EdTech provides consulting, training, outreach and educational services
for faculty, instructors and staff using educational technologies.
EdTech provides consulting, training, outreach and educational services
for faculty, instructors and staff using educational technologies.
Unless you've been shipwrecked on an uninhabited island for the past year and a half, you've heard of podcasting. The amount of buzz generated around the word, in fact, has earned it the distinction of being chosen as the New Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2005. Nevertheless, some common misconceptions continue to obscure what podcasting is about and why it may matter to you. The primary misconception is an oft-assumed dependence on the nearly ubiquitous white earbuds which seem to have sprouted on most every undergraduate ear that doesn't have a cell phone attached to it. Although the rise of podcasting has been associated with the phenomenal success of Apple's iPods, it is not necessary to have an iPod to access a podcast. (Although many trace the "pod" portion of the word "podcast" to the "iPod", others argue that the acronym "POD" standing for "Portable on Demand" predates the phenomenon of podcasting and accounts for the term.) Podcasts are simply mp3 audio files and can be accessed by ANY mp3 player. In addition, although some portability is sacrificed, it is not necessary to have an mp3 player at all as podcasts can be accessed on any computer with an Internet connection and audio capabilities.
What exactly makes a podcast a podcast if it's just an mp3 audio file? The advantage and appeal of the podcast over an ordinary mp3 file stems from the fact that podcasts take advantage of "really simple syndication" (RSS) technology. This takes the audio file and moves it from the static past of sitting on a web page waiting for someone to come listen, and empowers it with the dynamic ability to deliver itself to anyone who has chosen to subscribe to that particular podcast. As a magazine subscription delivered to the home eliminates the need for a trip to the newsstand to see if the latest issue has arrived, subscribing to a podcast eliminates the need for going out to websites to look for new content. And as with the magazine subscription, it's possible to breeze over the index and only spend time on what is of interest. Aunt Tilly no longer has to keep checking the Iowa State University web site for the latest episode of "Gardening in the Zone" - it's automatically delivered to her along with her other favorite gardening podcasts via iTunes on her computer. She starts up iTunes, clicks on Podcasts, and listens to any of the new episodes that interest her.
Beginning to get the picture? There are thousands of podcasts available via iTunes, you choose the ones you're interested in, subscribe to them (for free) and then receive the latest episodes automatically as they are released. Can you get podcasts only via iTunes? No. There are many tools for receiving podcasts, but iTunes stands out as one that is free, available for both Windows and Macintosh, and already widely distributed. As this is a "Getting Started" article, we'll focus our attention on iTunes.
If you do not already have iTunes on your computer, you can download it for free (Windows or Macintosh) from http://www.apple.com/itunes/ - the download form only asks for your email address, but you don't have to fill that in if you don't want to receive promotional emails. Once you have iTunes downloaded and installed on your computer, you're ready to start exploring the world of podcasts, though if you're starting it for the first time, you'll have to agree to the license and then click through the iTunes setup assistant first.
Once iTunes is running, click the Podcasts link under "Source" on the left side of the window. This will open a blank listing since you are not currently subscribed to any podcasts. At the bottom of that window, however, click the small arrow next to where it says "Podcast Directory" and this takes you to a bewildering wealth of podcasts to choose from. To help make sense of the abundance, you can use the search function on the left side of the window (you may have to scroll down to find it).
I'm interested in photography. Entering "photography" in the search box returns a list of around 100 
photography-related podcasts (some more related than others!) Scrolling through the list, I click on the small "white arrow in a circle" icon next to any of the titles that look interesting in order to open additional information about that podcast still in iTunes. From the information displayed, I get a better picture of what the podcast is about and, as importantly, a pretty good clue as to whether or not this is a well-established podcast or one that someone launched in a fit of enthusiasm and then let die after one or two issues. To return to the list of my search results after reviewing information about any of the podcasts, I click the small "back arrow" at the top left of the iTunes window (beneath the rewind, play and fast forward controls).
In browsing through the list of photography-related podcasts, I come across one entitled "Secrets of Digital Imaging". From the additional information about the podcast, I see that there are 41 episodes and the last one was created last week, so it seems to have some longevity. The topics are interesting so I will subscribe to this one. From the information page itself, I click on the subscribe button and then confirm in the pop-up box that comes up. I am taken to my list of podcast subscriptions where I see that podcast now listed. Clicking the small triangle next to the title there reveals the list of all previous episodes for that podcast. The most recent episode has already downloaded to my computer and I can listen to it simply by doubleclicking it. However, I can also doubleclick any of the previous episodes as well to listen to them. At the bottom right of the window, I see a Settings button. Clicking that button will give me more control over how I want my podcast subscriptions managed, including whether or not I want to automatically download all episodes of a podcast or only the most recent, whether I want them deleted after I've listened to them, etc. There is also a link from within that dialogue to control how an iPod will handle your podcast subscriptions, if you happen to have one.
Upcoming articles on Podcasting will provide the information you need to begin creating your own. There will be separate articles for Macintosh and PC users.
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