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Elgg is an effective podcasting platform. You can upload MP3 files to your file repository and tag them - this then produces a podcast feed automatically that others can subscribe to.
From the Wikipedia entry on Podcasts:
A podcast is a media file that is distributed by subscription (paid or unpaid) over the Internet using syndication feeds, for playback on mobile devices and personal computers. Like 'radio', it can mean both the content and the method of syndication. The latter may also be termed podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.
To podcast in Elgg, all you have to do is upload some MP3 audio files to your file repository and mark them public. Your main RSS feed will automatically work as a podcast feed which contains the files in the order you uploaded them.
Say you've uploaded a series of MP3s about fishing, and a series about nuclear fusion. You don't really want them both in the same podcast, but would love to share an angling feed with some people and a nuclear fusion feed with your physicist friends.
Simply tag your fishing MP3s with 'fishing' and your fusion MP3s with 'fusion'. Click on each tag; on the search page you'll find a link to "RSS feed for files owned by (your name) in category '(tag)'". The version of this RSS feed for the fishing tag works as your fishing podcast feed; the RSS feed for files you own in category 'fusion' is your fusion podcast feed.
There are a number of services that allow you to listen to podcasts. Feeds created using Elgg are known to work well with the following:
You can also keep track of podcasts from within Elgg by adding them to your subscriptions under the Your Resources tab.
Any MP3 audio files which are included in blog posts will automatically be displayed with an audio-player widget directly inside the browser window. Others reading the blog entry can click on the 'play' button to listen to the audio file.
Check out these great real-world examples of teachers using podcasting...
Creating your own podcasts is easy. Students can learn it with minimal instruction. The link below has a 10 minute video tutorial on how to create a podcast using Audacity.
Audacity is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. click the link below for more information at connectingeducation.com: