PodCasting and Education

What do you think of Podcasting in education?
Before taking this class I had never explored podcasting and all the resources that are available on iTunes. It was amazing to search through iTunes and see all of the possibilities available. Listening to the McKinsey report for our homework assignment the first week of class was the first time that I had ever listened to a podcast. I enjoyed the option of being able to replay the recording as I was taking notes.

Podcasts would be an excellent tool to use in the classroom. The FAQs for Podcast Fans provided great resources and tutorials to help a beginner become comfortable using podcasts. This help page would be easy for a middle school aged learner to navigate independently. A teacher could also use this page in a whole group lesson to teach younger learners. I like the idea of using podcasts in my classroom because they are so easy to access. The subscribe option listed on the FAQs page would be a great way to stay updated on the latest videos and recordings.

How could you use Podcasting in your classroom?
In the article Podcasting in Education there were several ideas listed about how to use podcasts in the classroom. One idea that would be perfect for my first grade readers is to use recorded books. I began to explore iTunes and found several podcasts that have dramatic readings of books. LearnOutLoud.com has provided narrated versions of Aesops fables. This would be a perfect independent activity for my students to work on in class. We currently use books on tape, but our supply of books is limited. Using podcasts on iTunes would enable my first graders to try many different stories.

Another suggestion was to use podcasting for professional development. A principal could assign a list of podcasts for a staff to listen to and then create a follow up project. The great thing about this approach is that it is convenient, affordable and teachers can choose subject areas that are relevant for a particular grade level.

Teachers can also create a podcast to help students with homework or make up assignments. I found a link to a teacher that provides math tutorials for his students. This would be a great tool for students to access when they are working on assignments at home and need extra help. A teacher could also assign a podcast for homework and then provide a follow up assignment as we do in this computer class. This would also be a way to help students that have missed school to get caught up on work.

Finally, I think that students can learn a lot from creating podcasts. Danny Sullivan suggests in his article Making an RSS Feed, that podcasting is a great way to share information and research with a larger audience. I found a podcast created by a Kindergarten class that was formatted like a radio show. Students acted as reporters and spoke about the things they had been learning in class. Creating this type of podcast would be an excellent way to let parents know about things happening in the classroom. It was mentioned in Podcasting in Education that these programs will help students to become more creative and as they become active in the learning process.