Podcasting

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Introduction
 Podcasts are audio broadcasts published on the Internet. With a PC or Mac and freely available software, it's fairly simple to create audio or video content, complete with introduction music and sound effects. Think of it as if blogging and radio have merged.

Begin by watching Common Craft's [|"Podcasting in Plain English"]. media type="youtube" key="y-MSL42NV3c" height="260" width="320" Podcasts are published as RSS feeds (remember! RSS is one of the 10 Things!). Listeners are notified of new programs by their reader and they can then download the programs and transfer them to the listener's MP3 audio player, such as an iPod. However, podcasts can be listened to on a computer, too.

Please take a look at the [|Podcasting in Education] resources available and familiarize yourself with [|Learning in Hand's Guide to Podcasting in the Classroom].

Discovery Exercises
 For some of these discovery exercises, you may need to download some software and have a set of headphones with a microphone (if you don't already have a microphone built into your computer).

Please make sure you have downloaded both [|iTunes] and [|Audacity] software before you begin the module. You will also need to download [|a Lame Encoder] that will allow you to convert your podcast file to an MP3. Don't forget! They are **free**!


 * NOTE**: If you are a Mac user, you can use the Garage Band software already installed on your computer, instead of downloading Audacity. Both Garage Band and Audacity work in much the same manner and offer the user a similar experience.
 * HELP**: [|How Do I Download Audacity? (video)]
 * HELP**: [|How Do I Download iTunes? (video)]
 * HELP**: [|How Do I Download a Lame Encoder?]
 * HELP**: [|How Do I Download Audacity and Lame Encoder? (video)]

__Exercise 1__
 Finding educational podcasts 
 * Find two education podcasts from one of the following resources ( [|Education Podcast Network], [|Learn Out Loud], [|NPR Podcast Directory]).
 * Subscribe to podcasts using iTunes or your Google Reader.
 * Develop a listening habit.
 * HELP**: [|Finding Free Podcasts on iTunes]

__Exercise 2__
 Creating a podcast <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Open Audacity software (which you downloaded).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Play around with the tool and familiarize yourself with how it works.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Record a 3 minute clip discussing any topic of your interest.
 * HELP**: [[file:audacity-quickstart.pdf]]
 * HELP**: [|Create a Podcast Using Audacity (video)]
 * HELP**: [[file:Geeks.com_TechTips108-Recording Podcast with Audacity.pdf]]
 * HELP**: [|The Audacity Manual]
 * HELP**: [|How Do I Create Podcasts with Audacity?] (video)
 * HELP**: [|How Do I Create Podcasts with Garageband?](video)

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">__Exercise 3__
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Publishing your podcast <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Post the podcast to [|Gcast.]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Post a link to your podcast on your [|iTeach] blog.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Comment on a colleague's podcast using Gcast.
 * HELP**: [|How to Upload a Podcast using Gcast].

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Stretching Exercise
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Read about Creative Commons Music for podcasting. Explore websites which host music files you can use in your podcasts ([|ccMixter][| Internet Archive Audio,][|The FreeSound Project][| Podsafe Audio][| Podsafe Music Network)]. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Add music to the podcast you created in Exercise 2.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Post the new podcast to Gcast.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">//Be sure you provide proper attribution for the music you used!//

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Play further!
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">//For more information on podcasts and how they are used in education...//
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Keep up with [|Learning in Hand Podcasts] to give you tips on the tool and how to use iPods in class.

Progress
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