Podcast Directories

The last time that I did a study on the use of podcasts in education was about a year ago. That's a long time in technology! It's time to examine again how teachers and students are using podcasts. I have decided to do this study in chunks. First, I want to look at some podcast directories. Although some directories include resources and advice on producing podcasts, my interest is to listen to and/or watch actual podcasts which are being used.

I have listed some directories in this blog entry. A few comments and some listings of podcasts are shared for each directory. Two additional comments need to be made about each directory. First, a comment on one or two podcasts in each directory cannot come close to illustrating the richness of these directories. Each one deserves some time exploring its podcasts. Second, if you choose to use any of these podcasts with students, be sure to listen to and/or watch it first to be sure it's appropriate for your students. Remember that many of these directories contain non-educational podcasts and are not censored.



EPN: The Education Podcast Network
http://epnweb.org/

The Education Podcast Network is designed to provide podcast resources for teachers to help them use 21st-century tools when they teach. Educators have produced most of the podcasts in the network. Readers / listeners are encouraged to share their podcasts with others through the network.

The directory lists these contents:
Education: 21st-century tools
* Professional Philosophy & ICT (133)
* Strictly ICT (20)
Student and Class Podcasts
* Elementary Grades (50)
* Middle School (35)
* Secondary School (36)
Subject Specific Podcasts
* Computer/Technology Skills (70)
* Dance Education (6)
* English Language Arts (97)
* Healthful Living (46)
* Information Skills (19)
* Mathematics (7)
* Music Education (36)
* Science (60)
* Second Languages (61)
* Social Studies (78)
* Theatre Arts Education (16)
* Visual Arts Education (24)
* Career Development (33)
* Current Events (55)
* Miscellaneous (107)

EPN provides directions for finding a podcast in the directory and for subscribing to a podcast. The directions for subscribing to a podcast are very specific… great for a beginner!

One of the podcasts I checked is from a teacher in Bangladesh… complete with photos. Very interesting. Another well-done podcast is from a high school mathematics teacher. Another section of the directory lists many podcasts, including quite a few produced by persons whom I recognize as excellent bloggers. This directory is worth spending some time to find useful podcasts.


Podcasting News
http://www.podcastingnews.com/forum/link_6.htm

The directory for Education at this site lists these categories:
Higher Education (121)
Audio Classes (31)
Do It Yourself (How-to's, DIY, tutorials) (28)
Homeschooling (homeschooling, unschooling, free learning, lifelong learning, for learners of all ages) (13)
K-12 Education (Pinckney Community Schools) (114/11)
Language (Chinese, English, Esperanto, Japanese, Spanish, Tibetan) (38/96)
Music Education (26)

The site is designed to facilitate the sharing of news and information about podcasting. Features such as registration, forums, polls, announcements, and sticky topics help make the posting of news easier. Administrators, moderators, and usergroups keep communications working.

Registration (free) gives you access to features such as private messaging, emailing to fellow users, and usergroup subscription. The site recommends that you register. Forums are available (usually for registered users). Polls are easy to create. Announcements and “sticky topics” often contain important information and should be read as soon as possible. Administrators control board operation, including setting permissions, banning users, and creating usergroups or moderators (and their capabilities). Moderators look after the daily running of the forums. Users can belong to more than one group.

Available podcasts that I looked at / listened to included one on ADHD and another on music. There is a large variety of high quality podcasts on this site.

Resource pages that are available include:
* iPod
* Mactel Podcasting Applications
* Mobilecasting - Mobile Podcasting
* MP3 Players
* Podcast Directory List
* Podcast Hosts
* Podcast Software (Clients)
* Podcasting FAQ
* Podcasting Glossary
* Podcasting Resources and Services
* Podcasting Software (Publishing)
* Podcast-Legal Music
* Podcasts
* Press Info
* Promote Your Podcast!
* Syndicating Podcasting News
* Video iPod Software

Links are provided for:
* DopplerRadio
* Feed Validator
* IndieFeed
* iPodderX
* iPodLounge
* jPodder
* Nimiq
* OpenPodcast
* Podcast Feed Debugger
* Prime Time Podcast
* RSSRadio
* Video Podcasting News


Podcast Alley
http://www.podcastalley.com/index.php

The goal of this site is to be the “biggest and best directory of podcasts (podcast directory) available on the Internet.” News and tutorials are included on the site. The site currently has 28,208 podcasts with 144,030 comments on 1,226,752 episodes. In the Education category, there are 1,224 podcasts.

Checking out the podcasts at this site, I found a podcast for digital photographers, a one-minute how-to podcast, an audioblog about media literacy and technology and how they will change education, the complete works of Shakespeare (one act per podcast), and an opportunity to have stories read to the listener.

Categories
* Podcast Alley News (23)
* Podcast Promos (39)
* Podcasting News (223)
* Random (16)
Websites of Interest
* PCA Blog Homepage
* PodShow, Inc.
* PodSafe Music Network
* PodcastAlley Homepage


ed-cast The Higher Education Podcast Repository
http://ed-cast.org/

Ed-Cast is a repository for higher education podcasts. It contains international higher education lectures, conversations, speeches, and podcasts. Although designed for higher education, K12 educators will find interesting content at this site.

I’ve listed some of the podcasts that K12 educators might find interesting.

