Boston University's Center for Digital Imaging Arts expands its use of Podcasting as an instructional tool with the school's launch of two regularly-scheduled podcasts -"CDIA Today" and "Imaging Masters Series." It also expands its campus to double its state -of-the-art facilities to 30,000 square feet to meet the growing demand for the school's Digital Arts Certificate Programs. The new facility is in Waltham, MA, adjacent to the existing campus. 

Karel Charles is a 3D Animation student at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University where podcasting is now being used as an instructional tool. Photo by Aimee Corrigan.

With two new film and photography studios, a recording arts studio, seven classrooms, and a gallery space for student and faculty exhibitions, the new state-of-the-art facility l gives CDIA much-needed additional space for its popular academic programs.

At the same time CDIA begins making audio content files of Production Practicum project meetings available for downloading to students' digital audio players last month (coined "podcasting" after Apple's iPod). Now students who miss a meeting or two can stay up-to-date on the Production Practicum, the culminating, four-week module that gives students hands-on experience working on a real-world, team-based project under the direction of a faculty member.

"This approach proved so successful in providing support to our students and faculty, CDIA is launching two additional podcasting initiatives in 2006," said Bob Daniels, CDIA's Executive Director. A weekly podcast, "CDIA Today" www.cdiabu.com/podcast will feature a conversation and show the work of a faculty member, student or alumni.

The podcast will be a joint faculty-student effort. In a monthly podcast series, "Imaging Masters Series," www.cdiabu.com/masters/professional digital filmmakers, photographers and animators will present and discuss their work.

Daniels continued, "Ever since Apple unveiled its fifth generation iPod in October 2005, the first portable digital player with video capabilities, a new distribution medium is available for our students to display their creativity. For example, students can now create short-form films for a portable media player, have a global audience and receive instant feedback."

Podcasting is a technology for distributing audio and video files via the internet. Using a subscription model, a publisher of music, news, entertainment or information makes a file available to a subscriber through an address known as feed URL. Feeds can be subscribed to using a program called a "podcatcher," for example, Apple's iTunes or Juice. New content is first published to a web server. Podcatchers periodically check feeds for new content and when new content is available, the podcatcher will download it to the user's personal computer. The file may be played at a later time at the user's convenience on the personal computer, or downloaded to a personal media player, for example, Apple's iPod. Podcasting effectively shifts control to the audience who now determines when, where and how they listen or view information and entertainment.

CDIA graduates its second class of filmmakers in early February with a screening of student films at the Embassy Theatre in Waltham.

For more information visit:  www.cdiabu.com