PodÂcastÂing offers an amazÂing way to access free, high-qualÂiÂty media, across many topÂics, wherÂevÂer and whenÂevÂer you want it. And it’s someÂthing that even technoÂphobes can easÂiÂly figÂure out. For more inforÂmaÂtion on how to work with podÂcasts, see our our PodÂcast Primer. We take you through podÂcastÂing step-by-step. Also check out our extenÂsive PodÂcast Library, which gives you access to audioÂbooks, culÂturÂal proÂgramÂming, sciÂence podÂcasts, uniÂverÂsiÂty coursÂes and more.
Today, we have a guest feaÂture from Don from ClasÂsic PoetÂry Aloud (iTunes — Feed — Web Site), which offers a great lineÂup of poetÂry podÂcasts. They have just kicked off a week dedÂiÂcatÂed to war poetÂry, which includes pieces by ShakeÂspeare, Coleridge and Melville, among othÂers. Below, Don offers a very helpÂful surÂvey of the poetÂry podÂcast landÂscape and helps us see why podÂcastÂing might be the perÂfect mediÂum for sparkÂing a renaisÂsance in poetÂry. Take it away Don…
Short, intense and often emoÂtionÂal pieces of writÂing penned for the human ear: poems could have been inventÂed for podÂcasts. It’s no surÂprise, then, that poetÂry readÂing podÂcasts have sprung up like daisies this year.
Most are the aurÂal equivÂaÂlent of blogs, telling the intiÂmate stoÂries of the poet, and often about as interÂestÂing. Some, though, are dedÂiÂcatÂed to readÂing othÂers’ poetÂry, and they are worth visÂitÂing for a regÂuÂlar, short piece of writÂing that will almost always stimÂuÂlate thought and feelÂing – and if it doesn’t, well, you’ve probÂaÂbly only wastÂed the few minÂutes it takes to read a poem.
ClasÂsic PoetÂry Aloud (TunesFeedWeb Site)), my own podÂcast, is dedÂiÂcatÂed to anyÂthing in the EngÂlish lanÂguage which is over 70 years old. ExperÂiÂmenÂtalÂly, this week (Nov 4 – 11) is War PoetÂry Week, feaÂturÂing poems from Samuel Coleridge and HerÂman Melville as well as WilÂfred Owen and ShakeÂspeare. It’s an attempt to take lisÂtenÂers on a week-long jourÂney from the first rumours of war (on MonÂday 5th) through to rememÂberÂing the dead (on SunÂday 11th, RememÂbrance day in the UK).
Most poetÂry podÂcasts don’t deal excluÂsiveÂly with the past, howÂevÂer. On the excelÂlent PoetÂry Off the Shelf (iTunes — Feed — Web Site), from the PoetÂry FounÂdaÂtion, you’ll find the smooth-toned CurÂtis Fox interÂviewÂing conÂtemÂpoÂrary poets about their works, and havÂing them read and interÂpret a poem or two. It’s wonÂderÂfulÂly proÂduced and Fox’s intelÂliÂgent, self-depÂreÂcatÂing style puts both this guests and his lisÂtenÂers at ease. OthÂer podÂcasts, such as MiPOÂraÂdio (iTunes — Feed — Web Site), folÂlow the same interview/reading forÂmat.
Cloudy Day Art (iTunes — Feed — Web Site) simÂiÂlarÂly involves interÂviews, most recentÂly with forÂmer US Poet LauÂreÂate Ted KoosÂer, but with a difÂferÂent focus. A home-proÂduced show by WashÂingÂton DC resÂiÂdent Will Brown, the aim is to draw out of those he interÂviews thoughts, tips and advice for those who, like the ever-enthuÂsiÂasÂtic Will himÂself, are writÂing poetÂry, for pubÂliÂcaÂtion or just for themÂselves.
One podÂcast focusÂes pureÂly on Shakespeare’s sonÂnets, and is read by a man describÂing himÂself as “some guy from New York” (iTunes — Feed — Web Site). The shtick on this podÂcast is that the readÂer was ordered to read the sonÂnets as some form of comÂmuÂniÂty serÂvice or face the prospect of prison. I’m not sure I quite believe this – the interÂpreÂtaÂtions are too good, and the attiÂtude too laid-on. None of this detracts from what is, though, an enterÂtainÂing and intelÂliÂgent lisÂtenÂing expeÂriÂence.
For pure simÂplicÂiÂty, and no attiÂtude, I subÂscribe to Clarica’s PoetÂry Moment (iTunes — Feed — Web Site), which gives me what I want: a clear female voice readÂing a wide range of poetÂry, with no fuss, just a sense of pleaÂsure in the meanÂing and the sound of the words.
