Original PDF Flash format Podcasting-Guide  


Podcasting Guide
































Podcasting Guide









We’ve all heard people talking about Podcasting lately. Every
Topics covered
year seems to be termed as the ‘Year of Podcasting’. With the

surge of ipods (or mp3 players) and the number of students
1. What is Podcasting?
who use it to listen to music, it’s about time that we find an
2. What do you need?
educational application for this.
3. Is there a structure?

4. Purpose of podcasting
This guide hopes to outline a step by step guide to creating,
5. Quick (and free) steps to audio podcasting
publishing, and subscribing to podcasts along with its
applications to the different levels of learning. The intention is

to package the whole notion of podcasting into an easy to
Guides
understand and follow resource.


1. Recording your podcast
Its various sections allow users to learn individual skills such as
2. Upload your file to a server
audio recording, establishing a blog site, or learning RSS.
3. Set up a blog account (Blogger)

4. From a blog feed to a podcast feed (Feedburner)

5. Subscribing to your podcast (Juice)




Note:

New guides


means that the material is either new or updated
1. Doing it all in Odeo
2. Learning a little of RSS
3. Subscribing using iTunes


Resources

1. Resources for further reading and learning
2. Books
3. Guide details


What is Podcasting?
Is there a structure?

Podcasting is the method of distributing multimedia files, such
Yes, like any form of presentation you can structure your
as audio programs or music videos over the Internet for
podcast.
playback on mobile devices and personal computers. The

distribution format of a podcast uses a form of the RSS (Really
The usual format is:
Simple Syndication) format.


a. Introduction (welcome, what is the podcast about, when was
The term podcast, like "radio", can mean both the content and
it recorded, overview of the episode)
the method of delivery. The host or author of a podcast is often
b. Talk about the episode topic/s
referred to as a "podcaster".
c. Feedback (emails, letters, comments on website)

d. Closing (what was discussed, acknowledgement, overview of
Podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or
the next episode)
streaming of files, however a podcast is distinguished by its

ability to be downloaded automatically using software capable of
No, some podcasts are very loosely structured. Examples of
reading RSS feeds.
these are recordings of conferences, lectures, and field study

tours. However, it is still good practice to introduce what the
Usually the podcast features one type of "show", with new
podcast is about.
episodes either sporadically or at planned intervals, such as

daily or weekly. In addition to this, there are podcast networks
An advantage of having a set structure is the ease of producing
that feature multiple shows on the same feed.
a transcript to assist with the podcast. In an educational

setting, concerns about accessibility should be addressed. If a
Podcasting's essence is about creating content (audio or video,
transcript is not available, ensure an alternative textual
even documents) for an audience who want to listen or watch
document is prepared.
an episode when they want it, where they want it, and how they

want it.


Purpose of podcasting


Education
-
Language learning (Podcast of English Language
What do you need?
Teachers Worldwide)

-
Conferences, seminars, and forums (MIT – Emerging
Software
Technologies; Cool Connections, Australia)

-
Lectures (Harvard Extension School)
Audio recording software options
-
Orientation material (Duke University)
•
Audacity + LAME encoder
-
Research (RMIT University; Monash University)
Free multi-platform audio editor and recorder
-
Project demonstration(Flash TV)
audacity.sourceforge.net

lame.sourceforge.net
Business/Commercial
•
Adobe Audition
-
Marketing and Promotions (DesignFix)
Professional audio editing, 30-day free trial available
-
Training of staff
www.adobe.com/products/audition
-
Product or service demonstration (Penguin books)
•
Garageband
-
News (ABC)
Apple’s audio composition software
www.apple.com/au/garageband
Recreation/Entertainment


-
Chat radio (Merrick and Russo)
Podcast receiver options
-
Hobbies (VODcars)
•
Juice
-
Cartoons (Happy Tree Friends – warning: PG rating)
Free multi-platform podcast receiver
-
Crazy talk (Ask a Ninja)
juicereceiver.sourceforge.net

•
iTunes

Apple’s music library and podcast management software
Quick (and free) steps to audio-based podcasting
www.apple.com/au/itunes


