podcasts

Podcasts
Podcasting is the ability to create or listen to audio or video content either live or downloaded for later use. A podcast is similar to a radio show in that each show consists of a series of individual episodes that you can listen to on your computer or on a digital audio player like an iPod. What distinguishes a podcast from a traditional radio show is that you can listen to a podcast whenever and wherever you want to, and you can subscribe to a podcast series so when a new episode is available, it automatically downloads to your computer. Podcasting can be used as a district /school communication tool, as a means to deliver teacher-created content, or as a way to access a broad range of free programs to support classroom work.

Examples
[|The Podcasting Principal] - a principal shares information with parents [|Speaking of History] - 8th grade history teacher provides "studycasts" for his students [|Learn Out Loud Podcasts] - collection of educational podcasts on a variety of topics [|MI Learning on iTunes U] - requires iTunes to be installed on your computer

Learn More About This Tool
Watch the following video, "Podcasting in Plain English" for a good overview of how this tool works.

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iTunes is software that allows you to access the iTunes store where you will find hundreds of podcasts that can be used with students. If you don't already have the free program installed on your computer, you'll need to do that first. Check out this [|short video tutorial] and then go [|here] to download iTunes. 

Once you've installed iTunes, then learn how to [|Locate and Subscribe to Podcasts Using iTunes]

When using iTunes, notice the iTunes U tab at the top of the iTunes page. Clicking it will give you a listing of hundreds of educational podcasts from both K-12 and higher education. If you browse K-12 and then Michigan's MI Learning, you will find podcasts created by educators in our state, or [|click here] to go directly to the MI Learning area of iTunes.

Podcasting in Education is a large collection of various resources related to podcasting.