PoducateMe: Practical Solutions for Podcasting in Education
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Printable copies of the guide are available for purchase and immediate download at
students about their familiarity with podcasting, it became obvious that very few were
aware of the technology.
Even today, do not assume that your students already know how to download and listen
to podcasts. If you’re going to use the medium in your classroom, always provide written
instructions to students describing what a podcast is and how they can obtain them.
Legal Considerations
If you plan to use music or recordings you didn’t create yourself in your podcast, make
sure you are not violating any copyrights before doing so. The Digital Millenium Copyright
Act (DMCA) states that you cannot legally use content without first obtaining appropriate
America (RIAA) (www.riaa.com/issues/licensing/webcasting_faq.asp) has a
comprehensive FAQ section regarding webcasting on their Web site.
A good way to avoid legal issues entirely is to use only material you created yourself or
Commons is a nonprofit organization that builds upon the "all rights reserved" concept of
traditional copyright to offer a flexible and voluntary "some rights reserved" approach.
With a Creative Commons license, artists retain their copyright while allowing people to
copy and distribute their work. The artist must be given credit under this license, and
certain other conditions may apply. Creative Commons recently released the
ues_You_Need_T),” which addresses many of the important legal issues related to
podcasting.
Determining Format and Content
To begin, you must determine the type of podcast you would like to produce. What kind
of information do you want to convey? Who will be your audience? Will your podcast be
simply a recording of a class lecture that you’ll make available to your students? Why
restrict it to your students? Perhaps you’d like to share it with the world. Maybe you’d like
to augment your lectures with phone and/or in person interviews with scholars and
professionals in your field of expertise. Where will recording be done? Do you want to
“enhance” your podcast by including images and clickable links in it? How long will each
episode last, and how often will new episodes be produced?
Clearly, there are many options to consider. More often than not, your decisions will be
guided by the availability of your time and the size of your budget (and not necessarily in
that order!). Unfortunately, educators rarely have an abundance of either of these
resources at their disposal. Most podcasters agree that it’s best to start out using a
modest setup and upgrade as needed.
