Lincoln Public Schools

Friday November 21, 2008 · 19° and fair in Lincoln

Podcasting

What is a podcast?

A podcast is a way of providing a way for people to subscribe to periodic audio files. Using any of an increasing number of tools available, a person can subscribe to a podcast and have audio files automatically downloaded to their computer as they are available. Some of these tools also allow computer users to automatically transfer these files to a portable audio device (such as an iPod) to listen to away from their computer.

What do I need to subscribe to a podcast?

You need software on your computer that can subscribe to podcasts. There are many of these, with the list growing and changing so fast that it would be impractical to attempt a comprehensive listing here. Two great options are Apple's iTunes (version 4.9+) and iPodder. Both tools are free and available for both windows and macintosh computers. You can find a more complete list of client software here .

How can I subscribe to an LPS podcast?

Depending on how the podcast is being created, the options may vary, but there are two basic methods that are used.

XML: If you are not using iTunes to subscribe, you can use the "XML" or "RSS" link to subscribe to the podcast. You will need to add the address of this link to your podcast client by clicking on the link, then copying and pasting the address of the page you are taken to into your podcast client. This should subscribe you to that podcast. See it.

iTunes: If you are a iTunes user, you may click on the "iTunes" link if it is available. The link will automatically launch iTunes and take you to a page within the iTunes music store where you can subscribe to the podcast. Click on 'subscribe'. These podcasts typically offer more than the XML feed with selectable chapters and smaller file sizes. See it.

Available podcasts

Where can I learn more about podcasting?

There is a thorough explanation of podcasting at Wikipedia .