You start by choosing a combination of features (videos, blogs, photos, forums, etc.) from an ever-growing list of options. Then customize how it looks, decide if it’s public or private, and add your brand logo if you have one. People who join your network will automatically have a customizable profile page and will be able to message and friend each other.

I have set up an eteacher ning site to try out the Ning features. Feel free to visit and have a look.

Below is a tutorial on using vodpod in your blog. Please visit his site for many more useful videos.

Setting up a vodpod – for video

March 2nd, 2007 by miketemple123

Vodpod is a great way to show videos directly in your blog. No downloading needed for the viewer

1. go to www.vodpod.com and register – it’s free
2. give your vodpod site a name – like a username
3. you probably have one already – remember, it will show on your home page
4. when the site opens up, click on start a new pod
5. give the pod a name – you can change this later
6. it automatically adds this to the url – just leave it as it is
7. you can upload your own videos to this pod, or add other pods as needed
8. Now the clever bit
9. click on widgets
10. go to the bit with bookmarklets
11. simply drag the button onto your browser toolbar
12. then when you see an online video like youtube
13. simply click this button
14. choose the pod
15. this will then automatically add the video to your pod – and update the pod on your blog
16. to get the pod on your blog
17. stay in widgets
18. on lhs, simply select the pod from the menu
19. go down the page
20. copy the code
21. go to your post on the blog
22. click on html
23. paste the code in save and publish as normal
24. you should have a player on the page

The Ed Tech Crew chew the fat on all things ICT. They are from Melbourne, Australia. Listen to their podcast to find out how a podcast could be done and if you are planning on becoming a podcaster yourself (Maybe a famous one!).

A weekly podcast about technology in education hosted by Darrel Branson (The ICT Guy) and Tony Richards from itmadesimple.com. They discuss all things digital in education – technologies, issues, great websites, web 2.0 and much, much more!

Although it is still in its final stages of beta testing, you can join and start using it. It has no advertisements and they claim that it will remain FREE.

It also has the option of grouping videos, audios forming a lesson list. Looks very promising.

Intros
Record an exciting advert to open your show. Get the voice track laid down first, and then add some music from a podsafe music source. Finally, cut it all together and export the file for use in all your future podcasts.

Vox pops
Ask open-ended questions and then cut, don’t mix, the answers.

Interviews
Students need to learn how to ask as many good open-ended questions as possible. However, when it comes to cutting the final interview together, try to get them to cut together only four questions and answers. This isn’t just learning how to synthesise information in your own words, but learning how to synthesise information in others’ words.

Listen to other podcats
The best way to learn how to make better podcasts is to listen, listen, listen to others’ efforts. There are plenty of ideas of podcasts for teachers and students to listen to, but even a poor podcast can help show what you shouldn’t maybe do in your own.

Planning your attack
Knowing how much time to spend on each element of creating a podcast is not as easy as planning a lesson based around textbook, where the exercises don’t change in timescale from year to year. So, beforehand, have a plan of action for how much time you wan to spend on:

• Deciding subject matter
• Planning a show
• Recording voices
• Finding music
• Editing
• Publishing

• a vox pop consists of a montage of voices and opinions recorded on location (shopping center)
• a vox pop is normally 20-40 seconds – any longer will sound very laboured
• vox pops are cut together rather than carefully mixed
• a vox pop should include a range of voices: young, old, male, female, multi-ethnic, sensible, outraged, funny
• use as an introduction to an interview or discussion
• normally the reporter’s voice does not appear in a vox, except perhaps to ask an additional question or reiterate the original question

Podcasts not only provide knowledge but also experience: the experience of the podcasters. Usually podcasters are very experienced people with a lot of valuable examples and tips to speak about.

On the other hand, podcasts are easily consumable because you can load them on a portable device such as an mp3 player or a mobile phone and you can listen them wherever, whenever and however you like.

You could listen to podcasts at times such as when driving to work.

Ideas:
Weekly Review/News
Student Projects: Tours, audio journal/commentary on books read
Language, Music
Story Reading
Book Reviews
Student Research Presentations
Used to present essential or supplementary material

Subscribing to podcasts:
Find the orange RSS button; Click button or copy URL into your RSS reader.