RPP #32 Congratulations, Social Bookmarking and Podsafe Christmas

Topics covered during this 20 minute podcast:

• Podosphere News:
• Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" adopted a new approach this year
• Congratulations, WE ARE the Time Magazine's Person of the Year
  

• Social Bookmarking Tools: the primary use of these social networking tools is to store your bookmarks online, which allows you to access your bookmarks from any computer, and to share them with the world.
• del.icio.us - uses tags to organize and remember your bookmarks, which is a much more flexible system than folders
• digg - comment on news stories and see what others rate as most important or interesting; just added a Podcast section
  
• furl - copies web pages you want to save and share
  
• technorati - searches and indexes the world "live" web, especially blogs
• Google and Yahoo - allow you to save bookmarks
  
• Bookmarkz: the "cut and paste" social bookmarking solution for bloggers
• Blackboard Beyond - see RPP #30
• Wired News: Social Bookmarking Showdown - review of several bookmarking services
  

• Podsafe Music Selections from the Podsafe Music Network
• "Jingle Bells" by Natalie Brown
• "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by Twisted Sister - yes, that hard rock group from the '70s
  

RPP #31 Pew Podcasting Report, Audio Recording Tips and "A Soldier's Christmas"

Topics covered during this 16 minute podcast:

• The Pew Internet & American Life Project
• Report on Podcast Downloading
• The Pew Internet & American Life Project produces reports that explore the impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life
• 12% of Internet users have downloaded a podcast compared with 7% back in February of 2006
• 26% of Internet users own an iPod or other MP3 player
  
• Podcasting Tech Tips: Microphones and Recording Interviews
  
• Professional microphones for voice and music recording have a 3-pin XLR connector designed to work with pro music gear, e.g., Audio Technica Cardioid Dynamic Vocal/Instrument Microphone ($60)
• Hot Recorder for recording Skype interviews ($15)
  
• DLI Personal Logger for recording telephone interviews ($89)
  
• Podsafe Music Selection
• "A Soldier's Christmas" by Jay Goeppner from the Podsafe Music Network
• Jay Goeppner is a Chicago musician who has shared his message of peace and love in the style of his hero, John Lennon. Jay currently fronts the Chicago bands “The Beatle Brothers” and “Instant Karma” (a John Lennon tribute band).

RPP #30 Beyond Blackboard, Media Player Guide and Christmas Rap

Topics covered during this 18 minute podcast:

• MP3 & Video Media Player Holiday Shopping Guide (CNET Review Scores)
  
• Microsoft Zune - JUST SAY NO: no podcast support, brown?, "welcome to the social"?, "squirt your music"? (8.0)
  
• High-Capacity Players: $250-$350
  
• Apple iPod - 2.5" Screen, no FM tuner (8.3)
  
• Creative Zen Vision:M - 2.5" Screen, FM tuner, voice recorder (8.0)
• Toshiba Gigabeat MES30VW - 2.4" Screen, Editor's Choice (8.3)
• Mid-Capacity Players: $200-$250
  
• Apple iPod Nano - 1.5" Screen, ultra thin, Editor's Choice (8.3)
  
• iRiver Clix - 2.2" Screen (8.7)
  
• Sandisk Sansa E260 - 1.8" Screen, FM tuner, voice recorder (8.0)
  
• Mini Players: $79-$130
  
• Apple iPod Shuffle - no screen, smallest, clips on clothing (6.3)
  
• Creative Zen V Plus - 1.5" Screen!, Editor's Pick (8.3)
  
• Treo 680 $200-400 If you want a cell phone and Palm organizer too.
  
• The Blackboard Beyond Initiative
• Extend The Platform: Blackboard is establishing a Global Learning Objects Catalog, where any Blackboard user can publish to or search for learning resources to enhance their instructional experience.
• Facilitate Social Networking: The first "property" will be a social bookmarking service like del.icio.us (see RPP #15), but customized for education, and integrated with all of the Blackboard's Learning System products. It will provide users with the tools to evaluate and find educationally valuable resources, and share them within the validated network of Blackboard faculty and students. Other parts of the Initiative include:
  
• Enable Lifelong Learning: Blackboard’s unique "e-Portfolios-for-life" service will allow Blackboard users to post their portfolios to a central site for long-term use.
• Create Data Benchmarking: Blackboard’s collaborative benchmarking service will allow clients to anonymously share relevant data and gain better insight into best practices.
• Podsafe Music Selection
• "The Christmas Season" by Sudden Death from the Podsafe Music Network
• Sudden Death combines hip hop beats with what Dr. Demento calls "some of the funniest hip hop lyrics I've ever heard."