Podcasting...a Powerful Tool!

'Podcasting is yet another way for students to be creating and contributing ideas to a larger conversation, and it's a way of archiving that contribution for future audiences to use.' -Will Richardson, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts & Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom.


According to Charles Doe in The Podcasting Phenomenon (MultiMedia & Internet@Schools, Nov/Dec 2007) a podcast is a digital media file distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on computers, portable media players such as iPods and MP3 players.The term is somewhat confusing because it does not actually require an iPod to listen to it.
The word podcasting is a combination of two words, iPod and broadcast. The New Oxford American Dictionary chose 'podcast' as the Word of the Year for 2005, and defined it is as "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player." Podcasting, according to an article by Milat, Martinez and Jorstad entitled, Podcasting for Your Class(Journal of Physical Education Recreation and Dance, May/June 2007) is a form of personal broadcasting over the internet.

Podcasting has quickly become a powerful Web 2.0 tool. From the digital library of David F. Warlick,(EPN the Education Podcast Network)people equate podcasting to 'radio on demand'. However, it goes on to explain that podcasting has more options with respect to content and programming than radio has. Also, those that listen to podcasts may do so at their convenience and can choose what they want to listen to.

Podcasts have the capability to reach a wide audience both inside and outside the regular school day. The whole world can become potential listeners and can subscribe to a podcast through an RSS feed. Podcasting is indeed a powerful tool!

'The speed at which podcasting is spreading is phenomenal! This versatile technology is entering the educational arena almost as fast as it entered the technology mainstream a while ago.'- Charles Doe, The Podcasting Phenomenon
(Multimedia & Internet@Schools, Nov/Dec 2007)