Emerging Technology Center
Podcasting
What is a podcast?
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. In other words, a podcast is a collection of files (usually audio and video) residing at a unique web feed address. People can "subscribe" to this feed by submitting the feed address to an aggregator (like iTunes - software that runs on the consumer's computer). When new "episodes" become available in the podcast they will be automatically downloaded to that user's computer. Unlike radio or streaming content on the web, podcasts are not real-time. There is no live broadcast of content. Instead, the material is pre-recorded and users can check out the material at their leisure, offline.
If you simply would like to have a file, DVD, CD, or VHS put onto the web for your students to view, we recommend letting us stream the file for you. This will result in the students being able to view the file faster, and without the need for any downloading. This streaming service is free for any faculty/staff member. Still not sure? View our Streaming vs. Podcasting guide!
How do I begin?
You must first plan your podcast. This entails figuring out what your subject is, who your audience is, the length of your episodes, and how often you'll publish new content. You must also plan on how you'll be publishing the content. Will you add a link inside of WebCT Vista, a link on a webpage, etc? These are just a few considerations to think about. If you are considering podcasting academic-related material for a course, you also might consider the effectiveness and interest level.
Next, you should read our FAQ, tutorials, and attend our workshops and begin podcasting to the world!
Frequenty Asked Questions
We have created this FAQ to answer some questions you might have. Many of these questions are addressed in the tutorials and workshops.
These tutorials will give you everything you need to begin, including hardware and software requirements.
Workshops
If you prefer to come to a workshop we offer the following as part of our ETC Training:
Where do I go from here?
Anywhere! Once you have read the tutorials or come to a workshop it is up to you what to do with your podcasting endeavors. Many "podcasters" find it useful to survey their audience for feedback about the length, content, and frequency of their episodes.
Plan your podcast! Things you might think about are: What am I going to talk about? How long should each episode be?
For more information, please contact Eric Floyd (jefloyd@georgiasouthern.edu), or explore all our website has to offer.