Transcript Podcasting 101 - Tech SI Wiki

Presented by Jane Cook, EASTCONN Literacy & Technology
Specialist and CT Writing Project Technology Program Leader
Adapted from a PowerPoint by Steve Sokoloski – K4 Tech
Coordinator, Mansfield Public Schools
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An audio file that is broadcast over the Internet
Podcast is a compound word combining Pod from
iPod with cast from broadcast = Podcast
Some people say POD is an acronym that stands
for Personal On Demand or Publishing On
Demand and has nothing to do with iPods
Technically, Podcasts are repeating broadcasts
with episodes
Most people use the term Podcast to broadly
describe any audio file that can be played on the
Internet or on a portable player
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A microphone or video camera
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A computer
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A computer program that can edit audio or
video files and export them, e.g., Audacity
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An audio file (AKA Podcast)
A computer to play the file and to download
the file so you can make it portable
A portable player such as an iPod or MP3
Player if you want to listen to it “offline”
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An audio file that you’ve created
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A Web site to post your Podcast
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A computer to play it
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A portable player (iPod, MP3 Player) to make
it mobile
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An RSS/XML Feed (for updates)
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Audacity is a free open source audio editing software for
creating MP3 files that works on PCs and Macs:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/windows
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Download the LAME encoder to export MP3 files.
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USB microphones give the best quality.
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You can find intro, exit and bumper music at the Podsafe
music network: http://music.podshow.com/
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Music rights are granted under Creative Commons License
and are safe to use.
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Music files can be downloaded and edited into bumpers using
Audacity.
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Once you begin to create Podcasts, you need a
place on the Internet to post them.
Podcasts can be very large files, especially if they
contain video. You may be able to post them on
your school’s Web site but there may be space
issues.
Mansfield Public Schools used their Town Web
server to host school podcasts when they began
two years ago. Now they are using Podcast People
and PodBean.
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Posting on the school Web site provides them with a way to
highlight info about the Podcasts.
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The show notes contain links to the music, credits the kids, and
provides context.
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They try to make a link back to the educational objectives that
each episode highlights. Technology is engaging the students
in learning.
They try to keep it simple - just kids reading what they wrote
or produced.
They always send a letter home letting folks know their kids are
going to be on the air.
To listen to some of their Podcasts, go to Vinton School’s Radio
Owl:
http://www.mansfieldct.org/schools/vinton/vnradio/index.htm
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RSS is the magic of Web 2.0.
A Web site that puts out an RSS feed tells
other pages that its content has been
updated or changed.
When you subscribe to a site with an RSS
feed you are notified when content
changes.
It is a “push” technology.
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When you customize your Google News or Yahoo
News page, you are choosing to “listen” to stories
via RSS.
Most blog sites use RSS. If you subscribe to your
friend’s blog, you’ll know when they have updated
their posts.
A blog aggregator allows you to store all of your
RSS feeds, e.g., http://www.bloglines.com or
Google Reader. iTunes is the Podcast aggregator
of choice.
Firefox 2.0 and Internet Explorer 7 have built in
support for RSS feeds.
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http://techsi.wikispaces.com/Podcasting
http://mansfield20.wikispaces.com/Podcasting
http://cwp.uconn.edu/teachers/technology/po
dcasting.php