What+are+Podcasts?

What are Podcasts?
According to Wikipedia, a podcast is a digital media file, or a related collection of such files, which is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers. The term can refer either to the content itself or to 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 came from the merger of the terms iPod, the most popular digital audio player of its time, and broadcast. It is a special type of audio format, in the sense that it is a regular MP3 audio file that gets distributed in a special way, through the use of RSS feeds (yes-the same feeds that we have been studying that drive news aggregators and blogs.) Podcasting can be thought of as the creation and distribution of Internet radio, allowing anyone with a computer, recording software, and server space to broadcast their content to anyone who wants to listen. The content can be time-shifted, that is, listened at anytime the listener chooses rather than real-time. It can be listened to on a computer or an MP3 player (i.e., iPod, Zune) that can be taken with you anywhere.

As with blogs, podcasting has had enormous growth. It was the word of the year in 2005, and there are over 100,000 podcasts listed in the iTunes podcast directory. Podcasts are primarily audio but can be enhanced with images. As broadband capabilities expand, along with mobile video players, video podcasting is becoming increasingly popular. Here is a good video that explains the basic technical aspects of podcasting. [|What is Podcasting?] "Podcasting is one of the most exciting and wonderfully disruptive technologies to emerge in recent history. Podcasting is exciting because any one can get involved, express themselves, exchange ideas, or pitch their products. Whatever interests people have, there is a place for them in podcasting.... Podcasting puts the power to communicate into the hands of the individuals. Thousands (at the time of the writing of this book) of people are already involved, each as unique as their podcast.... The price of admission is some basic equipment and a desire to communicate - that's all. Podcasters, with their first podcast can reach a more geographically diverse audience than a radio station with the most powerful AM/FM transmitter in the world.... The whole world really is listening. Access to such a huge potential audience was a privilege once reserved only for large corporations and governments, but podcasting has changed everything. The individual has been empowered and given a voice - this means you."

The empowered individuals that Geoghan and Klass refer to can be you or can be your students no matter what age or grade. The fact that a single podcast can reach more people than the most powerful radio transmitter is a mind-boggling concept. The power of this emerging technology is self-evident…like blogs, it is about bringing mass communication to the common people in a way that is simple, inexpensive and interesting.