Podcasting

Podcasts are audio recording that are published to the web for others to listen and enjoy.  Anyone can create a podcast if you have a few simple materials.  All you need is digital audio recorder that can create a MP3 file, server space, and something to talk about.  When you listen to a podcast it's all about the sound and feel (music for the intro and outro and the structure of the information).  Some podcasts are interviews, conversations between people and others have interactions with listeners.  Everyday people are producing podcasts about topics that interest them.  An easy place to begin to look for podcasts is in itunes.  There are hundreds of podcasts in many different categories and some of the educational podcast are very interesting.  A few that I have subscribed to on itunes are The Teacher Castpodcast and The Amazing Teacher Podcast.    

Podcasts can be used in the classroom as a way to grab students attention at the beginning of a lesson in the same way a photo or short video clip would be used.  Students could also make their own podcast to elevate their oral and written communication skills.  My school is having a Black History celebration this Friday and the fourth grade students are all researching a famous African American.  The students are going to dress up like the person and participate in a living wax museum activity.  I made the suggestion that inside of the students just reading their facts as people walk up to them that they record them and create podcasts so that when other students walk up to the "statue" they would simply press a button and listen to the facts just like in a real museum.  Later the recordings could be posted on the school's website to highlight part of the celebration and for other students to listen to that weren't able to visit the living museum.