Kimberly Tohill
Pennsylvania State University
ISTE 2012
June 27, 2012
What is a Podcast?
Podcasting Terminology
Podcasting in the Language Classroom
Creating a Podcast
Sites for Further Exploration
- A podcast
is an audio file that can be downloaded from and/or uploaded to a
computer or the Internet. This is a relatively new trend having
emerged in 2004. Podcasts are not meant to be listened to live
but rather at the convenience of the listener.
- "Pod" actually stands for
"portable, on-demand" rather than referring to Apple's iPod, a popular
device that can be used to listen to podcasts; "cast" is a shortened
form of the word "broadcast". So, quite literally, a podcast is a
"portable, on-demand broadcast".
- Due to the incorrect
association between podcasts and iPods, many people incorrectly assume
they need an iPod to listen to a podcast - not true!
- The majority of podcasts are simply voice recordings. For example, More Hip Than Hippie or Nutrition Diva - Gluten Free Diets
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Podcasting Terminology

- Enhanced podcast: a podcast that is accompanied by visual content such as pictures or graphics. For example, Learn French with Alexa or Beethoven
- Podcasting: the action of publishing audio files to the Internet for distribution and download, typically through RSS feeds.
- Podcatcher: a
software application that identifies new podcasts and downloads them.
Examples include iTunes, Winamp, and Juice. (May also be referred
to as an aggregator)
- RSS feed: a
type of Internet feed that is used to publish content that is
frequently updated (blogs, podcasts, etc.). RSS stands for
"Really Simple Sindication"
- Vodcast: (aka video podcast) a podcast that has video content to accompany the audio. Check out Teacher Tube for many vodcasts!
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Podcasting in the Language Classroom

- Podcasting is an effective tool for mobile language
immersion! Students are only in our classrooms for a limited amount of
time each day, but that doesn't mean that they cannot constantly be
surrounded by language.
- Podcasting allows teachers to meet students where and when they learn - not just when they are in our classrooms.
- Podcasts are asynchronous and can be used as an adaptive
tool for students who can manipulate them to suit their needs (play,
rewind, fast forward, etc.)
- Podcasting portability and accessibility encourage students to listen again and again.
- Podcasting helps to differentiate instruction and meet various learning preferences.
- Podcasts give students access to native speakers.
- Podcasts are attractive to students because they speak the students' language: technology!
- Student-created podcasts provide material for audio portfolios to display student progress.
- Student-created podcasts remove the stigma of making
mistakes and provide students the opportunity to produce the best
possible product.
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Creating a Podcast

In order to create your own
podcast, you need a microphone (built-in or external) and a computer
with an Internet connection. That's it!
- Open the Podomatic website in your browser.
- Sign up for a free account by clicking "sign up" in the upper right corner of the site.
- When asked to choose a
Podomatic address, keep it simple! You might consider using a
combination of your first/last name/initials. This address will
become your unique Podomatic website address.
- Click on the "My Podcast" tab, "Post New Episode", and select "record with your webcam or microphone".
- Record your podcast!
Listen to the podcast before posting it to the web - remember
that you can re-record as many times as you like!
- After you have successfully recorded and are satisfied with the product, click "use recording" and then "next step".
- Name your episode and write a short description of it to provide users with a quick reference to its content.
- At this step, you can "tag"
your podcast with terms that will make it easier to locate in a search
or for categorization purposes.
- Once you have verified all your information, post your episode. That's all there is to it!
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Sites for Further Exploration
Coffee Break Spanish Radio Lingua Network - http://radiolingua.com/shows/spanish/coffee-break-spanish/
80 15-20 minute lessons
Discover Spanish - http://www.discoverspanish.com/podcast.php
35+ lessons to learn Spanish
Edufone - http://edufone.com/start-learning.php
Free trial membership to learn Spanish online
ESL Pod - http://www.eslpod.com/website/index_new.html
English as a Second Language podcasts
Free Language - http://freelanguage.org/learn/foreign-language-podcasts
Directory of podcasts in 15 different languages
Language Matters - http://languageinstinct.blogspot.com/2006/11/podcast-in-classroom.html
Blog entry about podcasting in the classroom
Learning in Hand - http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/
Finding, creating, and subscribing to podcasts
Learning with French-Podcasts - http://www.french-podcasts.com/
Free podcasts about various, real-life topics
Learn out Loud - http://www.learnoutloud.com/
30,000 educational audio books, MP3s, podcasts, and videos
Notes in Spanish - http://edufone.com/start-learning.php
3 different levels of learning
Online Degrees - http://www.onlinedegrees.org/top-50-podcasts-for-learning-a-foreign-language/
Top 50 foreign language learning podcasts
Open Culture - http://www.openculture.com/freelanguagelessons
Free cultural and educational media - learn 40 languages!
Podcasting in Education - http://podcasting-in-education.wikispaces.com/
All things podcasting with many great links
Pukka German - http://pukkagerman.com/
Learn genuine German
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