PoducateMe: Practical Solutions for Podcasting in Education
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Printable copies of the guide are available for purchase and immediate download at
Introduction
During the early summer of 2005, I became aware of an exciting new technology being
used by a growing number of bloggers and technocrats to distribute audio programs via
the Internet. Known as a “podcast,” these programs typically follow a talk show style
format, touch on a variety of subjects and can be produced by anyone with a computer,
microphone and Internet connection. Better still, podcast episodes can be delivered to
subscribers’ computers automatically, in much the same way newsletter subscriptions are
delivered via email.
At the time I learned of podcasting, I was a Web designer/marketer for Miami University’s
Office of Career Services and I was naturally curious about emerging Web technologies.
This interest was especially true of tools and methods that could be deployed to
effectively engage our Millenial students.
Podcasting seemed to offer a promising means of targeting a generation of learners
accustomed to receiving “on-demand” content through channels such as Tivo, iTunes,
cable and satellite TV. Through podcasting, students could be empowered with the
flexibility to choose the time and place of listening to content (a practice known as “time
shifting”), as well as the convenience of having episodes delivered to them automatically
over the Internet.
After learning that other educational institutions, such as Duke and Stanford, were
already using podcasting technology in the classroom and reporting promising results,
my superiors gave me their blessing to investigate and pursue a podcast project for
Career Services ... as long as it wasn’t too expensive.
.
While I already had a good grasp of methods used to create and post Web pages and
multimedia content such as Flash and Quicktime VRs, I had no experience with or
knowledge of creating, editing and optimizing audio files. Over the weeks and months
that followed, I asked a lot of questions and read a great deal about audio equipment,
audio software and podcasting methods.
distillation of the approaches, tools and techniques I learned and continue to learn about
podcasting. Using the methods outlined in this guide, you will quickly learn how to record,
edit, distribute and promote your podcast to select students and/or a worldwide audience.
While you needn’t have any previous experience working with audio or the Web to
become a podcaster, you should have at least a basic familiarity with computers in order
to follow this guide effectively.
The information contained in this tutorial is presented with a slant toward Macintosh
compatible systems and software. However, the concepts and much of the software
discussed here will be relevant to PC users, as well. Some of the software recommended
