Podcasts

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**What are Podcasts?**
Podcasts are primarily audio files that have an [|RSS] feed attached to them, just like blogs. One can subscribe to podcasts, so that new content can be accessed the moment it is published, through a podcast aggregator. [|Apple's iTunes] now has an integrated podcast aggregator, and is very easy to use. Podcasts can also contain images, video, or other files. Podcasting allows users another medium for having conversations. There are educational podcasts on just about every subject, and more are being created every day. It's easy to search, subscribe, and listen to podcasts. Creating and publishing podcasts is becoming increasingly easy //and fun// as well.

**Ed Tech Podcasts**
How many of us have 30 minute (or more) commutes to work? I have found that listening to a good podcast about Educational Technology is a productive way to use my driving time. Doing boring chores around the house also seems to go much faster now that I can listen to podcasts that interest me. Many podcasts I listen to allow me quality personal professional development through insightful, inspiring conversations. Sometimes, I feel like I'm at an engaging conference workshop when I listen to these podcasts. Below are my recommendations for quality professional growth in Education Technology, especially using Web 2.0 in education. Each website has a subscribe button that will allow you to subscribe in your preferred podcast aggregator. (I use [|iTunes].) Wesley Fryer - [|Moving at the Speed of Creativity] David Warlick - [|Connect Learning] Bob Sprankle - [|Bit by Bit] Danny Maas - [|TILT-Teachers Improving Learning through Technology] (a video podcast) Enjoy! (To understand the power of connecting through Read-Write Web technologies, listen to [|Bob Sprankle's Bit by Bit Podcast #24], passionately podcasted in response to a conversation about "Telling the New Story" started by David Warlick. It is truly an inspiring message about why to use Web 2.0 technologies.)

**Student Podcasts**
Below are quality student podcasts. They make you think about how you could use podcasts with your students. [|Room 208] - 3rd Grade students in Maine discuss their learning. Their teacher, Bob Sprankle, has them script their podcast in a blog, that they then read for their podcast. [|Radio WillowWeb] - Elementary students podcast about different subjects. [|Podcast Central] - Students, teachers and administrators podcast from this middle school in Georgia about their school experiences. [|3R's Club] - 3rd grade students in California podcast about recycling. (This podcast is one that I helped students produce, based on the Room 208 model of blogging, then podcasting.) [|Our City Podcast] - a podcasting project in which students all over the world can participate. Students podcast about their city using the provided script. What kind of podcasts will your students create? Think of the possibilities!

**Podcast Audio Creator Tools**
If you have a Macintosh, by far the easiest tool to use is the new [|iLife]. iLife's [|Garageband] makes it possible to record voices, add accompanying royalty free music, and add hundreds of different sound effects to spice up the podcast. For Windows users, and Mac users who do not own iLife, there is an outstanding free tool, [|Audacity], that allows users to create quality podcasts. Accompanying music can be found on [|Podsafe Audio]. Music from this site is offered through the [|Creative Commons] copyright aggreement.

**Podcast Publishing Tools**
//Macintosh and iLife// If you own a Macintosh and iLife, the ability to publish a podcast is very easy. You create your audio in Garageband, then transfer it to iWeb. You then publish to folder then to a web server, or you publish to a .mac account, if you have one of those. Easy directions for accomplishing all of this are in the form of a series of videos at Apple's website, entitled [|Podcasting in Education]. A short, easy registration process is required to watch the videos.

//FREE Windows and Macintosh Publishing and Hosting Tools// Windows users have many possible FREE solutions for publishing podcasts. [|Feedburner] is a free service that offers podcasters a place to create the RSS feed for their podcast. The RSS feed is what is needed so that people can subscribe to a podcast. Feedburner has a great tutorial page entitled [|Publish your Podcast with Feedburner] on how to create, store, and publish a podcast.

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