UITS offers help for podcast novices

Kimberly Ruff, marketing and sponsorship director of Recreational Sports, plans to use podcasts to share tours with prospective students, to demonstrate how to use the different equipment and to share fitness and wellness tips. Play lists or set lists would be ideal for organizing the exercise workouts. All she and her colleagues need to do is learn how to make a podcast.\n"We are really excited. We just launched a new Web site," said Ruff, who was joined by other interested representatives from Recreational Sports. "We're very anxious. I opened the course book for UITS (University Information Technology Services) to see if there are any courses for podcasting and there are not courses available yet, but hopefully soon." \nOn Wednesday, Martin J. Wagner, project manager for the podcast initiative of UITS, gave a lecture to a room of 30 people, with 60 people listening online. In his lecture, Wagner discussed podcasts, their influence, and what IU is currently doing to incorporate this expanding technology. \nThis technology has piqued professors' interest, and most are looking to put lectures on podcasts and have them available to students, Wagner said..\nHe said that in the beginning, he was able to sit down and help everyone who was interested in learning about podcasting, but now its popularity has grown too quickly for him to keep up. \nRecreational Sports isn't the only campus department looking to incorporate podcasts into its routines. The Jacobs School of Music already has podcasts available, and the Athletics Department is looking to put coach interviews together in podcasts, Wagner said.\nCurrently, podcasting is available through Oncourse via the podcast tool that allows instructors to upload files that can be downloaded to a computer. This option was launched this semester. Now, UITS is working to develop podcast.iu.edu and itunes.iu.edu, both are planned to be launched in fall 2007. Both sites will be open to the public, with the iTunes site featuring an authenticated login that would allow students to see what podcasts are available for their schedule of classes.\nWagner said that neither a Mac nor an iPod are necessary to use the podcast technology, as long as the software can download the podcast desired. \niTunes is the most popular "podcatcher." A podcatcher is used to download a podcast episode or subscription. It takes the podcast from its origin and brings it to the user who wants the podcast. \nDespite concerns some might have about podcasts replacing lectures, Wagner said podcasts are to enhance the classroom experience.\n"You can't replace lecture notes and being there asking questions," he said.