Transcript RSS: Staying C - University of Toronto

Podcasting:
Multimedia Syndication
OISE Lunchtime Series
March 29, 2007
Julie Hannaford, [email protected]
Neil Tinker, [email protected]
What is RSS?

In a nutshell, RSS is “automated web surfing” – Dave Winer
(http://www.scripting.com/2005/09/11.html)

RSS variously stands for: Really Simple Syndication, RDF Site Summary or
Rich Site Summary

For a little RSS history, link here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(file_format)

There are multiple RSS formats; all are XML files that syndicate; they allow you
to subscribe to locate new content

Subscribing to an RSS feed means that you can easily track changes and
additions; it’s a great way to stay current

To subscribe to podcasts, use RSS 2.0: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss or
ATOM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom_(standard)
What Do You Need?
 RSS newsfeed(s)
– On Web pages, look for “subscribe” links, an
orange rectangle: an XML symbol:
or an
RSS symbol:
 RSS feed reader or aggregator
– A reader will store all of your feeds,
automatically check for feed updates and allow
you to read or hear the new content
Example
MERLOT RSS Feeds
Example RSS Feed
RSS URL
http://www.merlot.org/merlot/materials.xml?community=3028&hasPeer
Reviews=true&sort.property=datePeerReviewed&rssTitle=Most%20Re
cent%20Peer%20Reviewed%20Materials%20In%20MERLOT%20Tea
ching%20and%20Technology
Aggregator Example: Bloglines
(http://www.bloglines.com)
Aggregator Example:
Google Reader
(http://www.google.com/reader/)
Podcasts
 Podcast: a multimedia file distributed over the Internet,
using syndication feeds, for playback on mobile devices
and personal computers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting)
 A podcast is different from other digital audio or video
formats because it can be downloaded automatically using
software capable of reading feed formats such as RSS
– To podcast, the RSS feed must support ‘enclosures’: attached
media objects
 Examples: CBC, PBS, ESPN, Comedy Central, OISE/UT’s
‘Ask the Experts’
Why Use Podcasts?
 Subscribe to podcasts as an easy way to
stay current:
– Hear/see others’ presentations, demos. and
talks on topics of interest to you
 Listen/watch when it is convenient for you
OISE/UT ‘Ask the Experts’
Ask the Experts
‘Ask the Experts’ Feed
Subscribing Using Bloglines
http://www.bloglines.com
Adding the Newsfeed
Ask the Experts
iTunes
 Search for the RSS feed in iTunes’ Podcasts
 Subscribe to the feed once you have found
it
‘Ask the Experts’ Podcast
Changing the Settings
Manually Subscribing to iTunes
 The podcast that you would like to subscribe
to may not be part of the iTunes library.
 To subscribe manually:
– Click on the ‘Advanced’ menu, then click on
‘Subscribe to podcast…’
– You will then see a small box where you can
paste your podcast feed’s URL.
Finding Podcasts
 Use podcast directories:
– The Podcast Directory: http://www.podcast.net/
– iPodder Podcast Directory:
http://www.ipodder.org/
– Yahoo Podcasts: http://podcasts.yahoo.com/
 Search iTunes podcasts in the Music Store
Other Aggregators:
 Doppler: http://www.dopplerradio.net/
 Juice: http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/
Why Create a Podcast?
 You can use it for course-related activities:
podcast your lectures, for example
– Students can listen to a lecture again – useful for exam
preparation
– Students can hear a lecture that they might have missed
– ESL students can listen to them and increase their
comprehension
– Instructors can listen to their own lectures to improve
their presentations (Purdue University)
Why Create a Podcast?
 A university may use podcasting to make their activities
more widely available: lectures series, special events,etc.
 Example: http://webcast.berkeley.edu
 Academic Libraries: library instruction, library tours:
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/library/podcasts.shtml
 Reach a broader audience; engage students and faculty
Educational Podcasts on iTunes
An OISE Example…
 Comparative International and Development
Education
– Database has the ability to podcast search
results
– In this way, you can subscribe and find out what
new multimedia resources have been added to
the database
Creating a Quality Podcast
• QuickTime 7:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/m
ac.html
• iLife 6: http://www.apple.com/ilife/ (which
includes Garageband)
• MovieWorks Deluxe:
http://www.movieworks.com/
Creating the RSS Feed
 Once you have your media file, you need the RSS
file (the following are links you may wish to tryout):
– iTunes Podcast Technical Specifications
– If you already have a blog and are storing your media
files there, you may wish to consider using: Feedburner
 Some other options:
– Manually creating an RSS feed:
 FeedForAll
 Feeder
 iWeb
Support at OISE
 Technical support to create media content is
available in the Student Production Labs for
iLife '06 and QuickTime 7 Pro, see:
Student Production Labs
 Production support: Production Services
 Support for the RSS component: contact
Julie Hannaford:
[email protected]
Suggested Resources/Readings
 “Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web
Tools for Classrooms – Will Richardson
http://main.library.utoronto.ca/webcat/goto_catalogue_url.cfm?where=ckey&what=58164
88
 Tutorials:
– Apple iLife 6:
http://main.library.utoronto.ca/webcat/goto_catalogue_url.cfm?where=ckey&what=60
84957
– GarageBand 3:
http://main.library.utoronto.ca/webcat/goto_catalogue_url.cfm?where=ckey&what=60
85135