Podcasting is a wonderful two way street that students can use to get information and create projects as well. Basically a podcast is usually an audio file but sometimes also an audio/video file that students can download from various sources. They then can play that file on many devices such as an iPod/Pad/Phone or any device that allows mp3/4. Teachers can research podcasts that align with the standards and enrich lessons from the classroom. If students are studying great speeches, many have been translated to audio files and can be listened to via the internet or other device.
Many podcast are free and come from topnotch institutions such as
universities and non-profit organizations. There is a vast assortment of
podcast available that run the gambit MIT Open Courseware, foreign language
learning, lectures of all kinds and basically anything someone can think of… or
if no one thought of making a podcast of it, great idea for a student to do it.
The Apple Store has many free podcasts and even ones that include audio as well
as video. NPR also has an extensive database of podcast as well. I have not
been able to yet, but I would like to spend time searching out the best podcast
by others their own age too.
Another use for podcast is as a tool for students to use to share
information and projects they created. The equipment needed is minimum and
often times quite cheap. For students who struggle to write, this can be
another format for them to use that demonstrates mastery of content. PBS did a
great series about students using technology that included some making podcast
for other students to use as part of a science museum field trip. Books can be
read to younger students. Family histories can be documented and shared as part
of a language arts unit using a podcast as a summative evaluation tool. For me,
I try to think of technology use in terms of from many to many. I like to think
of it as one more way to connect learning across a broad spectrum.
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