My experience with podcasting is limited to recording and posting our school announcements on our website. I’m sure this does not count as real podcasting as there was no RSS feed. I simply uploaded an audio file to the website each day which would play when someone clicked on it. I like the idea of podcasting, though, and have thought of trying it out with booktalks in the past. I just never got around to it.
As I am already familiar with iTunes, this week I spend some time familiarizing myself with iTunes podcasts and other podcasts I located using Google. First I explored iTunes and found Grammar Girl, ISTE, and Hoptinkon High School Library podcasts. I subscribed to each. Next, I played around on Google and ended up in the PBS digital store where I located some comedy podcasts and music podcasts that are also available on iTunes. I enjoyed listening to the music podcasts as I wrote this blog.
Exploring the podcasts I was struck by the wide variety in content, tone, and length. Grammar Girl had the shortest podcasts which I like, being a very busy person. The Nerdest had the longest podcasts, often running over two hours. They had some great, very famous special guests, but I had to wonder who has time to listen to them. Hoptinkon High School Library podcasts booktalks, while ISTE has a variety of educational technology podcasts. I enjoyed sampling all of them.
So how does podcasting apply to education? There are many ways it can be a powerful instrument. Professional development is one. Media specialists and other support personal could use this tool to record teacher workshops so that they are conveniently available for busy teachers. Teachers can use podcasting to record and publish procedures and classroom announcements. Mostly, though, students would benefit from podcasting. They could improve their speaking and listening skills by rehearsing and recording their oral reports, improve their writing skills by creating podcast scripts, and hone their research and critical thinking skills as they hunt for information explore content to include in their podcasts. Through podcasting, students are able to connect beyond the classroom and get feedback from their peers and possibly from people they have never met.
To conclude, here are just a few ideas for student podcasting:
As I am already familiar with iTunes, this week I spend some time familiarizing myself with iTunes podcasts and other podcasts I located using Google. First I explored iTunes and found Grammar Girl, ISTE, and Hoptinkon High School Library podcasts. I subscribed to each. Next, I played around on Google and ended up in the PBS digital store where I located some comedy podcasts and music podcasts that are also available on iTunes. I enjoyed listening to the music podcasts as I wrote this blog.
Exploring the podcasts I was struck by the wide variety in content, tone, and length. Grammar Girl had the shortest podcasts which I like, being a very busy person. The Nerdest had the longest podcasts, often running over two hours. They had some great, very famous special guests, but I had to wonder who has time to listen to them. Hoptinkon High School Library podcasts booktalks, while ISTE has a variety of educational technology podcasts. I enjoyed sampling all of them.
So how does podcasting apply to education? There are many ways it can be a powerful instrument. Professional development is one. Media specialists and other support personal could use this tool to record teacher workshops so that they are conveniently available for busy teachers. Teachers can use podcasting to record and publish procedures and classroom announcements. Mostly, though, students would benefit from podcasting. They could improve their speaking and listening skills by rehearsing and recording their oral reports, improve their writing skills by creating podcast scripts, and hone their research and critical thinking skills as they hunt for information explore content to include in their podcasts. Through podcasting, students are able to connect beyond the classroom and get feedback from their peers and possibly from people they have never met.
To conclude, here are just a few ideas for student podcasting:
- Book talks
- Oral reports
- Interviews – students can podcast interviews of relatives or veterans, etc.
- Students ad campaigns
- Dramatic reading from the classroom
- Poetry or short story reading
- Student Government campaign speeches