Podcasting

In Choosing Web 2.0 Tools for Teaching and Learning in a Digital World, Pam Berger and Sally Trexler (2010) say that the word "podcast" is a combination of the words "iPod" and "broadcast."  It is an audio or video file that is shared over the internet.  Podcasting is a novel way to share ideas and performances, and a fun new form of entertainment.  Podcasts have applications in my personal life, as well as in my classroom.

I am about to fly to Europe, and I need something to entertain me on the long plane ride.  Podcasts, downloaded onto my iPhone, are a way of bringing hours of entertainment with me in one very small package.  I started searching for podcasts on iTunes, and was immediately successful.  I was able to download, for free, archived episodes of many of my favourite CBC radio shows, from The Vinyl Cafe to The Age of Persuasion.  I also bought a season of the radio drama Afghanada. Berger and Trexler (2010) recommended a number of podcasts, and many of these were available to download through iTunes.  I downloaded various podcasts, in genres from history to comedy to travel.  I also followed their recommendations to several sites that allowed me to listen to podcasts without downloading them, and found some that my students would enjoy.

My students love listening to stories and "radio dramas," so they would love listening to podcasts.  It would be easy for me to direct them to either a specific podcast, or to a site with a number of quality podcasts from which they could choose.  Listening comprehension is an important part of our Language Arts curriculum, so listening to a podcast and completing comprehension activities would be a relevant learning activity, and one which my students would find engaging.  Finding quality podcasts can be a challenge.  As with everything on the web, anyone can publish a podcast, so there are a lot to sift through before you find quality ones.  Berger and Trexler (2010) had some good recommendations for individual sites.  Using the podcast directories they recommended, however, was a bit tricky.  The first one I tried did not load.  The second had seizure-inducing flashing ads.  The third and fourth both had podcasts on topics inappropriate for elementary school (complete with graphic logos) featured on their homepage.  Based on my explorations, I would direct my students to a specific site, rather than having them use a directory to find a podcast.

As well as listening to podcasts, my students would enjoy making them.  I have used the program Audacity (a free audio editing programme) to have my students create oral presentations.  I have had them create broadcasts presenting curricular information (i.e. "properties of light") and "Readers' Theatre." They love recording and hearing their own voices, and were extremely adept at using the editing tools to create effective, engaging audio assignments.  I have not yet had them publish their work onto the Web, so I can't realyy call them podcasts.  Although one can upload a podcast onto one of the directories I explored, based on my findings, I would not choose to do that with my students.  I think that I will stick to the safe, private confines of Moodle.  They are then publishing only for the audience of their own class, but they are still publishing online, and for young students, that is a start.

Podcasts are exciting to create, and so many are available to listen to, on so many topics, that they are a great source of information and entertainment.  Exploring podcasts has allowed me to broaden my understanding of what is available, as well as possible classroom uses.