Step 1 Create an audio recording

Step 2 Upload the recording (mp3) to a server
Hardware
Step 3 Create a blog account
•
A computer with any operating system
Step 4 Create a link to your mp3 file from your blog.
+ a good sound card (optional)
Step 5 Enhance your blog feed into a podcast feed
Suggestion: anything from Creative
Step 6 Subscribe to your podcast

Step 7 Submit your podcast
•
Microphone & headphone or headset

Suggestions: Sony Pro digital stereo microphone


Logitech desktop mic
Quicker steps

Verbatim deluxe headset

USB connected headsets are better for
Step 1 Create an audio recording
computer use
Step 2 Create an Odeo account

Step 3 Upload your recording (mp3) to Odeo
Network

•
Internet connection (any speed)
Even quicker steps

•
Check with your ISP or internet admin regarding bandwidth

(download/upload) restrictions
Do it all in Odeo



Recording your podcast
Under the Quality tab, set the default sample rate to 44100
Audacity (audacity.sourceforge.net)
Hz and the Default Sample Format to 16bit. Keep the rest of
LAME encoder (lame.sourceforge.net)

the settings as they are.


1. Open Audacity in your computer.





Under the File Formats tab, set the Uncompressed Export
2. Set the Preferences in File select Preferences.
Format to WAV(Microsoft 16-bit PCM). And the MP3 Export

setup bit rate to 56 or 64.

Click the OK button once this is done.




3. In the Audio I/O tab, ensure that your soundcard (Device)

is selected. Select a single (Mono) channel.
4. Start recording by pressing the Record button (red dot)




Review your recording.











5. Export the recording as an mp3 file, under File select
Upload your file to a server
Export as MP3…
WS_FTP (www.ipswitch.com) + Webspace



1. Open WS_FTP from your computer. Enter the details of your
web server, this can be obtained by either contacting your
system administrator or your Internet Service Provider tech
support.

The details that you need are:
-
Host address
-
Username
-
Password

Click the OK button once the fields are filled.



6. Save the file in your podcast folder and click the Save
button.



2. On the left panel, browse to the directory where you saved
your audio recording, on the right panel, browse to the directory
where your podcasts will be located on your server.

Select the file that you would like uploaded and click the arrow
button pointing to right. Once this is done, click Exit.



7. You will be prompted to add ID3 tags, fill it in with the
details about your recording.

Click the OK button once this is done.



3. Test your uploaded file by going to the internet address of
your file (URL).



Set up a blog account
5. Blogger allows you to choose one of the preset templates so
Blogger (www.blogger.com)
you don’t have to worry about colour schemes and text styles.


1. Open your internet browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Safari,
Just select one of the templates and click the Continue link.
Mozilla Firefox, Netscape).

In the address bar, type www.blogger.com then press the
These templates can be changed later.
Enter key or Go button.

This should take you to the Blogger start page.



2. As a new user, click the Create your blog now link.



6. Your blog request will now be processed and created.

Once created, click the Start posting link to begin posting on
your blog.



3. Create an account. Fill in the details with your preferred
username (subject to availability), password, etc.
Read and accept the Terms of Service, then click the Continue
link.



7. Give a title to your posting and add your first journal entry.



4. Give your blog a name (eg. Podcasting) and a unique
address. Enter the verification word provided and click the
Continue link.



With your journal entry, you can change the styles of the text


e.g. adding a bold face, or an underline.


8. In you first blog entry, highlight the text which refers to your
From a blog feed to a podcast feed
podcast. (eg. Audio, episode01, listen to my podcast). Click the
Feedburner (www.feedburner.com)

link button which is beside the paragraph layouts (4th from the
1. On your browser, go to the Feedburner website
left).
(www.feedburner.com)


Enter the address of your mp3 file. This should be an exact
With your blog address in Blogger, add the RSS feed file of
Blogger (atom.xml) therefore you may come up with:
link, for example, http://www.site.com/account/filename.mp3


http://rmitpodcasters.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Click the OK button once done.


Make sure the “I am a podcaster” tick box is checked and
click the Next button.



