Creating Podcasts

It seems like everyone is podcasting something these days. I really like to listen to Ed Tech Talk and SMARTBoard Lessons Podcast. But what really makes a podcast? It's not simply sharing video or audio files on the web. By uploading that information to a website, people still have to be told to go find that file and download it. A true podcast sends the file straight to you without you looking for it.
At the top of most blogs, there should be an RSS feed link with the universal orange-curved-line icon. By subscribing to a podcast, blog, etc. with an RSS feed, the beauty of the Internet does the rest of the work for you. This blog can be subscribed to by scrolling to the bottom. Click on the button and choose how you'd like to subscribe. It will send the new file or post straight to you. You didn't have time to go search for information, anyway, right?
So, with this example, we see how great a podcast can be for our professional careers. But what about our students? We want to provide the same benefit to them and even their parents, too, right? That's where podcasting comes in handy.
To start, you need to open your website folder and create a new page as an .xml file.



I like the directions given from "Make RSS Feeds." They are very easy to follow and given in step by step form. You can simply begin a post (the file that you plan to podcast), and then copy and paste after that.
Watch this video for a step by step visual.


Once you've done this, you're almost ready to go. You need a "host" site that will syndicate everything you add to your website, including the xml file. I like Feedburner. It's very easy to use. First step - create an account. It's basically follow the bouncing ball after that. The video at the bottom of this post will walk you through it.

At this point, if you're going to hand out your web address to people and encourage them to subscribe, you're done. However, as we discussed earlier, it's all about easy these days. Here's how to submit your podcast to iTunes so people can search for it themselves and subscribe. This will also help you achieve a larger audience.

Blogging for Beginners

What is your purpose in incorporating blogs in your classroom? Will students collaborate with each other or with the teacher? Describe how this will enhance learning.