Advanced - Step 3 - Podcasts and Podcasting

In Week three we will explore podcasts and podcasting.

A podcast is a digital file, either audio or video, which is made available for viewing or download by means of a web syndication site such as iTunes or YouTube.

Watch the Common Craft video for a further explanation of the process.



The word podcast is used to refer to a non-musical audio or video broadcast (vodcast) 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.


Podcasts take many forms, from short 1-10 minute commentaries (like the ones used in this Learning 2.2 program) 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. Video podcasts can be in many different formats from Apple Quicktime (mov) to Windows (mpeg).


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.


Here is a link to iTunes where I have uploaded one of the audio podcasts I created for a technology class. This podcast was created with the free, downloaded audio podcasting software Audacity.


*What? You want to learn how to be a podcaster too? (Optional Resources for those who want to learn to create podcasts)


*Making a Podcast with Blogger

*Check out the video tutorials on Audacity from "How to Podcast"


Exercise 1 (optional) -- download the free Audacity software and create your own audio podcast. If you like, upload to itunes (Michael will have a sample available)

Exercise 2 (optional) -- using a laptop (or desktop) with a mic and camera create a video podcast and upload it to YouTube (Michael will have a sample available)




Discovery Resources:


*There are many, many podcast directories and finding tools out there. Here are just four of the more popular ones that, unlike iTunes, don't require a software download:


*Podcastalley.com

*NPR's Podcasts

*Learn Out Loud

*Note: Learn Out Loud may take a minute to load.



Discovery Exercise:

1) Take a look at one or two of the podcast directories listed and see if you can find a podcast that interests you. See if you can find some interesting library related podcasts here, like book review podcasts or library news.

2) Create a blog post about your discovery process. Did you find anything useful here?

Optional: If you're ambitious, why not try out the Gabcast service and add an audio post about your experience to your blog.