learning Circuits article reviews the trends and lists some of the advantages in both education and corporate learning. The article also includes several great education-related podcast links.
Here are some great links on podcasting:
A Beginner’s Guide to Podcast Creation
Podcasting for Education (blog article)
Odeo: Odeo is similar to iTunes new podcasting service. Odeo provides a well-organized catalog of available podcasts for you to download to your player or computer.
Podshow: Helping produce and promote "shows" (similar to a radio show) as podcasts