2. Feedburner will automatically recognize the title of your blog
feed, change the feedburner feed address.



9. The selected text will now appear with an underline which
Sign up for an account (Name, password, email). Click the
means it is linking to your mp3 file. Click the Publish Post
Activate Feed button.
button.






Your Feedburner podcast feed is now ready, click the Next

button.
10. Once published, click the View the Published blog to see

your blog.

Take note of your podcast address.







3. Set up your feed for iTunes (iTunes is one of the biggest
5. Your feed is not ready, click on the feed address and it will
podcast directory listing software; it comes from Apple and
open on a new window.
works on both Macs and PCs).


Click the Next button.




Take note of your Feedburner feed address.








4. Sign up for a Pro version or just click the Next button.






Subscribing to your podcast
Juice (juicereceiver.sourceforge.net)
Doing it all in Odeo


Odeo (www.odeo.com)
1. Open Juice from your computer.



1. On your browser, go to the Odeo website www.odeo.com


2. Sign up for a free account by clicking the sign up link.






2. Click the Add new feed button (green button with a plus).

A window will pop-up asking for your podcast feed address
3. Fill in the simple form with your details and clicking the
(URL). Type or paste the location of your feedburner feed.
SIGN UP NOW button.
Click the Save button.







You will notice that your podcast feed has automatically been

added to your subscription list.
4. A message saying that you’ve successfully signed up will

appear.
3. Click the Check for New Podcasts button (green with

arrows), this will check your subscriptions for new podcasts.




5. Scroll to the bottom right end of the webpage and look for

the WANNA BE A PODCASTER? link. Click this to start your

own podcast.
Under the Downloads tab, you will see the files that are

currently downloading.










6. Odeo allows 3 options of making your podcast episodes:
8. Once you’ve recorded, uploaded or linked to your podcast,

you can change the title, description, link to its dedicated
a. Recording New Audio (online and sometimes a bit too
webpage, attach an image that will show when the podcast is
soft)
played, and even assign it to a specific podcast show (Place in☺.
b. Upload Audio from Your Computer (works with small
Press the Save button to keep these changes.
files sizes)

c. Add Audio from the Web (allows you to just add the

URL where your podcast is stored)




7. Select one of the options and you will be presented with one
of these interfaces. Record, upload, or link your podcast.

Recording New Audio


9. You can also create or edit podcast shows by clooking at the
MY PODCASTS panel. To change a podcast show, just select it
from the list or alternatively, you can select the Create
Podcast link and make a new one.



Upload Audio from Your Computer

10. Just edit the description of your show and click the Save
changes to this Podcast button.



Add Audio from the Web





Learning a little of RSS

Subscribing using iTunes

Courtesy of Russell Bywater and David Samulenok of RMIT
iTunes (www.apple.com/au/itunes)
University’s Educational Media Group


1. Open iTunes from your computer.
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is basically based on an

emerging format called XML (eXtensible Markup Language).
From the Advanced menu select Subscribe to Podcast…
Put simply, it is a tag driven way of clearly identifying sections

of text and making it more digestible for use in different
systems or cross formatting.

Tags are enclosed in pointed parenthesis <> and have a start
tag and end tag (denoted by a forward slash / character before
the tag name).
XML files end with the .xml extension and can be opened with
a simple text editor.

The sample for this exercise is focused on the iTunes RSS
feed.

Here it is if opened in a simple text editor such as Notepad.

The first part of the RSS feed is the header, this is pretty
straightforward and tells the receiver or browser what the XML

file is about.


2. Type or paste the URL of your podcasts’ RSS feed and
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="windows-1252"?>
press the OK button.
<rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/DTDs/Podcast-

1.0.dtd" version="2.0">

The next part tells what the Show is about, who owns it, the
website link, Copyright owner and the language it uses.

