“Podcasting” from Classroom 2.0
Simply put, podcasting is the playing back of digital media files that are distributed over the Internet using RSS (Really Simple Syndication) on portable media players such as an MP3 player or PCs. Although Podcasting was once originally and mostly used as a way to distribute personalized audio samples such as radio-type broadcasts, it has recently become more popular used for educational purposes. It has evolved into yet another digital tool for teachers to use to communicate at any time with other teachers, administrators, students, parents, and the community. Podcasting is now widely used to record and share school lessons, homework assignments, curriculum ideas, book discussions, music performances, museum tours, lectures, public announcements, and the like. Nowadays, even Video Podcasting is available for downloading and distributing video onto a PC or mobile multimedia device and used for similar purposes as the audio version.
The Classroom 2.0 discussions mainly focus on a book review project for K-8th grades, a Korean Skype conversation podcast, and an elementary school podcast project. The teacher working the book review project has the students write the review scripts, record them, and then she posts them on the website. Her goal is to create a book review database where kids anywhere in the world can go to find a good book to read and she is especially excited about the multiple grade levels that can be included in the project. The main issues and questions that they discussed had to do with how much work is entailed in posting book reviews and whether or not copyright laws would be infringed upon if the book covers are posted. Another participant discussed a “Booktalk” project; “not a review, but a short, exciting description of a book with a similar aim as (the) reviews.” Another teacher recorded conversations with other students in Korea, edited and converted the podcast to an MP3 file. She now wants to know how to embed a player in her blog and podcast. An elementary media specialist would like to start podcasting with some elementary classes and wants to know simply whether they can upload it to the school website and has other basic questions about options available with setting it up. Suggestions within this discussion included uploading the audio file to the server, linking it, embedding the file, or using media players like Quicktime and Windows Media Player, setting up an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, and using podcast programs like Garageband or Audacity that convert easily to MP3, although these currently have no screencasts.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Journal 6
Posted by Petenera at 10:04 AM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Great information on podcasting. I'm relatively new to podcasting, though I've seen it a few things via podcasting. What you state are great examples of how teachers are using it in the classroom. I'm glad to know of this resource in Classroom 2.0!
Sharing information. The rich get richer and so do the poor inexperienced teachers. I like the way you explained the benefits of podcasting for education.
Podcasting is a wonderful tool to use in the classroom. I took a couple of online courses last semester where the professors utilized this technology. The professors simply uploaded a video of their lecture online so students could watch them at home and take notes. I really enjoyed using podcasting as a student because it was a new way of getting information and it was so easy to use.
This new technological world we live in! I think it is pretty interesting that we are now teaching online. Podcasting can be a really wonderful tool to incorporate new information into your classroom, or to have students create their own. Thanks for the information about what you learned.
Podcasting is a new area for me. We have read and heard about it in several articles we read but your information gives us some great examples of how to use it in the classroom. Podcasting sounds like its the new wave of the future allowing students to be connected to the class and learn in an interesting way.
I did a journal on podcasting and I wasn't too familiar with the concept of it before reading that particular article. I think it is a great tool to use in the classroom, in fact, the article that I read mentioned using podcasts on field trips, as it serves as a great learning tool out of the classroom, where students are more likely to socialize rather than learn. However, it did mention how podcasting could take away from social interactions within a classroom, but I guess it all depends on each person's preference and their ideal ways of taking in new information :)
Post a Comment