Of the Web 2.0 tools that I endeavored to incorporate into the Web 2.0 Tools for Teaching and Learning course, podcasts and RSS (Really Simple Syndication) were more challenging. Unlike creating a blog, wiki, or social bookmarking site, creating a podcast involves more than one tool and more layers in the process to plan, record, and edit a podcast and then to publish and syndicate it through RSS. Originally, I had not included “RSS” in my course design (at least not on paper) because I didn’t know if I would have the time to address it given the time constraints. However, as I progressed in course development and read about RSS, I realized I had to find the time to incorporate it into the course. 
I’m blogging about podcasts and RSS together because I learned that a true podcast is not just a media file (e.g., audio or video file) that you put out on the Internet with a link to it; but rather, in the truest sense, a podcast involves broadcasting “episodes” on a periodic basis through the use of an “RSS feed” that people can subscribe to. The podcast updates automatically come to the reader, instead of the reader having to go to various sites to check for updates. However, RSS goes well beyond subscribing to podcasts. You can subscribe to diverse media sites and people’s blogs using a news aggregator, for example, called an “RSS feed reader.” There are so many educational uses for podcasts and RSS, which I’ve incorporated into the course. Participants will have the opportunity to create an educational podcast and also to subscribe to feeds using an RSS feed reader. I used Bloglines as my RSS aggregator to start subscribing to educational technology sites and blogs in which I’m interested. To view my feeds, click public.
(image sources:
http://www.stephenrahn.com/blog/archives/category/podcasting)
http://www.buyerschoiceinspections.com/)
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