Podcasting...a new, hipper, public broadcasting system?

My podcasting learning process...

Prior to this week I owned an iPod and I new what television broadcasts were. I probably new in theory what podcasts would be but I didn't really care to dig into what they were. I figured that I knew how to work mp3 players (learning how to turn of my iPod took a week...how sad), I had more music than I needed, I listened to my old radio shows at night...what more could I need. The "pod" in podcasting made me think of iPods (obviously) that are banned in my school so there was no real need or desire to learn more.

Then Will Richardson (2009)came along and the first trailfire video for the week ( )and introduced subscribing to FREE, automatically updated podcasts through iTunes.

Wait a minute...I live on iTunes there is no podast sect....

Oh, how did i miss that podcasts link just below "TV shows" on the left side of the screen. Maybe it is because there isn't a link at the iTunes store where I get movies...



Oh, there is a link at the top of the screen. Once I got over the embarassment of not knowing everything I thought I new, the real playing (I mean learning) began. I subscribed to a wide variety of podcasts ranging from technology to dance grooves.



Instantly, I had 10 podcasts downloading to the computer and with a click and a drag I was off. Richardson (2009) had me nervous as he talked about the nonprofessional finish to podcasts but each of the ones I accessed was fantastic. The great thing was I could listen to stuff I wanted without commercials and without having to listen to tons of stuff I wasn't interested in. This always bothered me about travelling with mom and dad as a kid. We all liked the comedies on CBC radio but we couldn't stand the rest. But guess what we had to do...listen for hours on a road trip to often catch just a 15 minute clip (no offense CBC). I think a lot of kids in the 80's would have been happier if mom and dad could have just downloaded the best shows and skipped the rest.

Then I began accidentally learning about podcasting's potential through a podcast (http://feeds.feedburner.com/speedofcreativity/podcasts...check out podcast331). Here I was instantly drawn into a seminar for FREE that demonstrated the use of podcasts as it refered to podcasts. Don't get me wrong...I love reading but being able to learn on the move excites me. By the time I reached my destination my head was full of new ideas and because a voice was attached to the information I seemed to retain it better.

After I spent time listening to podcasts, our trailfire (http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/marks/217493) drew me in deeper. In short, it led me to sites that led me to other sites that demonstrated the professional uses of podcasting. I honestly lost track of time listening to the podcasts, bookmarking links, writing notes on applications for my class and emailing my tech guru to discuss potential barriers to podcast usage in my classroom. The level of engagement I experience was almost equal to when I play video games. That hasn't happened all semester with my readings (don't tell my prof) but being able to listen, follow along, pause the broadcast, surf, comment, etc. was amazing. Despite all the tasks I was wholly focused on learning and making connections

This drew me back to Richardson (2009) who suggested using Audacity to create podcasts (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/). After a short download, I was able to easily create and store two podcasts that will fill in my thoughts around podcasts and their personal and professional implications.

There are only a couple blemishes to podcasting I have found so far:
1) Pledge drives - I loved public broadcasting channels but I hated the pledge drives. Even though podcasts are generally free I found a few solicited for funds at the start of every new episode. I realize that I may have to put up the bucks to keep the services I love going but...every episode? And how "free" does that sound if they want me to pay for it. Be aware.
2) Audio needs friends - I found that I enjoyed podcasts that directed me to other media or pages that included podcast links combined with video and text information. If I just had to sit and listen I could become bored. But if I listened, read comments, followed links...fantastico.

For further information on personal and professional implications check out my posted podcasts. If you want to experience some of the sites I mentioned yourself, check out the following links:
-http://www.inanimatealice.com/. Not podcasting but an amazing mix of audio, text, and images.
-http://www.edtechtalk.com/. Huge fountain of information including a great podcasts around almost any 2.0 related topic you can think of.
-http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/. Great site looking into impacts of the digital age on children and learning.
-http://www.justonemorebook.com/. Elementary school podcasting in action. Don't have time to read all the new kids books. This site may have a podcast review for you already.
- http://medinger.wordpress.com/2008/03/05/in-the-classroom-kid-podcasts-of-good-masters-sweet-ladies/. More student podcasting. Imagine the possibilites.
-http://www.speedofcreativity.org/. Great site full of blogs and podcasts around utilizing 2.0 tools in education.

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.