Podcast problem solving

I have some podcasting questions. I want to create a project for an Independent Reading course where one of the required book reports could now be a podcast. Easily done – right. Well, what I would like to do is promote the podcast, store them on the computer that houses the library’s card catalog, and use them as a book talk database. Students can access and listen to the podcast at their leisure or if they are interested in reading the book.

My problem starts here. I have a mobile computer lab of Mac Books. They dual boot – meaning they can be PC’s or Mac’s. I will most likely install Audacity on the PC side. Garage Band is on the Mac’s already.

My question is this: Can a podcast created on a Mac using Garage Band be played on a PC? Do I need to install any special software on the PC to make it compatible with Mac created projects? Can the podcast be uploaded in specific format instead?

I know the PC I will use is operating on XP and has Windows Media Player. would I need more installed on it than what it has now?

I can see many uses for projects created by podcasting and think it will really take off at my school. I have several teachers that are as excited as I am about podcasting, I just want to be organized and prepared when I tell them all the things I want to do!

Thanks for any ideas/suggestions you have to offer!