PodCasting

Lynne Bailey, July 11, 2006 Article: Podcasting 101 -- How Educators Can Use This New Technology http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189500866 Author: Mike Dionne, TechLearning: Educator's E-Zine, July 1, 2006 Related Article: Colonial Williamsburg turns to podcasting to tell its story http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/14958945.htm Author: Unknown; San Jose Mercury News, July 3, 2006 Summary: In this article, Mike Dionne sums up what podcasting is all about, and provides resources for creating and publishing them. Podcasts, a new word in the dictionary, is an amalgamation of broadcasting and iPod (Apple's portable music player). He points out that it is relatively easy and affordable to create podcasts; most any computer with a sound card and microphone can be used. He posits that integrating podcasts into the curriculum would engage students in a very positive way, and get parents involved as well. Podcasting is a bit different than just creating a sound (MP3) file, because one can subscribe to a podcast and automatically receive updates. It's the modern equivalent of a radio show on the Internet, with a twist - you can listen to it at your own convenience. Some of the themes Dionne suggests are classroom news, storytelling, school announcements, interviews or any classroom activity. Teachers can construct activities to write and produce the show in a number of ways, in groups or individually. They can brainstorm with students or introduce predetermined themes, distribute graphic organizers for outlining and allow students to determine the show's name and content. Importance/Relevance of Topic: The use of podcasting and the popularity of MP3 players, like iPods, among students make this topic particularly relevant. Even without a computer, podcasts could be copied onto an MP3 player from school and played at home, and MP3 players can be purchased for less than $50. More and more adults are jumping in on the portable music craze as well. Here is a technology that many students are already using, and the ability to be on the producing end presents a wonderful opportunity for leveraging the technology in a very personal and educational way. The related article on Colonial Williamsburg further highlights the way podcasts are rippling through our society. More and more institutions (and businesses) are using this tool as a way to reach wider audiences. Even if you do not create podcasts in the classroom, you can access them for students. For students with reading difficulties, this can provide another means of enriching their experiences in a variety of topics, and they can listen privately. Reflection on Personal Practice: I have to agree that producing podcasts in class could be very exciting and involve most students in a number of ways. A wide variety of talent is needed: writing, speaking/recording, setting up the computer hardware and software, directing, contributing music (digital or live) and sound effects, interviewing, and project planning to name a few. Students at very different levels of learning and skill levels can all participate productively. ELL students could translate the podcast into their own languages; some students could create musical interludes. In conjunction with the podcasts, artistic children can create advertising posters; others might develop a website or pages with information on the podcast or the script. Creating podcasts ideally would be an ongoing class activity to share updated news and student work in a new medium. For students with learning disabilities there are aspects which they might excel in. One does NOT need expensive equipment or extensive training to get involved. If you have the resources, you can move on to create video podcasts as well. Students can create their own educational podcasts that other students could listen to, and there is no more powerful learning tool than teaching others. This is an excellent tool for integrating technology in the classroom and involving all students in a constructive and creative endeavor with a project that can be easily shared locally with other students, parents, the community, and, thanks to the Internet, globally.