In this reacÂtion, I am a regÂuÂlar poetÂry podÂcast lisÂtenÂer: all comÂments I’ve read on my own, and othÂer sites show reacÂtion to all this spoÂken poetÂry to be overÂwhelmÂingÂly posÂiÂtive, and someÂtimes deeply emoÂtionÂal. PeoÂple love to hear the poem come off the page, whether they are a recepÂtionÂist in HolÂland, studyÂing for their EngÂlish LitÂerÂaÂture exams at high school in ScotÂland, or learnÂing EngÂlish in the Far East. It’s wonÂderÂful to sense the world being brought togethÂer through the mediÂum of the poetÂry podÂcast. SomeÂtimes it almost seems that techÂnolÂoÂgy has enabled the oral traÂdiÂtion to be reborn.
GramÂmar is in vogue. The staÂtisÂtics don’t lie. The GramÂmar Girl (iTunes — Feed — Web Site) remains one of the most popÂuÂlar podÂcasts on iTunes, and The GramÂmar Grater (iTunes — Feed — Web Site) is holdÂing its own. From gramÂmar, it’s just a short step to words, to etyÂmolÂoÂgy. And, today, we want to highÂlight PodÂicÂtionary (iTunes — Feed — Site) for you. It’s a “word-of-the-day” podÂcast that spends an easy three to five minÂutes surÂveyÂing the hisÂtoÂry of comÂmon words in the EngÂlish lanÂguage. (This makes it useÂful for native and non-native speakÂers alike). Its creÂator, Charles HodgÂson, has so far tackÂled over 600 terms, which means that he’s amassed an extenÂsive audio archive that you can access here.
And his work on words doesÂn’t stop there. HodgÂson recentÂly pubÂlished a new book called CarÂnal KnowlÂedge: A Navel GazÂer’s DicÂtioÂnary of AnatoÂmy, EtyÂmolÂoÂgy, and TrivÂia (St. MarÂtÂin’s Press). Far from pedanÂtic, the book uses engagÂing prose and fun facts to tease out the meanÂing of words we use to describe our bodÂies. The whole body gets covÂered here, from the “eye” to the “simiÂan line” to the “gulÂlet,” and it goes straight down to the nether regions, too. For more inforÂmaÂtion, spend some time with the blog that accomÂpaÂnies the new book.
That sounds like a strange propoÂsiÂtion. PodÂcasts are inherÂentÂly mobile, so what can make them more mobile? ApparÂentÂly myPodÂder can. It’s a free, cross-platÂform softÂware packÂage put out by PodÂcast Ready that has two notable advanÂtages. Once you regÂisÂter and install their free softÂware, you’ll no longer need to downÂload podÂcasts first to your comÂputÂer and then to your mp3 playÂer. Instead, you’ll be able to downÂload them directÂly to your MP3 playÂer via the interÂnet and cut out the midÂdle step. Beyond that, myPodÂder lets you update your mp3 playÂer from anyÂwhere you can get an interÂnet conÂnecÂtion. Now, you’re no longer forced to update your podÂcast colÂlecÂtion from one locaÂtion (as is the case with iTunes). It’s all free, so give it a good look.
If you have any othÂer good tips for workÂing with podÂcasts, please send them our way. Drop them in our comÂments below, or send them **@******re.com”>via email.
If you’re genÂerÂalÂly wonÂderÂing how to work with podÂcasts in the first place, please see our PodÂcast Primer.
RadiÂoÂLab, a sciÂence radio show creÂatÂed by WNYC in New York, is a litÂtle unusuÂal for a pubÂlic radio show. It comes out in short seaÂsons of about five episodes. Each episode addressÂes a parÂticÂuÂlar quesÂtion in sciÂence through a wide lens–I found their most recentÂly podÂcast show, on MoralÂiÂty, to be parÂticÂuÂlarÂly fasÂciÂnatÂing. We’re adding the new show to our colÂlecÂtion of SciÂence PodÂcasts. Check it out for yourÂself!
RecentÂly MerÂriÂam-WebÂster announced that they’re adding “ginorÂmous,” “speed datÂing” and a few othÂer gems to the latÂest ediÂtion of their dicÂtioÂnary. In their honÂor, we present ten podÂcasts to help you expand your vocabÂuÂlary. Enjoy!
