What are podcasts and iTunes U?

Podcasts are free audio or video files that you can play on your computer, iPhone, or iPod. 

Podcasts are like a TV or radio series that you can subscribe to on your computer. iTunes is a free application for mac and PC that makes  getting podcasts easy. Open iTunes and click on the iTunes Store and click Podcasts or iTunes U.  Search for a podcast that interests you. You can listen to a single episode or subscribe to the podcast series so that new episodes will automatically be downloaded in to your iTunes library. 

iTunes U has over 100,000 educational audio and video lectures, language lessons, audiobooks, and more from top universities, museums and public media organizations from around the world. See below or Click here for a video introduction to iTunes U 

Podcasts are a great way for teachers to demonstrate life long learning and keep up with educational research. 

The National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers #5 is to Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership. Podcasts can help teachers meet this standard. One related indicator is that teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. The second related indicator is that teachers evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.