Introduction to Podcasting

  • Understanding Podcasts
  • Finding Podcast
  • Creating Podcasts (or audio downloads)
    • Three Levels
  • Publishing Podcasts

Listening to Podcasts - Overview

The idea behind Podcasting is actually fairly simple.  There is already have a standard for syndicating text content on the Web, called "RSS" or "Really Simple Syndication".  RSS is used to display headlines and short summaries of stories on your computer.   Example 

Podcasting takes it one step further by allowing content creaters to embed a links to audio files intoan RSS feed.  Listeners can then subscribe to these feeds using an Aggregator such as Itunes.  The Aggregator continually checks those feeds, and downloads any new content to your computer.   You can then transfer those files to your MP3 player or play them on the PC.    See      Itunes pictured below.


Finding Podcasts  example

How do I listen?

 You can listen to any podcast by just clicking on the podcast icon. In most cases your browser will begin playing the podcast. In some cases your browser may fire up a helper program that will play the podcast.

How do I subscribe (and this is what makes a recording a Podcast)?

1.  Subscribe - RSS feed - http://faculty.mdc.edu/rberger/pod/feed.xml

To subscribe to this podcast, select  the URL and copy to the clipboard.   Go to your Aggregator and follow instructions to Subscribe.

In ITunes, choose Subscribe to Podcast under the Advanced menu.  Type or paste the URL above.   Some podcast sites will have a Subscribe to Itunes button that will launch Itunes and subscribe the selected site automatically.

In BlogLines, click the My Feeds tab and choose Add.  Type or paste the URL above.

In Juice, click the Subscriptions tab and choose Add.  Type of paste the URL above.

Go to Itunes and try it out.   It is already installed for this workshop.  To download to your own computer, see Resource links.     Try a few.

 Links

Aggregators
 iTunes (Windows/OS X)
Juice (Windows/OS X/ Linux)
jPodder (Windows)
iPodderX (OS X)
Bloglines - Browser-based

Podcasts in Education 
 Examples
College Podcast links  
Higher Ed - Ipodder
EPN

 

School Podcast projects
School projects  
Elementary Kids
High School Projects
Kids Internet Project

 
Creating Podcasts  -

Step One - Create the first Sound file (.mp3)  - See Sound Recording - sidebar

Level One - Sound files (or video file) is created, upload to a Web server then linked to from a Web page.   When clicked, the sound file will play on the computer.  

Two steps to creating a Podcast

  1. Create the Audio file  (.mp3) - See Audacity instructions
  2. Create the RSS Feed (.xml) - See Yahoo instructions and copy .xml file
 Sound recording software.
You can use a number of free and paid software programs to record your podcast. Audacity is a popular free program for recording and editing podcasts and it's available for both Windows and Mac.   Audacity instructions   Mac users can also purchase use GarageBand sound recording and editing.
 
Publishing Podcasts
  1. Upload .xml and .mp3 to Faculty Web Server.

Your RSS feed will be the link to the .xml file

 Note:   You might want to create a folder on your Faculty Web servers space that will contain your .xml file and all your .mp3 files.  
Updating Podcasts

You can create periodic episodes for your Podcasts by adding items (links to new .mp3 files) to your .xml file.    After you update your .xml file, upload it to your Faculty web server space.  Anyone who has subscribed to your feed will receive the new episode.

 Sample
<item> <title>DYSBS Day One</title> <description>Welcome to Day One</description> <itunes:author>Rhonda Berger</itunes:author> <pubDate>Tues, 25 April 2006 15:00:00 EST</pubDate> <enclosure url="http://faculty.mdc.edu/rberger/pod/Dayone.mp3" length="30610" type="audio/mpeg" /> </item>
Advertising/Distributing  your Podcasts

You should create a Web Page that displays your RSS feed file and also links directly to your .mp3 file so it can be played directly from that page.   See sample feed file. 

See Sample Web page for students to Subscribe and/or Play Sound File.

 Subscribe | Play