Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Week 5- Podcasts

Well to tell the truth, I never really was interested in clicking on the podcasts button in itunes. I had my music, my books, and playlists, why did I need podcasts when I could just turn on the radio. So since I needed to investigate it for class, I clicked on the itunes store, click podcasts and just about fell out of my chair! There is a ridiculous amount of podcasts out there! My next thought was...darn, where do I begin?

I first began by clicking on the "Book Lovers" genre, but then decided that I really don't want to hear a publisher's review of a book, I want to hear the book. However, then I focused on what I usually listen to on the radio...comedy. So I clicked on the comedy and found a few to download...then hit a brick wall the side of Texas. You see it becomes increasing difficult to download a podcast when you have moved and your only Internet connection is through the Verizon Wireless VZAccess Manager, oh and your signal isn't that good. And to complicate things even more, your laptop screen died and now it's not a portable tool, but basically a ghetto desktop. Seriously, I didn't make this up. So after waiting 27 minutes for a clip to download I finally got to listen to a podcast, then I realized why it took so long. It was a video podcast. Pretty funny though

After surfing through a bunch of different podcasts on itunes I realized how far reaching they are. There are walking tours for walking The Davinci Code in Paris, The Boston Public Gardens, and even Civil War Tours. Some of the tours are chaptered by the different areas you go to, while others are one long tour.

Not only are there tours, but there are a million different genres. I listened, once I improved my connection speed (took about a day), to "how-to" podcasts on cooking a snowcrab pizza with summer vegetables and tips for staying awake while you drive.

Then it dawned on me...the best thing about podcasts is that for the most part they're all free. I said for the most part because I haven't come across one that charges yet, but I'm sure they're out there. So now I have a new resource to explore, and it gave me an idea for my final podcast project. Whew!

1 comment:

  1. I have to admit, I didn't use podcasts much at all before this class either. I just downloaded a bunch of them to my ipod the other day, and while I was out for my daily walk, I decided to skip the regular music (which I can not keep on more than 40-60 seconds of any song and I am bored and switch to the next one) and listen to some of the podcasts I downloaded. I chose an inspirational download, which was pretty interesting, and kept me busy for about 15 minutes. I didn't even realize how long or far I was walking! I then listed to a few technology ones, but they were too boring! Ha Ha! And finally, I found another interesting educational podcast. I have to say, it helped the time go by a lot faster than the music, and I was learning at the same time. I am not sure if I am more positive yet, but I really enjoyed it! And so far, I only use the free ones on iTunes.

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