Podcasts - Week 5
Podcasts (Week 5)
Option#5, select a strategy that is particularly interesting and doing additional research on it, was most intriguing to me. Podcasts caught my attention immediately! Though it is not as interactive as some of the other strategies, the fact that iPod (and its counterparts) are so popular and could be used to tap into learning was enough for me to review in more depth.
WHAT?
A podcast is an online audio and/or video broadcast that can be downloaded to your computer and MP3 player. It differs from a traditional radio broadcast or even web-based streaming media in the way that the content is produced and sent, as well as that its listeners choose when to hear/view the podcast. With podcasting, one uses RSS (Real Simple Syndication) to subscribe to and aggregate podcasts. Although the term originated from Apple’s iPod, the format is not limited.
Podcasts are available at a growing number of sites – usually for free! I started my podcasting with Juice, the cross-platform podcast receiver (others are iTunes and Doppler). It was easy to install and use. I immediately subscribed to my local newspaper’s podcasts and the Today’s Show podcasts. Now, when I come home from school, I can download the news to my iPod and listen to the broadcasts while at the gym walking the treadmill. Since then I’ve added sites related directly to education and professional development to include:
WHY?
So why are podcasts important? With the choice element of “when to listen” also comes the concept of portability, which plays directly into all of our busy, multi-tasking, and mobile lives. From the educator’s perspective, it also relates directly to our “digital natives” in (and out of) the classroom. Students are using their MP3 players for entertainment purposes and are very familiar with their basic technology, so podcasts can be an educational match! There are obvious benefits for the auditory learners and for all learners since podcasts can be repeated.
More specifically, the following ideas have been
HOW?
Downloading podcasts is easy – see reference in the WHAT? section above. Even if you don’t have an MP3 player, you can still download for play on your computer.
Creating podcasts is easy, too! You will need a microphone (USB recommended) for your computer or you can record your “podcast” into the microphone of your MP3 player. Then you edit it with music background, voice overs, etc with a software program (Audacity is an free open-source program), compress it into MP3 format and upload it to a web server.
If you want to try video podcasts, I would start with Bre Pettis’ site.
NEED MORE INFORMATION?
I recommend the following websites for further exploration (and from which I developed this posted overview):
Encyclopedia of Educational Technology – easy-to-read summary with other links
Educause – in case you are really SOLD on podcast, download the ones at this site to hear more about podcasts, instead of reading about them!
Podcasting Resources for Educators and Students – some how to’s and recommended podcasts
Edupodder Weblog – This is Steve Sloan’s blog – he includes some interesting website links and a Dec 2005 posting on podcasting family history
Educational Podcasting for Teaching and Learning – a UK site
Boys Literacy Online – this is an action research website exploring the use of the Internet in getting boys motivated to read – click on the Podcasts link
Jakesonline – scroll down for the PDF of 7 Things You Should Know about Podcasting.
Learn Out Loud Podcast Directory – there are some that could be content-oriented for your classes
Podcast Alley – Lots of variety in the education category from “Discovery Science” to “Verb Cast” – one I noted was Audiobooks with Annie (she reads classics – currently reading Pride and Prejudice)
The Podcast Directory – I found some Spanish lessons here
Podcast Net – Again a multitude of education-related sites from “Astronomy” to “German Poems”
Education Podcast Network – David Warlick’s site
Option#5, select a strategy that is particularly interesting and doing additional research on it, was most intriguing to me. Podcasts caught my attention immediately! Though it is not as interactive as some of the other strategies, the fact that iPod (and its counterparts) are so popular and could be used to tap into learning was enough for me to review in more depth.
WHAT?
A podcast is an online audio and/or video broadcast that can be downloaded to your computer and MP3 player. It differs from a traditional radio broadcast or even web-based streaming media in the way that the content is produced and sent, as well as that its listeners choose when to hear/view the podcast. With podcasting, one uses RSS (Real Simple Syndication) to subscribe to and aggregate podcasts. Although the term originated from Apple’s iPod, the format is not limited.
Podcasts are available at a growing number of sites – usually for free! I started my podcasting with Juice, the cross-platform podcast receiver (others are iTunes and Doppler). It was easy to install and use. I immediately subscribed to my local newspaper’s podcasts and the Today’s Show podcasts. Now, when I come home from school, I can download the news to my iPod and listen to the broadcasts while at the gym walking the treadmill. Since then I’ve added sites related directly to education and professional development to include:
- Paradigm Shift (RSS - http://feeds.feedburner.com/Teachnology
- Bit by Bit (RSS - http://feeds.feedburner.com/BitByBit)
- Connect Learning (RSS - http://davidwarlick.com/connectlearning/?feed=rss2)
- Technology and Learning (RSS - http://radio.weblogs.com/0141687/rss.xml)
WHY?
So why are podcasts important? With the choice element of “when to listen” also comes the concept of portability, which plays directly into all of our busy, multi-tasking, and mobile lives. From the educator’s perspective, it also relates directly to our “digital natives” in (and out of) the classroom. Students are using their MP3 players for entertainment purposes and are very familiar with their basic technology, so podcasts can be an educational match! There are obvious benefits for the auditory learners and for all learners since podcasts can be repeated.
More specifically, the following ideas have been
- Recording class lectures (good for those who miss or need to listen again)
- Developing new supplementary materials
- Accessing experts through interviews
- Students can create their own as a log of activities, note-taking, and device for reflecting on their learning
- Developing oral language skills
- Student read aloud, summarize and/or critique readings
- Pronunciation guides for English as a Second Language or foreign language classes
- Broadcast research project results
- Record oral histories and digital storytelling
- Use for fieldtrips
- Podcasting parent newsletters (especially helpful for Spanish- and Creole-speaking parents who often are left out of the educational experience)
- How about “podpals” (i.e., penpals through podcasts!)
HOW?
Downloading podcasts is easy – see reference in the WHAT? section above. Even if you don’t have an MP3 player, you can still download for play on your computer.
Creating podcasts is easy, too! You will need a microphone (USB recommended) for your computer or you can record your “podcast” into the microphone of your MP3 player. Then you edit it with music background, voice overs, etc with a software program (Audacity is an free open-source program), compress it into MP3 format and upload it to a web server.
If you want to try video podcasts, I would start with Bre Pettis’ site.
NEED MORE INFORMATION?
I recommend the following websites for further exploration (and from which I developed this posted overview):
Encyclopedia of Educational Technology – easy-to-read summary with other links
Educause – in case you are really SOLD on podcast, download the ones at this site to hear more about podcasts, instead of reading about them!
Podcasting Resources for Educators and Students – some how to’s and recommended podcasts
Edupodder Weblog – This is Steve Sloan’s blog – he includes some interesting website links and a Dec 2005 posting on podcasting family history
Educational Podcasting for Teaching and Learning – a UK site
Boys Literacy Online – this is an action research website exploring the use of the Internet in getting boys motivated to read – click on the Podcasts link
Jakesonline – scroll down for the PDF of 7 Things You Should Know about Podcasting.
Learn Out Loud Podcast Directory – there are some that could be content-oriented for your classes
Podcast Alley – Lots of variety in the education category from “Discovery Science” to “Verb Cast” – one I noted was Audiobooks with Annie (she reads classics – currently reading Pride and Prejudice)
The Podcast Directory – I found some Spanish lessons here
Podcast Net – Again a multitude of education-related sites from “Astronomy” to “German Poems”
Education Podcast Network – David Warlick’s site
posted by M Coleman at
2/05/2006 05:14:00 PM
3 Comments:
Marie,
This is great information. I actually know very little about podcasts. Your description was very informative & easy to follow. I immediately started thinking of how podcasts might be incorporated into a Foreign Language classroom. The next thing I knew there were some examples in your Why section. This could be a great way for Foreign Language students to expose themselves to the language!
Kim
By
Dale, at 2/07/2006 11:28 AM
Hi Marie,
I really think your ideas on how to use podcasts for educational purposes are great. For example, recording lectures so that they can be played through the MP3 player sounds like an inventive and great way to get people to listen! I also like how you suggest podcasting parent newsletters. You definitely did a lot of research on podcasts, and although I have yet to utilize any, I plan to download some to my IPOD tonight! Thanks for the ideas and insight into web-based instructional strategies.
Rachel
By
Rachel Niskar, at 2/07/2006 1:20 PM
I also chose option 5 - Podcasting! I had never really thought about using it in my classroom until this class. I enjoyed reading your Blog about podcasting. You had excellent links full of information. I did not talk about the lessons already on a podcast. I am going to look through them. I am very interested in this because I do believe it is something that my students will want to do and will enhance their knowledge.
In March I am going to Vietnam for 16 days to see the country. I have decided that I am going make a travel diary on my Ipod. I may put it on the web. I will see how it turns out. This will be my first time experimenting with making a podcast.
-Jenni
By
Jenni Meriwether, at 2/10/2006 7:17 AM
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