Creating Podcasts

There are 3 different types of podcasts:

• Audio (.m4a, .mp3) - These files are audio only and simple to create. Audacity is a free software you can download for either the PC or the Mac for recording.
• Enhanced - Audio with slides. The only software available to create this type of podcast is GarageBand, available for the Mac only. You can convert a Powerpoint presentation to images (JPEG) and insert them into GarageBand and then record your voice.
• Video (.mp4, .m4v, .mov) - Also referred to as Vodcasts, this type requires that you have a camera and video editing software (Movie Maker, Pinnacle Studio, Adobe Premiere Pro for the PC; iMovie and Final Cut Pro for the Mac). Then you need to export or convert the video to the appropriate format.

For assistance in recording, editing, and converting your audio and/or video to podcasts, please contact CTLE as the process may vary depending on the software used.

Here are the basic steps:

• Step 1 - Capturing. Video or audio has to be captured to the computer in digital format. This process is done in real time. So if a video or audio file is 1 hour long, it will take 1 hour to capture it.
• Step 2 - Editing.  This can vary in time depending on the amount of editing to be done.
• Step 3 - Converting. Depending on the software you use, you will need to export or "save as" the file out to the appropriate format (see "What Type of Podcasts Can I Create?" above). Conversion usually takes 1-1/2 times the length of the file. So a 1 hour file will probably take at least 1-1/2 hours to convert.
• Step 4 - Uploading. Now you are ready to upload your podcast. See the next section.

GCSU Podcast Server

This server is the one we currently use for all podcasts. You need to request an account and channel. One account can have many channels and each channel can hold many episodes (individual podcasts). So you may have one channel for each course, and all the episodes for a particular course in one channel.

Requesting an account and channel:

1. Go to http://podcasting.gcsu.edu.
2. Scroll down and click on North Georgia College & State University.
3. Click on "Request Podcasting Channel."
4. If you already have an account, choose "Yes." Otherwise, choose "No."
5. Fill in all the fields and click "Request a New Podcasting Account & Channel."
6. An email will be sent to our podcast Admin and they will login and approve your request.

Logging into your account:

1. Go to http://podcasting.gcsu.edu.
2. Scroll down and click on North Georgia College & State University.
3. Click on "Login."
4. Enter your username and password and click "Login."

Uploading a Podcast:

1. There is a great "how-to" manual once you log in. Choose the "Podcaster Manual" on the left of that screen.
2. Choose "Uploading Podcasting Episodes to the Server."
3. Read, read, read.
4. One note, they mention to NOT USE Internet Explorer. Firefox is a good choice.

iTunes U Server

This option will soon be available. We are in the process of setting up the LDAP authentication and testing. Once that is complete, there will be instructions here to assist you.

Each channel has a unique URL and each individual episode has its own unique URL. Your students use these URLs to get to your podcasts. You can make them available in the following ways:

• Send the channel or episode URL in an email message to students enrolled in the course.
• Embed the link to the channel or episode on your faculty web page.
• Link to the channel or episode from a content page within a Vista course.
• Embed the code to generate a button on either your faculty web page or content page in your Vista course.

Information is also available in the Podcaster Manual after you log in under "Making Content Available to Users."

How do I decide if I should provide the channel URL or the episode URL?

• Channel URL: When a student uses this URL, it is like they are "subscribing" to all the episodes and iTunes will automatically download the new episodes as you put them up.
• Episode URL: When a student uses this URL, iTunes will only download the one episode to which the URL points.