Podcasts
I was leaving my
faculty room, carrying my decaf with skim milk, when I noticed a copy of Educational Leadership in the magazine
rack. On the cover was an iPhone with the title “Teaching Screenagers.” Noting
that the publication date was February of 2011, I thought this was some sort of
divine message meant for me. I tend to think that no one in the class is
funneling information to my principal.
Of all of the
technology trends we have spoken about, podcasting was the one most familiar to
me. The first thing I thought of was that it seemed to be the oldest. Reading WEB 2.0: How-To for Educators confirmed
that. Nine years is extremely long for technology to last. I also thought of
podcasts as audio only. Definitions in both Web
2.0 sources say that podcasts both are audio and video. While I don’t see
podcasts disappearing in the near future, I feel that the video capability is
very important. Much like what radio is to television, the podcast may soon be
displaced by vodcasts.
I understand what
podcasts could do for my class. I could record my class for those students who are
absent. The school library would start to look like an old language lab:
students sitting in carols with headsets on, listening to classes they missed.
Harris and Park (2008) refer to this as “Teaching Driven.” Podcasts can be
assigned to students for homework. If The
Chronic Rift had a podcast of robots or androids, I could ask them a
question based on the interview, and have them write about what their thoughts
are. The Chronic Rift once had an
interview with Isaac Asimov (it has been around for a long time) which I shared
(with mixed results).
Podcasts can also be
used for professional development. Some podcast sites release their podcasts as
a series. Here, anyone could listen to a series of podcasts on one particular
subject (such as how to use podcasts in the classroom).
I can’t help to shake
the notion of podcasts being analogous to radio. WEB 2.0: How-To for Educators describes one negative of podcasts as
“sounding adolescent.” As Smart devices and tablets improve their video
capabilities, students may move more towards video and less towards audio. Why attach
a podcast to your school site when you can attach a virtual tour? If I had
Skype available, why limit me to an audio file? One analogy here in listening
to the Imus in the Morning show. This radio show is simulcast on TV. Many
instances on this program focus on its television audience, rather than its
radio audience. While an audio podcast is good, the vodcast would be better.
For those schools
with limited budgets, podcasting is still appealing. Podcasting’s ability to be accessed by any computer gives it the flexibility to be used in any school at
any time. It also gives students an audience larger than a classroom: it allows
worldwide access.
I believe that
students would rather put together a short video than put a radio show
together. My list of podcasts are as follows:
1. Stuff You Should Know (http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/) Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant originally started as podcasters, but have expanded to television. This site is a version of the How Things Work books that most people I know have on their bookshelves.2. Nova Vodcast (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/index.html) Nova’s own series of podcasts; contains podcasts on numerous topics.
3. Wall Street Journal Tech News Briefing (http://feeds.wsjonline.com/wsj/podcast_wall_street_journal_tech_news_briefing) Offered twice a day, The Wall Street Journal provides top stories about the tech world.
4. This Week in Tech (http://twit.tv/twit) Mostly a panel commentary, This Week in Tech discusses some of the issues in technology.
5. The Chronic Rift (http://chronicrift.com/) I was connected to this site by a former student and D & D party member, The Chronic Rift will feature podcasts about robots, androids, cyborgs, and other topics found in my Artificial Intelligence class
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