Title / Category / Format / Length / Keywords / Author(s) / Date of Submission

* Learning Community / Presentation / Audio / 3 / online, learning, community, networking / Cynthia Gautreau / Wed, 21 Jun 2006 11:09:40 GMT

* Rod's Pulse Podcast / Conversatio / Audio / 20 / educational technology diy podcast blackboard e-learning / Rodney B. Murray, Ph.D. / Wed, 07 Jun 2006 18:50:43 GMT

* Blogs, Wikis and Writely! / Lecture / Audio / 66 / web 2.0, blog, wiki, writely / Ray Schroeder / Wed, 15 Feb 2006 12:48:00 GMT

* Thoughts on Web 2.0 / Lecture / Audio / 16 / Web 2.0, podcast, participatory, read-write web / Burks Oakley II / Mon, 14 Nov 2005 20:50:40 GMT


podcast.net: THE PODCAST DIRECTORY
http://www.podcast.net/

Approximately 100 podcasts show when you search Podcast.net for Education. What a variety! You have to look through the list title by title to really understand the wide range of topics… a podcast for part-time university instructors, technology teachers talking, ideas from two middle-school teachers, interview clips of Japanese American World War II veterans… A quicker way to find podcasts that may interest you is to use the search function on the home page.


Apple Education: Podcasting in Education
http://www.apple.com/education/products/ipod/podcasting.html

You may find some of these podcasts on Apple’s site interesting:

Educational Podcasts
Higher Education
* Knowledge@Wharton Audio Articles
* Thermal and Statistical Physics
* Campus MovieFest
* American Presidents

K-12
* MobiStories - Virtual Books for Kids
* English as a Second Language
* Radio WillowWeb
* A School in the Coulee Podcast

Professional Development
* Cut to the Core Essential Podcasts for Educators
* TeacherCast | Newshour with Jim Lehrer Podcast | PBS
* John Merrow Education Podcast
* ScreenCastsOnline


Podcast Directory.org.uk
http://www.podcastdirectory.org.uk/

A teacher in Scotland maintains this education podcast directory. A search for Education lists a podcast with Chilean music, another with “quick and dirty tips” for grammar, and one on child suffering from UNICEF Radio.


PODCAST SHUFFLE
http://www.podcastshuffle.com/

This podcast directory lists 1914 feeds. Of those, 34 feeds are in the Education category.

Some of the podcasts in the Education list include:
* Disability411: Provides information on disability-related topics for those who work with individuals with disabilities, including… K-12 special education teachers.
* John Kenneth Fisher: Speeches and sounds that helped define our world. From Cronkite to Churchill, Kennedy to Reagan.
* Moodle Journal: Blog describing the experiences of using Moodle to help implement the elearning program at Bromley College.
* OPAL Podcast: Online information for librarians and their users.
* Podictionary: Daily podcast for word lovers with a new word in each episode.
* Room 208 Podcast: Podcast by elementary students in Maine.
* Student Financial Aid News Podcast: A regular audio broadcast for financial aid information.
* The ADD Dad Show: A father talks about the effects of ADD on his life and children.


alpha fresh podcast.com
http://podcast.com/home.php

Podcast.com is designed to help you…
* browse podcast directories and search for podcasts
* manage podcast subscriptions
* listen to audio podcasts
* watch video podcasts
* learn about podcasting
* read news about podcasting tools
...and more!

Listen to the audio tutorial for the site to learn how to do all these things. The Education category lists a Chinese podcast, another from PBS: NOVA, and The Word Nerds. The Word Nerd podcasts are about “words, language, and why we say the things we do.” Episode topics include prepositions, thanks and gratitude, sports language, derivatives, and others.


PodcastBlaster
http://www.podcastblaster.com/

The PodcastBlaster podcast directory is tracking 22,662 podcasts with a total of 431,454 episodes.

Education podcasts include:
* CSI AudioCast: CSI Education
* Education 548 Podcast
* PodcasterNews.com Education
* DV in Education Podcast
* PodcastPromos.com Education
* Podcasts in education
* Investment Education Podcasts

Some of the education episodes you might want to check include:
* Nature Podcast
* Animal Talk, Naturally!
* Podcasts from Learn 4 Life - Innovation in Education in the UK
* The Kedou Adventures -- A Little Bear's podStories
* Club KidCast
* Youth Voices Coast to Coast: NYC and Utah
* Robin And The Giant - Sleepy Time Theatre
* French For Beginners
* Digital Photography Tips From The Top Floor
* Storynory: Free Audio Stories for Kids
* DragonflyTV . Podcast | PBS KIDS GO!
* Stories of the Week | NewsHour with Jim Lehrer Podcast | PBS
* Rolling R's: Spanish Lessons (Video Podcast)


Learn on-the-go
http://www.learn-on-the-go.com/directory/

This site promotes lifelong learning through the use of audio and video podcasts.

Categories include:
* History (16)
* Health and Fitness (41)
* Science and Technology (26)
* Business (11)
* Languages (56)
* Religion and Inspiration (28)

At this point the site has 178 links in 21 categories. A search for Education locates eight podcasts. Of these eight, two look particularly interesting: one on mobile learning—blogging on cell phones, PDAs, and iPods—and another on the role of technology in online education.