Podcasting

I decided to do some research on podcasts since they are becoming more prevalent in today’s society.  This new technology allows anyone with access to the Internet to watch shows online whenever they wish to watch them.  A podcast is a show that is saved on in the Internet and most of the time it is free.  Podcasts can be directly accessed through your phone, ipod, or computer.  The shows have an unlimited range.  They are anything from shows on TV to people’s own creations.  That’s another useful thing about this tool, you can create your own podcasts for free!  I think this would be a useful tool in the classroom because there are many educational podcasts that can be shown to students to change up a lecture format.  Sometimes having a visual helps students better understand new material.  Also with the option of creating your own podcast, you can plan ahead when a sub has to fill in and create your own lesson on a podcast for the sub, so he or she can play the show and the students will still have their same teacher voicing the lesson even though he or she can’t be there. 

This is a great tool for teachers, however this wouldn’t be appropriate for elementary students to access on their own.  Though it is easy to use and search podcasts with the online tutorials, this technology is too advanced for the elementary level.  However, if they are exposed to these things early on, when they make it to higher grade levels like upper middle and high school, they will certainly be able to experiment with creating their own podcasts for projects.  I think this tool can become the new PowerPoint with all the different options we have for creating our own shows and presentations.

http://www.commoncraft.com/podcasting

http://vodpod.com/watch/3764545-session-building-an-online-community-for-kids-itwixie