To all those that say this 23 Things Oxford programme is turning out to be more work than first imagined, I say phooey! This has to be the most enjoyable task I’ve been given. I made a special effort to bring my headphones to work with me (well, that’s not entirely true as I carry my iPod with me for those long trudges up and down Morrell Avenue) and I spent a leisurely half hour of my lunch break listening to whatever podcasts took my particular fancy. I was delighted to discover podcasts for Mark Kermode’s film review show, Zane Lowe on Radio One and a radio version of the Onion! I knew about Podcasts and had a vague idea that you listened to them on mp3 players (or, indeed any piece of software that could play mp3s) but that has always been my method – download an mp3 and play it as you would any other media file. Podcatchers (it’s a great word isn’t it?) or, by default, “Podcatching” is entirely new to me and I was delighted to discover that audio or video feeds could be added to my Google Reader account at the click of a button. I love having all my chosen blogs and podcasts sat side by side, and it couldn’t be easier. I suppose it’s a bit like receiving newspapers and magazines through your door that you subscribe to, only they have little TV screens and speakers attached to them. How fantastic a notion is that?

The biggest revelation to me was the Oxford University podcasts, or more specifically, podcasts featuring academic lectures and talks. I think the potential for students here is amazing. On one hand it is a way to offer supplementary material to that which has been delivered in a particular lecture or talk, but it could also be a way to revisit material relating to a subject or course. This would come into its own if you could not make a lecture, for example, or if you wanted to make further notes (in the style of a journalist conducting an interview via Dictaphone – shorthand will only take you so far, right?). For this, you would maybe need special access via the use of a password or membership number when enrolled on a course. But think of the potential! You could be an actual “virtual” student! You could be a foreign student and never actually visit the academic body you are foreign to… but, yes, why would you want to do that? Certainly, as a means of supporting existing students, it’s great. It’s a bit like ITV2 and other such digital channels that offer repeats and addition material to that which has already been shown. Students have it so good these days!

YouTube I know and am at one with. Was there really ever a time when the internet existed before YouTube? Was there ever really a time before YouTube… period? I would like to think that I am familiar with most of its features and benefits but a completely new feature to me was the YouTube EDU channel. I didn’t know that some academic bodies had their own channels and, actually, I hadn’t taken time to look at the channels much at all. I suppose if net-based media is to replace television, it makes sense that it would have its own channels. I liked the way Cambridge had its own channel with videos including a history of Cambridge and information on admissions. I think this is an excellent means of appealing to potential students – it strikes me as the perfect way of getting a feel for whether you would like somewhere before you take the step of visiting. A virtual tour of the city or the colleges would be a great use of this application. And of course, every channel is peppered with links to its other Web 2.0 strands; facebook, twitter pages etc. I am impressed by how all these web technologies, with their slightly individual purposes overlap and share with each other.

Asked to look for library-related videos on YouTube, I went straight for the Silent Rave that happened at University of York Library. Yes, it really happened and no, I wasn’t there at the time. Take your pick here or here.