Leah Kirwan

Podcasts

Podcasting 101 by Esther Kreider Eash

Podcasting is a digital recording that can be made available on the Internet for downloading.  Podcasting has many benefits including being cost beneficial for professional development events, it is a viable alternative for delivering lessons and it gives extra support to those who need a little more help on topics. When incorporating podcasting into the classroom students learn to conduct research, write, they enhance their vocabulary and they learn to grab people?s attention.  Podcasts can be used for music, public radio programming announcements, lectures from professors or teachers, international or local news updates and for personal views.  To find podcasts you can do a web search or you can subscribe to a syndicated podcast site.  Podcasts are a new avenue for technology integration in the school systems not only for students but also for teachers. 

After reading the article I thought it was neat for students to engage in oral histories by getting a digital recorder and conducting interviews with World War II veterans.  This activity gets students involved by having them not only be apart of the production aspect but they are also learning pieces of history at the same time because they are actively engaged in listening their interviewees.  I also like the idea of using podcasts for creating promotional and educational videos.  The librarian made podcasts to show people how to use different areas of the library, how to start the process of conducting a research paper and putting school news on the podcast.  This gives instant satisfaction and people can actually access it on their own time and in a more conventional manner.  Another idea that was presented in the article was using podcasts for professional development.  So many teachers say they have no time to be apart of professional development and we all know we need 15 hours of renewal credit every five years so having the option of having professional development delivered online would be a great idea.  This is a time saver and people would still be able to do what they have to and feel constraint to travel the development site.  This is actually a cheaper solution. 

Podcasts would be a great asset to my marketing class and my marketing co-op class.  Students could create podcasts on their daily tasks and give me a digital tour of their work facility.  Their bosses and myself could send each other digital messages about student progress and instead of me visiting or other co-op teachers we could do everything online so there is no wasted time with traveling and making appointment schedules.  With a podcast you get face to face with the employer and you can see their expression versus just sending a simple email.  A podcast could also be used to conduct research on consumer behaviors and have students interview customers to see what they like and don?t like and from there use the lessons learned in class to come up with a solution to the problem is there is one and then present the solution and findings to their supervisor.  Technology can enhance learning in so many different ways that it would be stupid if we did not implement it into our lessons at the lower levels of education.  Students should be prepared for work or college when they walk out the doors of high school.   

Posted at 04:41PM Jun 17, 2006 by KIRWAN, LEAH in General  |  Comments[0]