Educational Podcasting

According to Wikipedia, a podcast is "a method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio programs or music videos, over the Internet for playback on mobile devices and personal computers... Podcasting's essence is about creating content (audio or video) for an audience that wants to listen or watch when they want, where they want, and how they want." The May 1-7, 2006 TV Guide 'Gadgets' section shares a mini-guide on

"Podcasting 101: Audio a la Carte" and briefly describes how easy it is to download audio and video files. From official network podcasts discussing episodes that just aired and give teasers on upcoming ones, to fan-created podcasts with speculation and personal insight into storylines, major TV networks have jumped onboard technology's newest wave. Illinois Senator Barak Obama (2006) dedicates part of his official website to podcasting and includes a definition of what a podcast is, how to listen, and how to subscribe to podcasting services; even providing links for multiple (PC, Mac and Linux) platforms. NASA's website (2006) provides podcasts such as Science@NASA –that gives subscribers an in-depth look at educational content by subject matter. Podcasting has gone mainstream.

A web quest or search on podcasts reveals numerous websites dedicated to podcasts and podcasting; and the category of Education is among most listings. Podcast.com's website (2006) lists six major categories of educational podcasts covering news, literature, history, philosophy, languages and music education. A wide variety of other topics are also available, including College Experiences in the Lifestyles category and Technology as a category in and of itself. The historic reference tome, the Peterson's Guide (Thomson Peterson's 2006), now encourages prospective college students to "use your MP3 player to help get into college! Now you can listen to the latest information on test prep, college admissions, and financial aid on your own computer or MP3 player." Colleges and universities have also joined the bandwagon. Mansfield University (2006) of

Pennsylvania's radio ads and official website both encourage listeners to tune into their podcasts to hear from current students about the realities of dorm life and college. National Public Radio (NPR) (2006) currently hosts two podcasts related to Education. Podcast.net's 2006 'The Podcast Directory' lists 1473 titles under "Learning &

Instruction" with a further 136 podcasts listed under "Kids & Teens>School".

Continuing Education courses are also available for anyone interested in learning how to create podcasts. Joe Pezzillo, founder of Metafy, provides a workshop for $50-$75 per person in Colorado (Boulder Digital Arts, 2006). Corey Deitz (2006) provides both an online tutorial and a free online course entitled, "Learn To Edit Audio Like A Radio Pro" accessible from the About.com website. Andy Wibbels of podcastingbootcamp.com offers an online course delivered via a private ecampus along with teleseminar calls by phone for $60-$120 (multiple-student discounts may apply with multiple registrations).

The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI), a non-profit consortium of law schools, has introduced "Classcaster", a course blogging and podcasting service (Podcasting News, 2005). This system has built-in podcasting support. "Faculty just dials in to Classcaster, enters a phone number and pin and records a call of any length."

According to their website, uses include classroom lectures, sick day lectures, guest interviews, student audio presentations, repurposed content for distance learning, transcription for the deaf, read synthesized speech for the blind and recorded exam review lectures. The University of Arizona (2006) provides podcasting support for its faculty on their website and encourages faculty to use podcasts as a complement to their course content: "Podcasting can be an effective complement to class lectures, a way for students to deliver speeches and presentations, a tool to use with distance learning courses, and a resource for remediation of students with learning disabilities."

Podcasts, however, are not limited by age. Fourth-grade students in Irving, Texas, have put their homework essays into podcasts, according to the Dallas Morning News (Unmuth, 2006). The Education Podcast Network highlights submissions from elementary students across the nation. Goochland County Public Schools in Virginia posts their K-12 students' podcasts as well (Hendron, 2005). RadioWillowWeb in Nebraska boasts podcasts by kids for kids and highlights works from students in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Leanne Smith reported in the March 24th Ann Arbor (MI) newspaper that "elementary podcasting [is] a hit with students and teachers: they're now 'pod pals' with an elementary school in Kansas."

Podcasting is growing in popularity at all educational levels, from kindergarten through graduate school. Whether for fun or while learning facts and sharing knowledge,

podcasting is the wave of our educational future.

8.3 References

• Boulder Digital Arts (2006) Podcasting 201: Create a podcast. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from

http://www.boulderdigitalarts.com/training/details.asp?offering=117

• Deitz, Corey. (2006) How to create your own podcast – a step-by-step tutorial. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from

http://radio.about.com/od/podcastin1/a/aa030805a_2.htm

• Educational Podcast Network. Education – the what, why, and how of the 21st century teaching and learning. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from

http://epnweb.org/index.php?request_id=401&openpod=16

• Hendron, John. (2005, October) Podcasting comes to Goochland. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from http://www.glnd.k12.va.us/podcasts/

• Mansfield University. (Updated 2006, April 27) Mansfield University PodCast: A look at life inside the university. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from

http://podcast.mansfield.edu/

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (Updated 2006, April 14) NASACast – download the universe. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/

• National Public Radio (Updated 2006, April 28) NPR podcast directory. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from

http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php

• Nicholson, M. (Updated 2005, November). Online course design. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from http://iit.bloomu.edu/online/

• Obama, Barack (Updated 2006, May 18) Barack Obama – U.S. Senator for Illinois: Podcasts. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from

http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/

• Podcast.com. (2006) Podcast.com: The ultimate podcasting home. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from http://www.podcast.com/

• Podcast.net. (2006) The podcast directory. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from http://www.podcast.net/

• Podcasting News (2005, October 4) Classcaster provides law schools blogging/podcasting service. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from

http://www.podcastingnews.com/archives/2005/10/classcaster_pro.html

• Smith, Leanne (2006, March 24). Pickney Elementary podcasting a hit with students and teachers. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from

http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news- 6/1143215013214280.xml&coll=2

• TV Guide: May 1-7, 2006. pg. 42.

• Thomson Peterson's. (Updated 2006, April 28) Podcasts at Peterson's. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from http://www.petersons.com/podcasts/

• University of Arizona (Updated 2006, April 28) Podcasting at the UA Technologies Center: Faculty. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from

http://podcasting.arizona.edu/faculty.htm

• Unmuth, Katherine Leal (2006, March 20). With school podcasts, upgraded learning is ready for download. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/irving/stories/DN- podcasting_17met.ART.West.Edition2.1db36ee9.html

• Wibbels, Andy. Podcasting boot camp: How to create a podcast. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from http://podcastingbootcamp.com/

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (Updated 2006, April 27) Wikipedia: Podcasting. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting

• WillowWeb. Podcasts for kids and by kids. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from http://www.mpsomaha.org/willow/radio/podcasts.html

8.4 Gaming at Work: Taking the Boredom Out of