It seems like everyone is talking about podcasting. Many radio and television networks are now offering their shows for download as podcasts, and thousands of individuals are sharing their lives with the world in the same way. Teachers in K-12 and in colleges are podcasting their lectures for students to listen to outside the classroom. The term “podcast” was even named the Word of the Year for 2005 by the editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary.

So what are podcasts? Simply put, podcasts are shows that someone creates and posts on the Internet for others to access. Podcasts can take several forms:
• Audio podcasts – think of these as radio shows;
• Video podcasts – with spoken words and moving pictures, like a television show or a movie;
• Enhanced audio podcasts – these have spoken words and still pictures, like a slideshow with narration or musical accompaniment.

Podcasts are similar to blogs in that they give individuals a way to talk to the world. (If you don’t know what a blog is, please read the article, “Blogging 101,” below.) The main difference is that blogs are done in written format, while podcasts have audio and sometimes video content.

In the Alamance-Burlington School System, we are using podcasts in various ways to accomplish our system’s mission. One way is through the logo you see on the top of this newsletter. Click on the “Go to Podcasts” link and you will go to our ABSSTechTalk Podcasts page. Throughout the year you will find new podcasts that we have created to share new information with our community.

Another way we are using podcasts is to help students learn. In several of our schools, students are doing research, writing scripts, and creating their own podcasts. It is amazing to watch them as they learn and then use podcasts to share what they are learning with others.

Want to learn more about podcasting? The best way to learn is by checking out podcasts that other people are creating. You may find podcasts on almost any subject that you’re interested in.
• If you have iTunes installed on your Windows or Mac computer, go to the iTunes Store, look in the left-hand column, and click on “Podcasts” to find one of the largest collections of podcasts on the Web.
• Another place to look for podcasts is Podcast Alley. This site gives a searchable directory of podcasts, and it even has lists of the top podcasts in different categories, as voted on by listeners.
• For educational podcasts, check out The Education Podcast Network, by David Warlick. He maintains an extensive list of podcasts for teachers to use in their teaching.
• We have compiled a list of some podcasts that we recommend. You’ll find them in the article, “Featured Podcasts,” in this month’s ABSS Technology Department newsletter.

Before we finish this article, there is one big question we need to answer: “Do you need an iPod to get involved in podcasts?” No! People have closely connected podcasts and iPods, but you don’t need an iPod to enjoy podcasts. As long as you have access to a computer with Internet access, you have all you need. You may watch or listen to podcasts on the computer. You may listen to audio podcasts on any brand of MP3 player. You can even burn them to CD’s and listen to them in your car – no iPod required.

Thanks for reading!

Dale S. Cain
Middle School Technology Facilitator

Simply put, a blog is an interactive website. It’s your own personal space on the Web where you can share your own thoughts, ideas, events, or anything else you want. Blogs give regular people, like you and me, a voice to be able to tell the whole world what’s on our minds. That’s pretty powerful stuff! Blogger.com says it well: “…blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics, shaken up journalism, and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others” (http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g).

But a blog is more than just a place where you can talk. It’s a place where people can respond, too. When I post to my blog, you may like what I have to say, or you may strongly disagree with me. Either way, you can click on the Comments link and tell me what you think. That can be scary at times, but it’s also an amazing opportunity. It’s amazing because if we can talk to each other, we can learn from each other too.

The other thing that makes a blog different is RSS. What’s that? It stands for Really Simple Syndication, and it’s like magic! When you find a blog that you like, you can subscribe to it (usually by a link at that blog). From then on, whenever the blogger posts something new to his or her blog, RSS will make sure that post automatically comes to you. You don’t have to go to the blog and check to see if there’s anything new; when there’s something new, it will come to you!

Are you interested? Great! So what do you need to get started with blogs?

The first thing I’d suggest is to find some blogs you are interested in reading. This will help you get used to how blogs work. We hope you’ll enjoy this one, but we also want you to look around and find some others that you will enjoy. Google can help you with this; go to http://blogsearch.google.com and search for something you’re interested in. I’m sure you’ll find a lot!

The second thing you need is an aggregator. That’s a big word, but it basically is a place for the computer to put the information that comes to you by RSS. When you start subscribing to blogs, the aggregator will gather the new blog posts for you and put them into a form you can read and understand. It can either be a program you install on your computer (like RSS Feedreader), or it can be a Web-based service (like http://www.bloglines.com or http://reader.google.com). I use a Web-based service and set it as my homepage on my web browser. So, every time I open my browser, it automatically gives me the new content on the blogs I subscribe to. I also like the Web-based service because I can check in from any computer that has Internet access, no matter where I am. And it’s free!

That’s enough to get you started in blogging. We’ll have much more to share about blogging in future posts on this blog, so why not subscribe today? That way, you won’t miss anything! For more information on blogging in education, visit my blog at http://midtecfac.blogspot.com. I’ve put links there to several of the best educational bloggers, and they can help you see the potential how blogging can help our students learn better.

Thanks for reading!

Dale S. Cain
Middle School Technology Facilitator