Making+a+Podcast


 * Making a Podcast **

Link back to the Podcast page. You’re going to need a platform in which to play your finished Podcast. Did you know that you don’t need an iPod or a different brand of MP3 player to hear your Podcast? You can listen to it on your computer. If I were you, I would sign up for [|iTunes] if you're going to want to put your Podcast onto your iPod, OR if you want a place to store your Podcast so you can play it on your own computer's hard drive. On iTunes, t here’s a lot of support in terms of tutorials, and there are plenty of 19 year olds (and younger) to ask how to use it. If you are going to want to actually publish your Podcast so you can share it with others, it's nice to have a website for people to go to so they can listen to it. For that to happen, you will have to sign up for a Service. I joined [|Liberated Syndication] and placed my Podcast there. I was able to have my [|own page], and then I could send the link to my friends and family. If you don’t have a place in which you’re going to play your Podcast, you may as well not continue with the rest of these directions because you won’t be able to hear it.
 * Part I **

The best Site for learning about a Podcast is [|Tony Vincent’s]. Tony is an Elementary School teacher at Willowdale Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska. He and his students make regular Podcasts, and call themselves, [|Radio WillowWeb]. If you go to Tony’s Site, and scroll down to the ** Recording ** section, you’ll see some simple advice, which is what I followed. In making my Podcast I used the microphone built into my computer (I didn’t have any other microphone) and I used the free software [|Audacity] for my recording software. If you’re a Mac user, Tony suggests that you use the Mac software, [|GarageBand]. Since I didn’t do that, here’s where I’ll have to say goodbye to the Mac users, you’re on your own. From what I can tell, Podcasting with students seems like it would be much smoother and better in GarageBand, so enjoy if you have that available to you.
 * Part II **

** Part III ** Let’s continue with the PC/Windows users. Audacity suggests that you download the 1.2.6 Version, so do that. You’ll also be able to choose to get an icon on your desktop. That same Audacity Home Page will give you a link for the [|Audacity Wiki], so next you should go there. Read the Audacity Wiki page and click into the [|Tutorials] section. Go down the list to the sixth choice, [|Recording audio playing on the computer]. Scroll down a little and click into the [|Mixer Toolbar] in the **//Windows//** section. Set your microphone preference in the Mixer Toolbar. If you're going to use your computer microphone you won't have to choose anything, it will already be set up for you. However, if the choice is not available to you, something is interfering with your ability to choose. For example, be sure a Logitech microphone, or any other external microphone is pulled out of the USB port. If it isn’t, the Mic option won’t be available to you on the Mixer Toolbar, and you won’t be able to record. [|Here] are more directions for refining the settings in the recorder for your voice recording. All right, you’re ready to go on.

** Part IV ** You’ll see that Audacity looks like a tape recorder, and has play, pause buttons and so on. G o ahead and record yourself saying something. Make your Podcast now. Be sure your room is quiet, and your computer speakers are off so you don't pick up any 'feedback'. Here's an image of the recorder for you to examine:

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After you make your recording, you’re going to have to save your recording as an MP3. In order to do that you’ll be told that you’re going to have to encode your recording by using some more software you’ll have to download, just this one time. And…be sure to take their advice and remember WHERE you save it. Just so you’re not confused…before you download the encoding software, and they suggest you download LAME software, the dialog box will ask you where LAME is. Since you haven’t downloaded it yet, you can’t answer that question, so go ahead and download it. You’ll have to leave the Audacity page and go get it. I found it in a Google search, but here’s the link for you so you can go directly there by clicking this link -[|LAME]. The directions will pop up for you so just follow them.
 * Part V **

Now you’ve hopefully saved your recording in the LAME encoding, and you’ve remembered where you put it. Go back to [|Tony’s Website]. Find the ** Postproduction **section and scroll half way down through it until you get the part about “Once the Podcast sounds just the way you want it, it's time to send it to iTunes.” Do what he says there, but lucky you…you’ve already saved your recording in the MP3 format, so you can skip that part! You're ready to just sent it to iTunes. Go to iTunes. You should have the icon on your desktop now that you've joined. When you get into iTunes, go to your music list in your Library. Click File/Import. A dialog box will pop up and you'll fill it out. It’s just like browsing for an attachment in e-mail. This is why you need to know where you put your recording. You’re going to browse for your Podcast, and click it into that box, just as you would an attachment in an e-mail. All of a sudden you’ll see your recording listed in your Playlist. Go ahead and play it!
 * Part VI **


 * Playlist in iTunes**

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 * Here is my podcast, published to the web. [|Listen to it!!]**

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Part VII ** If you want to put your recording into your iPod, plug your iPod into the USB, wait for everything to load, and click and drag the title of your Podcast over on top of your iPod’s name (for example, mine says Jo’s iPod). Bingo! Your Podcast is in your iPod AND still in your computer.

You may return to [|Tony Vincent's] Web Site for the directions about publishing your Podcast to the web. However the directions are skeletal. I would suggest you go back to Audacity and read what they have set out there in their Wiki. After reading through the Audacity Wiki, I signed up with the publishing service at [|Liberated Syndication]//.// I was able to purchase a blog/podcast page through PlayPal for $5.00 a month.
 * Publishing **

If you’d like to see my actual page in //**Liberated Syndication**//, click [|here].

I hope you are as thrilled as I was to find that you could get your Podcast into iTunes or Liberated Syndication, and perhaps onto your iPod, and listen to it! It’s an awesome experience, isn’t it?