Thing 18 - Podcasting

Podcasting is one of the most exciting new technologies in education today. Whether you're a consumer of podcasts (you listen to them) or a producer (you make your own), podcasting provides a unique and growing way to share professional development, class content, and student projects. Podcasts are accessible, portable, easy to create, and best of all - FREE!
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To complete Thing 18 you must:
A. Learn what podcasting is
B. Listen to a variety of podcasts
C. Reflect on Thing 18 on your blog
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A. Learn What Podcasting Is
Podcasting is the ability to create or listen to audio or video content either live or downloaded for later use. A podcast is similar to a radio show in that each show consists of a series of individual episodes you can listen to on your computer or on a digital audio player like an iPod. What distinguishes a podcast from a traditional radio show is that you can listen to a podcast whenever and wherever you want to, and you can subscribe to a podcast series so when a new episode is available, it automatically downloads to your computer. The word podcast comes from a combination of the words iPod and broadcast, but you don’t need an iPod to listen to podcasts.

Besides audio only podcasts, there are also enhanced podcasts which include visuals along with the audio – something like a slide show. And there are video podcasts – sometimes called vodcasts or v-casts.

As popular as podcasting has become, you may be surprised that the first podcast was produced just a few years ago – in 2004. In 2005, “podcast” was the New Oxford American Dictionary’s word of the year (incidentally, beating out sudoku, bird flu, and trans fat). Today millions of people subscribe to podcasts and more than 100,000 people are now creating podcasts.

Interested in a particular topic? You'll probably be able to find a related podcast.Watch this video which does a great job of explaining podcasting.



B. Listen to a Variety of Podcasts
The best way to learn about podcasts is to listen to a sampling of those available. You'll find professional development podcasts for educators, podcasts created by teachers to support classroom instruction, and podcasts created by students.

Then to listen to podcasts directly, here are some suggested sites to get you started:

NPR Podcast Directory
Educational Podcast Directory
Podcast.com

Or, you can try the site below and download an aggregator to listen to the podcasts:

PodcastAlley.com

C. Reflect - Blog Prompts for Thing 18
Which podcasts did you find interesting? Identify one or two podcasts and describe how you would use them in your work. (Be sure to include links in your blog entry to the podcasts mentioned.)

Curriculum Connections

Idea #1: Interview candidates for local office, or town officials about top issues in your community. Air their interviews alongside those of students.

Idea #2: Create a daily school news podcast, including an issue of the day such as copyright/music downloading/file sharing, Internet safety tips, or newest web 2.0 applications. School news podcasts can include jokes, stories, a daily history fact, puzzles, and other fun items of interest to students. Don't forget student surveys such as: Should we have a dress codes; Should the school sell sodas or reinforce a healthy food policy; How many hours of homework should there be each week day?

Idea #3: Language Learners [English Language Learners or Foreign Language Learners] can interview each other in their chosen language. Student can then listen to the interviews in class and translate, or discuss, or continue the conversation. You could make this a ‘round robin’ conversation with the recorder going around the whole class and everyone contributing.

Idea #4: Create oral history podcasts. Allow students to take home voice recorders to tape family members stories.

Idea #5: Create a tour of the school for new students. This is an excellent job for an activities / leadership class.


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