You said what?

Podcasts. You heard me. It's all about putting your voice out there. Speak and be heard. Say anything and everything but for goodness sake, connect! No longer are we being creative by written word and visual effects, but the Internet has brought about a new creative form of personal presence and that's podcasting.

Podcasting Defined
Some articles about web apps never grow old. Since new users are being introduced to the web everyday, issues both new and old continue to be ageless. Back in 2005, CBC's exploration of the new fangle web app is captured in a brief synopsis of how podcasting is contributing and changing the Internet. Noticeable changes that we can now see today is the ability to control when, where and how we listen to broadcastings. In times past, people would miss their favorite radio show for whatever reason and no means were provided to compensate, yet with podcasting now, people can upload missed episodes.

Spoken History
Podcasting has something of a particular history. Podcasting was never a stand-alone web application but rode on the backs of weblogs and RSS feeds. If you go to Jason Van Orden's podcast tutorial, he writes a comprehensive history of podcasting. A signature app, podcasting has its roots in audio blogging. Individuals wanting to be creative in their personal space uploaded MP3 recordings of their views and reflections. Along the way, key players like Dave Winer and Adam Curry, began to lay down the footprints that others would shortly follow in pursuit of perfecting this app. But who had the honor of coining such a term? While writing an article for the The Guardian, the word was put forth by Ben Hammersley. The rest, we can say, is history.

Past Podcasting
My podcasting expertise has been something of a hit and miss experience. In the first year of my Library and Information Science (LIS) program, all students were required to take LIS 506 which consists of the basic web apps, podcasting among them. Did I learn anything? I would like to think I did, but as I go about doing this assignment, I am beginning to have my doubts. I learned podcasting from scratch. We had to create the code in a plain text platform (Edit Text for macs, Notepad for Windows). For learning through that method, we had excellent lab samples that guided us through each step. But things learned will rust if not put to use which applies entirely to my situation. In the beginning, it was exciting and fun leavng another piece of me in my personal online space.

Present Podcasting
Tutorials are helpful. When I was trying to make heads and tails of where to begin with podcasting, I typed "creating podcasts" into the Google search engine and found a tutorial by Corey Deitz. Two basic ways of creating a podcast were presented, and after a few attempts at creating a code, I decided to change gears and explore what online services have to offer in publishing podcasts. On the third page of the website, a list of podcasting services were presented and clicking on the first link, I was transferred to ClickCaster. With easy to follow directions (though I didn't understand what I was doing at the time), I created a channel, A Slice of Knowledge, and proceeded to upload the tester podcast I created in Audacity. Sometimes playing with a new app can be frustrating if you have a slow Internet connection.

a brief podcast on my podcasting experience


What's out there
Looking for a podcasting service to suit your needs can take time or can simply be a luck of the draw, as was in my case. Everyone does come to podcasting in their own time, so finding a service that is easy to interact with and pleasing to the eyes is a natural requirement when finally settling. For myself, relying on the links that were provided in the tutorial, I clicked on the first service and continued with my exploration of podcasting through ClickCaster. The interface and the smooth transition from registration to creating a channel and uploading mp3 file was noticeable. But it wasn't until the uploading process starting lagging and impatience kicking in that I decided to have a quick peek at the other links provided in the tutorial.

BlogMatrix was confusing at best. The interface is ubber plain and navigation all over the place. There was no clear place for registration although a button to sign in was evident. I just couldn't get over the fact that the interface was so incredibly plain Jane. Sometimes that's a good thing, but in the case of this site, it did nothing to lure me into further discovery.

Liberated Syndication's was on the other end of the spectrum. From no words to many words, Liberated Syndication was definitely an improvement and the podcasts offered for hearing were free. The lengthly introduction can confuse people. For anyone with a slow connection, LibSyn quickly connects.

MyRssCreator, was information overload at first glance. It seemed to be a combination of LibSyn and BlogMatrix. Very simple interface but you have to wade through all the information before you discover whether the services were free or not. Something tells me that they would benefit from Jakob Nielson's Top Ten Principles of Usability.

ClickCaster was my first pick, and after repeatedly returning to the site to understand more of the infrastructure, I am convinced that it was the right pick. The easy to navigatetabs, clear instructions of where to go and what to do, and just the overall aesthetics was another reason I decided to stay with ClickCaster.

Whose Using It
This is the interesting part of the blog where we start investing whose who in podcasting. Just who uses podcasting? We have quite a wide variety to pick out of from the bottomless basket of podcasting. You could type in "who AND podcasting" and get a rather interesting list or "directories AND podcasting" will yield a plethora result as well. If you want art, there's art podcasting. If you want science, there's science podcasting. If you want graffiti, there's graffiti podcastings. Religious groups, political groups, civil right groups - the list is endless. It is fascinating to see people, who already have a voice, learn to channel that voice through a different medium.

What do Schools have to say?
So, where is the voice of the School in all this? Who and how are teachers and/or students taking advantage of this web app? What creative borders are being pushed or learning creativeness imbued into podcasting? Is there an actual recipe for speaking? Don't be shy about speaking, Will Richardson writes, add in those "uhms" and "ahs" (111). It makes the whole process more real and comes back to the foundation of what podcasting is really about - everyday people speaking out, wanting to be heard.

So let's see what's out there for podcasting explorers. K12 Handhelds gives a relevant review on podcasting in schools as well as practical application in the classroom and connecting to those outside the classroom. Need help with brainstorming ideas for podcasting in the classroom? Teachers brainstorming podcasting ideas might help with those creative juices. For students, kidspeak would be a great example of exclusive student voice. Another podcast of note is Kids Explain Podcasting, which as the title suggests, kids being the informers of this web app rather than the teachers. For a child-safe place to browse for inspiration for the classroom podbean might be a good place to start.

What do Libraries have to say?
Libraries are hot on the podcasting trail as well. Academic and public libraries are definitely using this app to connect with their patrons to better serve their information needs. So you're scratching your head and wondering how? Well as Chris Kretz writes in Library 2.0 and Beyond, there's a lot to consider. One possibility that we all can easily imagine is booktalks (37), where books are the focus of discussion. Podcasts that focus on the highlights of displays and exhibits are another way to the pique interest of people who haven't yet made it to these events. Personalized librarian podcasts found within blogs are great for professional information about the comings and goings within libraries or personal information in the form of stories, issues or concerns are always good for laughs and contemplation(38). There is also library news, where podcasts serve as mini news clips to the user population (40). These are great examples, but you want to see what libraries have explored this diverse app. Library Success gives a listing of successful podcasts set up by libraries across the country. Have a peek. Take a look.

What say you?
Perhaps this time round, my podcasting skills won't rust. Having now seen what is out there, hearing and experience the multitude of voices, and having a momentary flash of "we are the borg" voice stuck in my head, I'll be more inclined to explore and add to that community of voices. Perhaps I will speak out more often. Are you ready to speak out as well?

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Sources: Richardson, Will. "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, And Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms." Thousand Oaks; Corwin Press; 2009.
Courtney, Nancy. "Library 2.0 and Beyond." Wesport, Connecticut; Libraries Unlimited, 2007.