What is a PodCast?
Podcasting is a form of educational technology which allows anyone to create digital media files (usually audio but sometimes video). Not only can the recorded audio file be posted on the Internet for others to have access to, they can also be downloaded to portable audio players (i.e. iPod, MP3 player). An author can publish their podcast or can download other’s podcasts from the Internet. You can create a podcast with programs such as Audacity, Blogger or GarageBand. View the following 4-minute video clip for specific directions on creating and publishing a podcast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hrBbczS9I0
How can PodCasts be in the classroom?
The following is a list of suggested educational uses:
- Books on tape: Struggling readers can listen to their teacher/adult who may voice record an assigned reading that the student may struggle with if reading independently.
- Book Talk: As the book talk is presented in the classroom, the teacher can audio record each student his or her overall reaction to the book. The audio recording of the book talk can be posted on the Internet to be shared with families, other classes and other schools.
What is a Book Talk? http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/faq.htm
-Literature Circles: Once the students have recorded their discussions in their literature circle, they can exchange recordings to see how other groups addressed the same topic.
What is a Literature Circle? http://www.litcircles.org/Overview/overview.html
-When students are absent from class, they may listen to a lecture/class discussion that they would have otherwise missed.
These are just a few of the many uses of integrating podcasting into your classroom instruction approaches.
