Podcasting: Sounds of the Cyber Jungle

A podcast is a digital computer file that can be either audio or video that can be made available for others to access and subscribe.   Varying in format and limited only by the imagination of the podcaster, podcasts have allowed millions of people to create their own radio stations.  Whether it’s through engaging interviews, edgy skits, school announcements and lectures, podcasts are the latest way of presenting information. Educators too have found ways to add podcasting into their tech repertoire.  Currently schools and educators are using podcasts as a means of communication, instruction, and collaborative bulletin boards.                                     

“How to Plan a Podcast for your Classroom Lecture”

http://www.ehow.com/how_2029095_plan-podcast-class-lecture.html

Before thinking about adding podcasts to the classroom, it is important to plan and make sure the correct equipment is available.  This article provides the tools and strategies needed for adding this tool into the classroom. The author provides podcasting inside the classroom in less than 7 steps.

 

Grammar Grater with Luke Taylor

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/podcasts/grammar_grater/

Who knew grammar could be so funny and entertaining? Described as grammar for the Information Age, Grammar Grater can be resource for language arts teachers who want to show the complexity of language and not the drudgery of grammar exercises.  The format of skits and interview make these podcast extremely engaging but informative.

School Announcements

http://coverpage.pcs.k12.mi.us/podcast/pchsma-2005-12-06.mp3

One of the easiest forms of communicating with parents and the school community is to create podcast announcements.  Subscribers can automatically be notified of updates. 

EPN The Education Podcast Network

http://www.epnweb.org/index.php?view_mode=about

EPN brings together various types of podcast programming that may be helpful to teachers inside at outside of the classroom.  Podcasts are categorized by subjects and divided by grades, making it an easy site to navigate through to find podcasts of interest.   Most of the producers of the podcasts are educators and educators can submit their own podcasts as well. 

 

Collaborative Bulletin Board

Educators are using podcasts as a means of sharing and publishing student work.  Parents are able to access student work through blogs and are able to see the progress of their child which traditional forms of schooling does not allow.  The examples below show how teachers in music and speech use podcasts in their lessons.

Cranbrook Composers’ Podcasts

http://cranbrookcomposers.blogspot.com/2006/02/vms-podcast-3-maq-s-chip-m.html

Middle school music students are able to share their work with students and parents.

Speech Class

http://aidenyeh.podOmatic.com/

Foreign Language teachers use it to help students build confidence and practice language.