During a Lab class students dictated their project writing using the following:

• PC/Mac with sound card & connections for headset (line-in, out or USB)
• Noise cancelling headset (headphones & microphone)
• Sound recording software -- Audacity with LAME MP3 plugin
• Detailed instructions that I gave to students are here

They exported the recording into an mp3 file and uploaded it into a wiki 'activity' on their Moodle course. From there I downloaded the mp3 files into a folder, created the xml 'wrapper' with ZxlXML spreadsheet and uploaded the whole lot into my web site. I linked to the podcast xml from my blog and submitted the podcast URL to iTunes.

• Apple stamped their imprimatur on the Podcasting scene by building in support for it into iTunes v4.9.
• They then co-opted the movement by making the iTunes store a clearing house for podcast titles.
• Apple's centralised catalog makes it is really easy to search and find podcast streams.
• Apple also introduced new proprietary itunes XML fields (eg <itunes:image>) which added functionality.
• The 'chapter' feature allows ipods to play an audio slide show.
• Microsoft and other industry heavyweights have been wrongfooted as the term 'podcasting' which is intimately associated with the 'iPod' has now become universal.

Here's how a podcast appears in iTunes after a search for it:

You can see here the podcast title, author and summary and you can subscribe to the whole podcast collection or get individual episodes which are ordered by release date. When I update this podcast the user will automatically get the newest version.

ZxlXML is an Excel spreadsheet which uses VisualBasic to generate the XML wrapper file which transforms a collection of MP3 audio files into a podcast suitable for playing in iTunes. Having created the file you upload it and the MP3 audio files to your blog and link to it. Here's what it looks like:

It's useful to match up the Excel text fields with where they appear in the iTunes podcast display.

1. You can see where the podcast title is displayed on the iTunes store
2. Author, category & language also appear.
3. But note that the 'Podcast Description' displayed by the iTunes store corresponds to the Summary field!

• You can have a graphic displayed here (300px width & ht) which should be located on your own site.
• The alternate image URL can points to a smaller version (144px sqaure) which is displayed elsewhere on iTunes
• The image link is the URL that the image is linked to (usually your blog, or wherever the podcast is carried)

• The 'build date' and time is the current date and time taken from the system
• The 'Local Rss path' is the full path & filename of the podcast xml file that is generated by the spreadsheet.
• The Local Show Directory is the folder where the MP3 files are stored. This is used to calculate file sizes.
• The Remote Show URL is the URL where the MP3 audio files are stored — which may not be inside your blog (as mine is not)

The 'shows' worksheet is where the data for the MP3 audio files is entered (file sizes are calculated)

• Confusingly, the Podcast subtitle rather than the description appears at the top of the show listing. The i pops up the Description box.
• The shows are listed underneath the podcast title in order of publication date/time which may not correspond with the Show Id (mine does not).
• File sizes are added to the xml by the spreadsheet macro but not displayed on the worksheet itself.
• The show duration has to be added by the creator of the podcast

• For each MP3 audio file fill in the publication date & time, show title and description, filename and duration of play.
• There should be no spaces in the filename.
• Unfortunately URL references in the description fields are not live and clickable.
• To update a podcast simply add a new line, enter a more uptodate Publication date & time together with Title, description and filename and remove the oldest entry.

1. Having checked that all the data is valid in the spreadsheet, switch to the Podcast worksheet and click the 'Generate XML' button. You will find the xml file created in the location that you gave for the Local RSS path.
2. Upload the mp3 audio files to the server location indicated by the Remote show URL (that may or may not be your blog site location)
3. Now upload the xml file into your blog space and link to it from the sidebar
4. You may want to create a cool button from Adam Kalsey's Button Maker site and use this as your link.

• Go to the iTunes store and select podcasts:submit a podcast
• You will be asked for the feed URL (the URL to the xml file you uploaded) and other information. It'll take a couple of weeks for this podcast to get registered in their database.
• Since the feed xml file is maintained on your site you can update it at any time and when the listener next refreshes the podcast she'll see the new shows.

• Students who are weak at writing may have most to gain from the podcasting experience.
• Reading aloud a “stream of consciousness” piece and recording it for all posterity can be embarassing.
• Moreover, such students may become more attuned to issues of grammar and punctuation when they hear their work being read aloud.
• The question is whether the podcasting process can have a sufficient influence over their writing discipline to have an effect that lasts.
• Can we improve the caliber of student writing by means of a long term programme of recording podcasts?

• Instructions for using Audacity for use in PC Lab by students
• Source for ZxlXML spreadsheet
• ZxlXML spreadsheet with typical data
• A podcast XML file
• The blog where this is located