Podcasting in Education...the good the bad and the ugly
For those of you who have not heard about this not so new anymore technological tool, Podcasting, as termed by Will Richardson, "is the creation and distribution of amateur radio, plain and simple." Podcasts are mostly presented by your everyday person talking about things that interest them with sound effects mixed in. One simply needs a digital audio recorder to create an MP3 file, a blog, and something to say. I recommend using Audacity for school projects as it's a free download and easy to use program.
After creating a podcast of my own in grad class the other night on a momument in D.C. for travelers to come visit I began researching other ways that teachers and professors use podcasts in education to get me brainstorming of how this medium might be used in my own classroom. I came across one of my favorite sources, EDUCAUSE review journal online and became caught up in their articles. Teachers use Podcasts for students to discuss book readings, brainstorm about presentations, teachers Podcast about scholary articles and weekly reviews for students to listen, and the list carries on.
I'm still not set in stone on if this tool would be useful for students with Intellectual Disabilities but I've often thought how neat it would be to Podcast to parents of my students. I know that often parents mourn the loss of being able to have discussions with their child about his/her school day or what they are working on in class. Maybe creating Podcast episodes about what we did in school weekly reviews might be a special treat for parents to tune in for. Just a thought...Podcasting might get a take two after all!
Having students podcast about their day would also be a great opportunity for them to reflect as well. :)
ReplyDeleteI like your idea. What a great way to communicate with parents! Technically, podcasts can include video as well. Would it be possible for your students to use an app like Educreations (http://www.educreations.com) that combines audio and video? I don't know if the visual component would help level the playing field, but just a thought...
ReplyDeleteGreat point Liz about the reflection piece! I never realized that. Sam I also love your idea about adding video to make the tool more adapted to meet the needs of my students. I might start playing around with that.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of incorporating this technology in your environment so that parents are able to connect with their children on a different level! I think what Sam mentions with adding visuals in would also be an excellent component. How neat to be able to work one on one with a student while others are engaged in learning through podcasts!
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