What+is+a+Podcast?

=What is a podcast?=

"Podcasting, a portmanteau of Apple's "iPod" and "broadcasting", is a method of publishing files to the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new files automatically by subscription, usually at no cost. It first became popular in late 2004, used largely for audio files." --[|en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast]

A podcast is basically amateur radio that is published to the Internet for anyone to download for listening at the computer or for transferring to a portable player for later consumption. The number of podcasts literally exploded over the last couple of years, on September 28, 2004, Google's search engine turned up only 24 hits for "podcast." Just eight months later on May 25, 2005, that same search retrieved 4,450,000 hits.

No special equipment is required to listen to podcasts, and only a digital microphone is necessary for recording content in its purest incarnations. Podcasts run the gamut, from those recorded at the microphone on the fly, to those where voice and music and sound effects are integrated via audio engineering. Open-source and free software can lend the work of novice podcasters a surprising degree of polish.

So why is it called a podcast?
iPod has 76% of market share for digital players iTunes: 84% market share of digital music sales online

...can be amateur or professional ...can involve audio, video or screen capture, or combinations ...can be published tot he Internet or used locally ...can be synchronous or asynchronous -- now or later ...can require only a digital microphone for creating podcasts ...can be syndicated via RSS feeds ...can be transfered automatically to a portable player
 * Podcasting...**

This [|video segment from channel 3000] provides an overview of the concept of time-shifted content that underpins podcasting, screencasting, and vlogging as they begin distributing digital content to viewers.


 * Describing the potential of podcasts, educator Garner Campbell suggests "a voice that creates a theater of the mind-- radio's time-honored heritage -- can connect with the listener on a profound level."** [|("There's Something in the Air: Podcasting in Education]," //Educause// Nov./Dec.2005).

Listening to podcasts...
...is ideal for auditory and English-language learners. ...allows learners to navigate content at their own pace ...can catch absentees up to speed ...can provide enrichment for students who finish early ...can be used by students without geographic limitation, across class sections and even years

Creating podcasts...
...is publishing ...is affordable ...engages student beyond the physical space of the classroom

Resources
[|Educause: 7 Things You Should Know about Podcasting]