A podcast is a digital media file, or a series of such files, that is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds, for playback on portable media players and personal computers.
A podcast is a specific type of webcast which, like 'radio', can mean either the content itself or the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.
The term "podcast" is a combination of the name of Apple's portable music player, the iPod, and broadcast; a pod refers to a container of some sort and the idea of broadcasting to a container or pod describes the process of podcasting.
Podcasting in Higher Education: Ideas!
Podcasting is an inexpensive way for schools and higher education institutions to communicate or distribute educational content. The functionality to add photos and/or video to podcasting allows to add a wide range of visual content to the teaching. In addition, all content can be synchronised to an iPod (or other devices) for learning on the go.
Course content dissemination tool:
to get access to lectures, songs, historical speeches and foreign languages
Classroom recording tool:
to capture lectures, discussions and verbal feedback
Field recording tool:
to make field notes, interviews, oral histories and environmental sounds
Study support tool:
rehearsals through repeated listening to lectures, audio books or music
Student support tool:
to create virtual tours, to give student news, to give student orientations
How to get started?
Basically you need to pre-record and save your content to the podcasting format. Both actions can be done with a simple microphone and a free program such as Audacity.
This weblog on "How to podcast" explains it all in 4 easy steps.
If the weblog is not clear anough, the video below is a visual guide on how to create a podcast with Audacity:
