Podcasting

I had never listened to or created a podcast prior to this class. After reading several articles about podcasting and how it works, I see tremendous potential for podcasts changing education.

As an article entitled "Podcasting in Education: A New Way to Inspire Learning" on the Apple Web site suggests, podcasting could present teachers with a powerful tool for engaging the students in their learning. The article states that podcasting could be used by teachers and students alike. Students could use podcasting to present information from group presentations, while teachers could communicate content or messages to their students via podcasts.

Another article posted by the Apple site called "FAQ: For Podcast fans" presents many advantages offered by podcasting that traditional methods of communication do not offer. Accessing podcasts is free, they can be accessed in many languages, and the information can reach a wider audience than a traditional publication. One environmental advantage is that podcasts do not require the use of paper.

In his article, "Making an RSS Feed" by Danny Sullivan, the author highlights the fact that RSS feeds disseminate information quickly and broadly. Because Web services such as I-Tunes automatically scan for the newest versions of RSS feed, you are more certain of encountering the most recent information and theories.

One large challenge that I would face in trying to create podcasts with my students is that my school does not currently own the camera equipment. However, I hope that in the near future we will.

With my own fifth grade class, I could imagine assigning podcasts as the method by which students could deliver presentations. However, I believe that public speaking in front of a live audience is still a relevant and important skill. Therefore, I would create opportunities for podcasts and traditional oral presentations. Podcasts provide a fresh and engaging method of presenting ideas and listening to information that would appeal to the social networking generation.

Creating and listening to podcasts opens a world of opportunities for interacting with students from other countries. I can imagine asking my students to create podcasts about a particular topic in Science and Social Studies and asking students from various other countries to view and create similar podcasts. This would allow students to gain views into other cultures in a manner that is unfiltered by the mainstream media.

I believe that it is very important to provide students from a lower economic status with opportunities to explore the most recent technology. If students explore the technology in the school setting, they gain confidence and skills that will help them enter successful academic, creative, and business careers.