Activity Six
Podcasts and Videos

What are podcasts?
• Podcasting is a term inspired by the iPod .
• It no longer specifically relates to iPods but to any software and hardware
combination that permits automatically downloading of audio or video files
for listening/watching at the users convenience.
• The audio files are usually in MP3 format.
• Unlike radio and TV, podcasts give listeners control over when they hear
the recording. They can be heard via your computer or downloaded to an
MP3 player.
• Podcasts are distributed via RSS feeds just like new blog posts.

Podcasting in plain english
Watch this short video on podcasting produced by the
Common Craft Show.
(This video can also be found at Blip.tv and TeacherTube.)

What are online video sharing
sites?
• They are websites that allow users to upload, view and share videos.
• The videos can then be tagged and commented on by others.
• Videos added to these websites can be on any topic and range from
educational, informational, entertaining or personal.
• The most well-known video sharing website is YouTube and it has led to a
flurry of other video sharing websites, such as TeacherTube, GodTube and
blip.tv.

How are libraries using it?
Guides and tutorials
on how to use library
resources.
Virtual library tours.

Podcasts blog
containing book
reviews among
other things.
QUT Creative Industries Faculty Library Tour on Youtube.
Read the paper about their experience at
http://www.alia.org.au/groups/quill/papers/ROSSITTO.paper.pdf
and view the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mZLTqQ7SmE
(Note: This may not be accessible from a QH pc).

Resources for health libraries.
Audio summaries of
Cochcrane Reviews.
Videos of surgical
procedures.

Time to play

Adding a video to your blog
1. Go to TeacherTube.
2. In the Search box in the top right hand corner of the screen type ‘libraries’
then click Search.

3. Browse through your results and
select a video that interests you.
4. Watch this video.
5. To embed this video into your
blog, highlight and copy the text
inside the field entitled
Embeddable w/out Video
Search. It is located on the right
hand side towards the bottom of
the page that your video is on.
6. Log into your own blog that you
have created through Blogger.
7. In the Blogger Dashboard, click
New Post.

8. Paste the text you copied from TeacherTube into your new post (Ctrl + P).
It will appear as HTML code (as above). Do not worry this is how it is
supposed to look.
9. Add a title to your post and any other text you wish.
10. Click Publish Post.
11. View your blog to see that you have now successfully added a video to
your blog.

Blog prompts
• Why did you choose the video you embedded into your blog?
• Were you surprised at how simple the process was to embed a video into
your blog?
• How would you use podcasts and videos in your library?
• Can you see these as teaching tools?

Further reading
• Podcasting 101 – includes details on how to create podcasts
http://podcasting101.pbwiki.com
• 7 Things you should know about Podcasts
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7003.pdf
• 7 Things you should know about YouTube
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7018.pdf