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Listen in iTunes or on an iPod
Of course, you can listen to podcasts directly from iTunes on a computer. However, you probably want to involve mobile devices so students don't tie-up a computer to listen. iTunes works best with iPods for listening to podcasts because you just plug in the iPod and podcasts are automatically synchronized onto the device. The podcasts are neatly organized on the iPod and can be automatically deleted from the iPod.
| To listen to podcasts on a handheld, you will want headphones, expansion cards, and a USB card reader. |
Listen on a Palm or Windows Mobile handheld
To listen on a handheld computer, attach a card reader to your computer. Insert an expansion card that fits your handheld. Open the expansion card. You will want to create or open an "Audio" folder on the card. Then open iTunes' Podcasts window. Position your iTunes and expansion cards' windows so you can drag and drop individual episodes from iTunes and onto the card's window. I suggest showing students how to do this process so the teacher doesn't always have to do it.
Once copied to the card, the card can be inserted into a handheld. There are a variety of software applications for Palm and Windows Mobile for listening to MP3 audio files. Common ones include RealOne (free) for Palm and PocketMusic (free) for Windows Mobile.
 You can quickly fill an expansion card with podcasts. To delete podcasts to make room for new ones, insert the card into the card reader. From the computer, drag the MP3 files you wish to delete to the trash or recycle bin. Be sure to empty the trash or bin to completely remove the files from the card.
Listen without subscribing
You can listen to a podcast without subscribing. Perhaps you just want to download a specific episode. You can simply click a link to an episode (that will end in .mp3) and the audio will play in your browser. You can Control-Click (Mac) or Right Click (Windows) and choose to download the MP3 file to your hard disk. Once you have this MP3 file, it can be played in a variety of software programs. It can also be copied to an expansion card using a card reader or copied to an expansion card when you sync the handheld.
Check out Using your Palm OS Handheld as an MP3 Player from K12 Handhelds.
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