PODCASTING IS A TERM used to describe a combination of hardware and software used to distribute audio and video content online. Similar to broadcast radio, this technology has rapidly gained the interest of professional broadcasters, amateurs with niche interests and educators. From broadcasting class lectures and campus news to providing supplemental explanations and expanded examples to course content, the usefulness of this technology in the educational environment is substantial.

The term podcasting is a combination of iPod (Apple Computer's portable media player) and broadcasting. Anyone with access to the internet and the capability of playing audio files on a computer or any portable media device can listen to podcasts. These podcasts are audio and video recordings that are made available through an online subscription for use on a computer or portable media player. These subscriptions are normally free of charge and the variety of content is growing at a rapid pace.

At a high abstraction level, podcasting steps are simple.

At a high level the average content producer records the material, digitizes the media on a computer, uploads the files and creates an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed for the user to subscribe to. For the average end user, all that is required is a freely available podcast aggregator program which allows users to subscribe to podcast content. This program can be set to automatically check for and download new material based on the user's preferences. Once new content is available, the program downloads the media to the users computer and/or onto any portable media player connected to the user's computer.

While downloadable online content is not a new concept, the ability to distribute this material automatically to anyone who subscribes to a podcast feed is new. Historically, if someone wanted to access video or audio content online they would have to visit the website and manually download the material. With podcasting, the user merely "subscribes" to the content they wish to receive and a podcast aggregator program automatically downloads new materials as it becomes available. An additional benefit of these aggregator programs is their ability to place newly downloaded material directly onto a portable media player.

For educators, this fast, convenient, and low cost way to extend lessons beyond the classroom is attracting significant interest. From simply recording existing class lectures to developing new supplemental course material, instructors and students can realize many benefits utilizing downloadable content. While podcasting cannot be a complete replacement for face to face education, the potential uses of podcasting in traditional and distance education include:

Podcasts give students the ultimate gift of mobility.

• the ability to listen to a lecture multiple times,
• flexibility in class schedule (no more “missed classes”),
• increased interaction with the instructor (instead of focused note taking),
• supplement to traditional class notes,
• audio resources for blind and distance education students,
• portability (using personal media players),
• beneficial to auditory learners, and
• multitasking (e.g. exercising while listening to lectures).

While podcasts have traditionally included purely audio content, nearly any file type can be included in the subscription feed such as pdfs, word documents and even video. Some early adopters of podcasting in higher education include Harvard University's Computer Science E-1 class which uses audio and video recordings of class lectures. Another college class offering audio recordings of their lectures and PDF versions of the class slides is Hawaii University's Information and Computer Science class.

The list of educational podcasts is expanding everyday. In order to better understand the variety and potential educational usefulness of podcasts, it is best to actually sample some of the offerings available. The following links should serve as a good "jumping off" point into the world of podcasting.

• Apple iTunes
• Juice (formerly iPodder)

• Educational Podcast Network
• Learn Out Loud
• Podcast Alley
• Podcast Directory
• Podcast.net

C. Michael Pedersen, Graduate Student ，SDSU Educational Technology
Pederson, C. Michael (2005). Podcasting in education. In B. Hoffman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Technology.