Podcasts

What is a podcast?

The name is a combination of iPod and broadcast, so a podcast is a recording on a website that you can download on your computer and listen to.

You don’t need an iP

od or anMP3 player to hear a podcast, but you do need a computer with an Internet connectionand audio software like Windows Media Player or iTunes.

Here’s a technical definition from

http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/what-is-a-podcast.htm :

A podcast is a digital audio file (usually MP3 or AAC) made available for download onthe internet through an RSS 2.0 feed.

Wikipedia has a lot to say about podcasts, too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

Podcast Directories

You can find and subscribe to podcasts at these websites:Podcast Alley:http://www.podcastalley.com/ National Public Radio:http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php iTunes :http://www.apple.com/itunes/whatson/podcasts/

Downloading Podcasts

Free software to download podcasts can be found atJuicehttp://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net Apple iTuneshttp://www.apple.com/itunes/overview/ Please Note: A link to this handout can be found at www.springfieldtownlibrary.org. Click on Blogs, then YAL (The Young Adult Library), and look for the Podcast article.For questions and support, email Cheryl Cox at childrensroom@hotmail.com.

Ideas for Podcasts

Book talks

Showcase kids’ work (like poetry or essay readings).

Make up guessing games that reward the listener with a small prize (like book trivia orlibrary scavenger hunts).Conduct a library tour. Focus on the whole library, one room, or special collections.Advertise upcoming programs.Devise an audio newsletter.Let people know you are posting podcasts. Advertise in newspapers, with posters, and/oron the radio and TV. Display a link to your podcast on your website, blog, and/orFacebook page.

Making a Podcast Step by Step

1. Download a sound editor onto your computer. Get a free copy of Audacity athttp://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/ 2. Prepare your podcast script and get ready to record.

3. Plug a microphone into your computer. (If you’d rather record on an MP3 playe

follow your player’s instructions, and then upload the recordi

ng to your computer. OpenAudacity, click on File, Open, then your recording. Skip to step 6 of these directions.

Since your recording is already in MP3 format, you need only to click File, then “SaveProject As” in step 8.)

4. Open Audacity. Click the red record button and start your spiel. (Hint: Hold themicrophone to the side of your mouth. This cuts down on your breathing sounds.) When

you’re finished, click the yellow square stop button.

5. Did you make a mistake and want to start over? Click Edit, then Undo Record.6. Listen to your recording

. Click on the purple left pointing arrows (“skip to start”), thenclick on the green arrow (“play”). Make sure your volume is turned up all the way and/or

wear headphones. The volume level dep

ends on the quality of your microphone. If it’s

too soft, click Edit, then Select, then All. Next click Effect, then Amplify, then OK.Listen to it again. If the volume is not to your liking, amplify it again.7. Now clean it up. Usually, the very beginning and end can be clipped. Click thepurple left pointing arrows to bring you to the beginning, then the green play arrow.Watch the horizontal line and note where your voice begins. Click on stop and thenselect the segment at the very beginning

that you don’t want by clicking and dragging thecursor. Click Edit, then Delete. (If you’ve made a mistake, you can always go back to

the Edit menu and click on Undo Delete.) Next, listen to your recording and note where