July 10, 2005

Podcasting Goes Mainstream

With Apple’s release of iTunes 4.9, interest in Podcasting has exploded after months of built up interest. If you haven’t already seen us yakking about it in recent weeks, Podcasting is a revolutionary form of broadcasting that allows you to subscribe to and automatically download mp3s to your iPod or other digital audio player. This innovation was made possible thanks to RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication), the same technology that allows you to subscribe to Blogs. Apple’s popular music downloading software has added a section to their store dedicated solely to free Podcasts, and the result has been decisive. Within the first week of its release, Podcast downloads numbered in the millions; all but assuring Podcasting’s place as a new mainstream force.

LearnOutLoud.com is excited to take part in this revolutionary new medium that has dissolved the boundaries placed on how we receive valuable information. As Podcasting becomes more pervasive, expect to see hundreds, if not thousands of Podcasts devoted solely to education. Already shows like the Al Franken Show Podcast, this WEEK in Tech and History According to Bob are making the potential of this new medium as an important educational tool readily apparent.

In addition to showcasing educational Podcasts on our site, we are proud to continue recording the “Audio Learning Revolution” Podcast on a regular basis. Each week our Podcast devotes time to particular aspects in the audio learning field. To download our show for free, visit this page.

Alternatively you can use your iTunes application to access Podcasts, or popular Podcasting clients like iPodder to subscribe to our RSS feed. “Audio Learning Revolutions” is not currently featured on iTunes 4.9, but you can still listen to it using that application by clicking “Advanced” on the top menu, and then “Subscribe to Podcast”. Itunes will then bring up a box that asks you to paste in LearnOutLoud.Com’s XML feed, which is:

https://www.learnoutloud.com/podcasts/podcast.xml

After you paste this URL in, you’ll be able to listen to our show whenever you like using iTunes 4.9. Certainly it is getting easier and easier to access the brave new world of podcasting. At LearnOutLoud.com, we promise to search out and feature the best educational podcasts that are currently being released to the world by people like you.