Podcasting is currently a very popular form of technology.  What is podcasting?  It’s a way to deliver audio (and also video) content on a subscription basis.  You do not need an iPod or other mp3 player to listen to or produce your own podcasts.  When you subscribe to a podcast the software you use to download it will automatically check for new episodes and then download it to your computer.  You can then either listen to it on your computer or synchronize your iPod or other mp3 player to listen to it on the go!

To listen to or view video podcasts you will need to download the files using an podcast receiver or podcatcher software.  Two popular and free programs are iTunes 7 or Juice. 

To find podcasts you can go to the iTunes store from within iTunes and search for podcasts there.  When you find one that you are interested in you can click on subscribe and the current audio file will download to iTunes.  Each time you open up iTunes it will check to see if your podcast has been updated with new episodes and automatically download them.  Another way to find podcasts is to use a podcast directory.  Two of them are www.podcast.net and www.podcastingnews.com

To subscribe to a podcast found through a directory click on the RSS logo and then copy the web address.  In both iTunes and Juice you can enter this web address to subscribe.  In iTunes under the advanced menu choose “subscribe to Podcast.”  In Juice click on the subscriptions tab and then click on “+” to enter the web address.