Podcasts coming to IU

Apple iPods are for more than just music. This fall, students will be able to listen to the previous lecture on the way to class and receive additional video and audio content from their homes, thanks to a new podcast service set up through Oncourse, with help from iTunes U and University Information Technology Services.\nPodcasting is essentially to audio content what Tivo is for TV, but podcasts are free. Currently, thousands of free podcasts are available at iTunes with audio content covering a wide range of news and sports programs, including the comedy satire "The Onion", and even the Harry Potter series. \nTo access the information IU will implement, all students need is a free version of Apple's popular music service, iTunes, and access to Oncourse.\nIU Junior Clayton Johnson said he is excited about podcasting coming to IU and thinks it will be a great benefit to IU students. \n"It's going to be a revolution for the way you learn," Johnson said. \nThe goal is to make more content available for students who miss a class, are looking for additional materials or just want a quick refresher. Students don't need an iPod to access the podcasts, but they are ideal for people on the go and are perfect for iPod usage, since podcasts can be synchronized to iPods through Oncourse.\nIt remains to be seen how big a part of the curriculum podcasts will become for classes as students and professors will have to adapt to the technology. Professors have the ability to use the system in whatever way possible, and it will be up to them to decide how extensive podcasting will be in the curriculum.\nMartin Wagner, project manager for University Information Technology Services, wrote in an e-mail that "professors can upload and syndicate any piece of content including podcasts." \nPodcasts will be available on all eight IU campuses and other facets of IU are already on board. The IU Alumni Association is adding content on the Web by complementing the Indiana Alumni Magazine with podcasts, the Kelley Graduate School of Business is putting on a "Life of a Student" podcast, and other programs have plans to develop podcasts, Wagner said. \nA survey of IU students by UITS has preliminary results which show that many students are not using podcasts currently, but bringing iTunes U to Oncourse, will open students to a new informational medium. \nApple explained why it provides free podcasts on its Web site, saying it is, "taking mobile learning in higher education by extending teaching and learning beyond the classroom. iTunes U is a fully integrated part of Apple's end-to-end solution for creating, managing, distributing and accessing educational content."\nWagner said "instructors wishing to learn more about podcasting are encouraged to attend the podcasting series offered by Teaching and Learning Technology Centers in the Herman B Wells Library. This series will provide both functional and technical elements of creating a podcast for instruction"