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      In 2003, they developed the RSS feed into a tool capable to "automate the delivery and syncing of content to portable audio players.”  Podcasts were not designed for a specific format; it is incidental that they started in mp3 form, the dominant audio compression of the time.  This is evident in that the basis of podcasting, the RSS markups in XML, remains unchanged even when podcasting now incorporates pictures, chapters, videos, and whole movies.  
 

      WebCT and Blackboard, online programs that securely publish course related material, are used heavily by our universities.  One argument is that students would “go to class online.  The same can be said for podcasting.  By using podcasts as a “class online,” many teachers would be worried that students will not be learning their required material.

      WebCT has now been shown to only enrich a student’s understanding of the course he or she is taking.  Podcasting will do the same as WebCT, only better.  It has the ability to automatically update new podcasts onto an iPod which saves so much time for a busy college student.  This time-saving and affordable program is yet another reason why universities should implement the use of podcasting into their curriculum. 
 

      Not every student can afford a laptop, or even has one; some students do not have printers and print out their papers at Kinko’s or the library.  But the reality is that every student has access to a computer and won’t need to purchase and expensive iPod.   
 

      Podcasts are offered for free by Apple, so the only piece of equipment a student would likely be required to purchase is a microphone.  Cheap microphones are available in stores like Wal-Mart or Best Buy for under $10.  Universities willt also need to purchase software programs to make it easier for professors to author podcasts. This will benefit a student’s budget and increase their, the student’s and the professor’s, technological knowledge for the future.