The New Oxford American Dictionary defines podcast as “a digitalrecording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made availableon the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player.” Inother words, it’s a digital audio file that’s created, shared, andheard.
Although many podcasts contain only music or only speaking, mostare a creative mix of voice, music, and sounds. Some now includevideo or photos. There is a wide variety of content, such asNational Public Radio programming, a university lecture, aninternational news update, a band’s newest music, or anindividual’s enthusiastic view of a political issue. Podcasts rangein length from a few minutes to several hours.
What’s so revolutionary about a pod­cast? MP3files have been around for a while and were accessed easily fromthe Web. But the arrival of podcasting and its Really SimpleSyndication (RSS) feed means that you no longer have to go to theWeb to get newly posted MP3 files or to download them to an MP3player. Instead, you can subscribe to a podcast series. Anytime youlog onto the Internet, the software reaches out and automaticallydownloads newly posted podcasts to which you’ve subscribed. The newfiles wait on your computer or MP3 player until you’re ready tolisten.
In September 2004, when podcasting was in its infancy and aGoogle search of “podcast” brought up only 24 results, Doc Searlsof IT Garage said, “Podcasting will shift much of our time awayfrom an old medium where we wait for what we might want to hear toa new medium where we choose what we want to hear, when we want tohear it, and how we want to give everybody else the option tolisten to it.” Indeed, more and more we wantinformation when we want it—whether it’s TV or radio programming orother information. We don’t want to wait. Podcasting gives the enduser one more option for information access at the point ofneed.
Podcasts are portable. Although accessible via computers, theycan also reside on MP3 players and go anywhere. This is a realplus. Librarians can capitalize on this portability by creating awalking library-orientation podcast for students to carry around onan MP3 player, following instructions as they learn about differentareas and resources within the library. Or while doing research ona field trip, students can use a digital recorder to documentinterviews, observations, notes, and other information and thencome back to the library to produce their own podcasts to sharewhat they learned. Examples of this type of community researchinclude the work of students from several primary schools in WestBromwich, U.K., who report on visits to special places in theircommunity. Students from Mabry Middle School in Marietta, Ga.,conducted oral history research by interviewing World War IIveterans as a way of passing history from “one generation toanother and enabling students to create digital representations oftheir new knowledge in a medium that is relevant to their teenculture.”
Podcasts actively engage students in their own learning. Sincethey are already used to hand-held MP3 technology, integrating itwith curricular content comes naturally. Students even becometeachers as they help lead the way during implementation. 一、翻译：书面翻译上面的材料 二、面谈：考生根据上面的材料与导师进行讨论