Why drag yourself to an 8am class when you can have the lecture directly sent to you through your iPod? And so what if your note-taking skills aren't the best; you can replay the lecture as many times as you need to. Uber-conveniences like these have made podcasting--the current craze taking colleges and universities by storm--extremely popular with both students and professors.

Now the students at UNC (and the general public) can
enjoy the hoopla. UNC Charlotte's College of Information Technology now offers lessons on everything from gaming to cyber security, all available through the college's website and Apple's iTunes music store.

"The benefits of these podcasts are very practical to the users and to the university," said Mirsad Hadzikadic, dean of the College of Information Technology. "Users have a new source of easily accessible information from our staff and faculty and from visiting experts, and the college increases its profile among people who are interested in computing and informatics. And, hosting the podcasts is fun."

And just as importantly, enjoying podcasts is a simple process, even for the non- computer savvy among us. Hooray for UNC's willingness to share knowledge outside of the classroom.