<channel>
<title>Podcast title</title>
<description>This is a sample podcast.</description>
<link>http://www.site.com/podcasts/podcast.html</link>
<itunes:author>Site Owner</itunes:author>
<copyright>Copyright Owner</copyright>


<language>en</language>
3. Your personal podcast directory will load and the most recent

podcast will download. You can download previous podcasts by
The following section is what is repeated on the RSS feed
clicking the GET button.
whenever a new episode or podcast is produced. It specifically

defines each episode. You can just copy this section and paste
it and change the details when you have a new podcast.

<item>
<title>RSS is really simple</title>
<description>A talk about RSS feeds and how easy it is to use
and create</description>
<link> http://www.site.com/podcasts/rss.html</link>
<itunes:author>Podcast Author</itunes:author>
<enclosure
url=" http://www.site.com/podcasts/episode1.mp3"
type="audio/mpeg">
</enclosure>
<pubDate>Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:00:00 +1000</pubDate>
</item>

The last part of the RSS feed is the closing tags for the 2nd and
1st parts. These have to be properly nested and should not be
placed in the wrong order. Else, the RSS feed will not work.

</channel>
</rss>


Once you’ve created your very own RSS feed, just upload it
to your server, take note of the address and share it as the
subscription URL for iTunes users.


Resources for further reading and learning
Guide details


Wikipedia’s definition of Podcasting
Author: Michael Abulencia
Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting) accessed 9
Version: 3.0
May 2006
Date: 29
August
2006


Christopher’s Guide to Podcasting
This guide is produced as part of the podcasting sessions of
http://www.superuser.com.au/documents/podcast_on_windows
RMIT’s (Pod)cast special interest group.
Contributor:
Christopher Harvey
It is available for download at

www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/set/pace/podcast/guide.pdf
Casting the Net Learnscope Project
as well as the VITTA publication, Infonet and the September
http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=273
‘Cool Resources for e-Learning’ forum at the Australian Flexible
Contributor:
Christopher Harvey
Learning Framework website.


Odeo: an online-based podcasting tool
The author acknowledges the contribution of fellow podcasters,
http://www.odeo.com/
educators, support staff, multimedia experts, and authors in the
Contributor:
Mike Brooks (RMIT Library)
development of this resource.


Podcasts from University of California (Berkeley)
Special thanks to my RMIT colleagues; Adrian Miles, Peter
http://itunes.berkeley.edu/
Varitimidis, Filiz Ergec, Mike Brooks, David Samulenok, Anne
Contributor:
Peter Varitimidis (RMIT Uni – DSC Portfolio)
Burke, Russell Bywater, Warren Nageswaran, Rod McCrohan,

Ruby Lee, and Prof. Mark Shortis.

Podcasting site roundup

Copyright for the software packages are maintained by their
http://evhead.com/hodgepodge/podcast-sites-alexa.html
respective organizations.
Contributor:
Peter Varitimidis (RMIT Uni – DSC Portfolio)



iPods and Podcasting in Education (by Graeme Daniel)
http://m.fasfind.com/wwwtools/m/8907.cfm?x=0&rid=8907
Contributor:
Suzanne Arnott (Elisabeth Murdoch College)



MP3Players, Podcasting and Online Audio Materials in Education
Creative Commons
http://seanfitz.wikispaces.com/mp3players
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Australia
Contributor: Sean
Fitzgerald
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/au/


Online Learning and Teaching

http://www.online-learning-and-teaching.blogspot.com/

Contributor: Ron
Passfield
Author profile


A Guide to Accessibility
http://www.aptitudemedia.com/accessibility.htm
Contributor: Adam
Maxwell
(Aptitudemedia)




Books about Podcasting and Blogging


Michael currently works as a Web Support Officer for RMIT’s

Science, Engineering and Technology Portfolio. He manages
o
Blogging for Dummies by Brad Hill
projects involving effective online delivery and creative quality

driven courses.
o
Blogging in a Snap by Julie Meloni


An educator by heart, his prior role was with lab.3000 where he
o
Podcasting for Dummies by Dawn Miceli
taught teacher PDs, community projects, and educational

workshops involving emerging technologies.
o
Podcasting Pocket Guide by Kirk McElhearn


For more information, feedbacks, comments and suggestions,

please email Michael at michael.abulencia@rmit.edu.au