The podcasting system in Scott 135 is ready to use now. Anyone teaching in Scott 135 can schedule a podcast by filling out the form at http://cat.rutgers.edu/podcast-test/. The form schedules the recording and creates the podcast URL that the students will use to subscribe to the podcast.
Once scheduled, simply go to the classroom, turn on the microphone and press the touchscreen controls to start the recording (the actual recording happens remotely; the touchscreen controls merely prevent the audio signal from leaving the room, giving the instructor full control of what gets recorded).
Our web server will automatically save the mp3 audio file, tag it with the name of the course and lecturer, and send it out on the "RSS feed," all within a few seconds of the end of the lecture. Students merely paste the podcast URL into iTunes, and that software will automatically check for new recordings at regular intervals, automatically downloading new ones and transferring them to the students' iPods (if they have them). Students without iPods can listen to the recordings on their computers or other mp3 players. The podcast URL can also be pasted into the "news" tool in Sakai, and the audio recordings will show up automatically in the course web site.
You'll find more information on our podcasting page, plus information on how to join the discussion on the benefits and drawbacks of podcasting.