MerÂriÂam-WebÂster’s Word of the Day (Feed, Site)
We haven’t visÂitÂed the list of iTunes’ top eduÂcaÂtionÂal podÂcasts since April. So it’s time for anothÂer look…What we’ve got here is pretÂty much a case of “plus ça change, plus c’est la mĂŞme chose.” Or, put difÂferÂentÂly, even though two months have passed, it is still forÂeign lanÂguage lesÂson podÂcasts that are rulÂing the day, parÂticÂuÂlarÂly podÂcasts that will teach you SpanÂish, French and ItalÂian. Also, the ever popÂuÂlar “GramÂmar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for BetÂter WritÂing” is still holdÂing strong. The one major new addiÂtion is a free audio book of Pride and PrejÂuÂdice. Audio books have almost nevÂer appeared on this list, so the #2 posiÂtion of this podÂcast tesÂtiÂfies to the endurÂing popÂuÂlarÂiÂty of this great Jane Austen work. LastÂly, it’s worth menÂtionÂing that no audio from uniÂverÂsiÂties has made it into the top 25. There is someÂthing just a litÂtle bit wrong with this picÂture, wouldÂn’t you say?
We talk about podÂcasts a good deal around here. But givÂen that only 12% of interÂnet users have ever downÂloaded a podÂcast, and only 1% does so daiÂly (see this Pew Research CenÂter study), we wantÂed to proÂvide an overview of podÂcasts and how to use them. In a few minÂutes, we want to get you up and runÂning and explorÂing our rich colÂlecÂtions of eduÂcaÂtionÂal and culÂturÂal mateÂriÂals.
What is a podÂcast?
Here’s the basic answer. PodÂcasts are essenÂtialÂly radio shows availÂable for downÂload over the InterÂnet, and you can lisÂten to them on your iPod, othÂer portable mp3 playÂers, and comÂputÂer. Instead of being broadÂcast over the airÂwaves and evenÂtuÂalÂly lost, as hapÂpens with traÂdiÂtionÂal radio shows, podÂcasts can be stored and played at the user’s conÂveÂnience. Think of it as a TIVO in audio.
How do I downÂload and lisÂten to podÂcasts? The iTunes Way
GivÂen the prevaÂlence of Apple’s iPod/iPhone, disÂcussing the Apple way of downÂloadÂing podÂcasts is unavoidÂable.
To access podÂcasts through iTunes (downÂload for free here), you have sevÂerÂal options:
Option 1:
Open iTunes,
Click on “iTunes store” on the left side of the screen,
Next click on “PodÂcasts” withÂin the area called “iTunes Store,”
Search and find the podÂcast you want,
Then either click “Get Episode” to get an indiÂvidÂual podÂcast that interÂests you, or click “SubÂscribe” to autoÂmatÂiÂcalÂly receive each new installÂment withÂin the podÂcast series.
Option 2:
Find a podÂcast that you’d like to explore. (You may encounter them while surfÂing the web),
Locate the podÂcast’s rss feed, which sites usuÂalÂly adverÂtise on their homeÂpage, and are often accomÂpaÂnied by this symÂbol,
Click on the “Advanced” drop-down menu along the top of the screen,
Next select “SubÂscribe to podÂcast,”
And then paste the feed link (for examÂple, http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/mind.xml) into the box and click “Ok.”
NOTE: This option works well when you find a podÂcast that’s not already listÂed on iTunes.
Option 3:
SomeÂtimes when you’re surfÂing the web, you’ll find a podÂcast that you like, and you’ll have the option to subÂscribe directÂly to the podÂcast on iTunes from the web page. (On Open CulÂture, we give you this option whenÂevÂer we see a link that says “iTunes.”)
Click on the link and it will help you launch iTunes, and from there you’ll be givÂen the option either to subÂscribe to the ongoÂing podÂcast, or to downÂload indiÂvidÂual episodes.
LisÂtenÂing to the PodÂcasts
FinalÂly, when you sync your iPod, your podÂcasts will be autoÂmatÂiÂcalÂly downÂloaded onto your iPod. And you can lisÂten to them by:
TurnÂing on your iPod,
ClickÂing on “Music” at the main menu.
Scrolling the wheel down to “PodÂcasts,”
And then selectÂing the indiÂvidÂual podÂcasts that you want to play.
Are there alterÂnaÂtives to iTunes?
Yes. And you have a couÂple of options here.
If you own anothÂer kind of mp3 playÂer (e.g. ones by Microsoft, SanÂDisk, or CreÂative), it will come with softÂware that perÂforms essenÂtialÂly the same funcÂtions as iTunes. And you’ll want to folÂlow the same basic direcÂtions that we outÂlined in Step 2 above. That is, find the rss feed (which we always try to proÂvide) and use it to subÂscribe to the podÂcast. Then sync and lisÂten.
And then there is an interÂestÂing secÂond option: LifeÂhackÂer recentÂly recÂomÂmendÂed a free softÂware called “MyPodÂder” (downÂload here). It is a cross platÂform softÂware for downÂloadÂing podÂcasts directÂly to your MP3 playÂer, no matÂter what kind you have.
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