The word podcast is used to refer to a non-musical audio or video broadcast that is distributed over the Internet. What differentiates a podcast from regular streaming audio or video is that the delivery method for podcasts is often done automatically through RSS.
In 2005, "podcast" was named the "word of the year" by New Oxford American Dictionary.
Podcasts take many forms, from short 1-10 minutes commentaries to much longer in person interviews or panel group discussions.
In 2005, "podcast" was named the "word of the year" by New Oxford American Dictionary.
Podcasts take many forms, from short 1-10 minutes commentaries to much longer in person interviews or panel group discussions.
There’s a podcast out there for just about every interest area and the best part about this technology is that you don’t have to have an iPod or a MP3 player to access them.
Since podcasts use the MP3 file format, a popular compressed format for audio files, you really just need a PC (or portal device) with headphones or a speaker*.
iTunes, the free downloadable application created by Apple is the directory finding service most associated with podcasts, but if you don’t have iTunes installed there are still plenty of options.
For this discovery exercise participants are asked to take a look at some popular podcast directory tools. Do some exploring on your own and locate a podcast that is of interest to you.
iTunes, the free downloadable application created by Apple is the directory finding service most associated with podcasts, but if you don’t have iTunes installed there are still plenty of options.
For this discovery exercise participants are asked to take a look at some popular podcast directory tools. Do some exploring on your own and locate a podcast that is of interest to you.
Once found, you can easily pull the RSS feed into your Google Reader account as well, so that when new casts become available you’ll be automatically notified of their existence.
(*If you do not have headphones, these are available from the Training and Development Team)
Discovery Resources:
- To find out more about podcasts you can read more here
- Check the current list of SLV podcasts
There are many, many podcast directories and finding tools out there. Here are just three of the more popular ones that, unlike iTunes, don't require a software download:
Discovery Exercise:
- Take a look at one or two of the podcast directories listed and see if you can find a podcast that interests you. See if you can find some interesting library related podcasts here like book review podcasts or library news.
- Add the RSS feed for a podcast to your Google account
- Create a blog post about your discovery process. Did you find anything useful here?
Can you see use for podcasts in the library situation?
OPTIONAL:
You may like to listen to the following podcast by Helene Blowers (creator of this Learning 2.0 program Learning 2.0 : Make "play" your New Year's resolution
She discusses the development of this program and the concept of lifelong learning
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