iPods have evolved from music listening devices to educational tools used at universities around the world. The University of Houston will offer details on its own podcasting capabilities during a conference hosted by UH Educational Technology and University Outreach (ETUO).

The Podcasting Summit II runs from noon – 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25 in the M.D. Anderson Library’s Rockwell Pavilion. Jim Wolfgang, director of the Georgia Digital Innovation Group and Podcasting innovator, will deliver the keynote address at the summit.

Registration for this free event is now closed due to limited seating, but it will be re-broadcast the following week online at http://podcast.uh.edu/allaboutpodcasting/pilot_project/conferences.html.

Since the first summit that was held during the fall 2006 semester, UH has entered into an agreement with Apple Computer’s iTunes U, a free service that offers instant access to academic content, which can be downloaded onto computers then transferred to iPods.

“Having access to the iTunes U interface allows the UH community to develop, archive and retrieve content in a user friendly environment,” said Marshall Schott, executive director of ETUO. “Podcasting has given higher education another tool for instruction. It’s also another way that universities can interact with communities. It can actually serve as a digital front porch.”

Schott added that podcasting training will be available for administrative offices this summer. Dates for these training sessions will be confirmed soon. Faculty members who are interested in learning more about placing class materials or lectures on UH iTunes U should contact instructional designers assigned to their department or college, he said. They can also contact ETUO for additional details at 713-743-1146 or visit http://eto.uh.edu.

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu