Podcasting... Very Exciting for Education!

Podcasting is an easy and convenient way to introduce technology into the classroom to share with your students.  Podcasting is an audio or video clip that any person can listen to or watch on a variety of topics.  A simple search of podcasts on the iTunes store can easily produce a podcast on almost any subject that you want to cover in the classroom.  After seeing how easily this information can be accessed… it created a very clear picture on how this can easily be transferred to the classroom.  First and foremost, let’s start by discussing the best part of podcasts… they are FREE!  Completely FREE!  There is no hidden charge and therefore they cannot be affected by budget cuts!  Your principal cannot come into a staff meeting and say that they are on the “chopping block” because podcasts are not part of the budget.  This simple fact alone should encourage teachers to frequently use this technology in the classroom.  Secondly, podcasts can and will meet the necessary TEKS for technology in the classroom.  This is another important detail that every teacher should consider.  We are creating life-long learners and not students that do not know how to use their resources once they graduate from high school.  After high school or college a person can create a podcast and link it to their eportfolio website, which they can attach to their resume when applying for a job.  Not only does a potential employer get a tangible resume but through the eportfolio they can see what this individual is capable of and then to go the next step with the podcast and be able to visually see this person talking about their career goals and accomplishments.  I suspect that this would also be a great place to video personal references as well.  The possibilities are endless.  Back to the classroom… A few months ago, we had a teacher at my school who heard about another school that had been vandalized and a fire had been set.  This teacher shared this story with her class and they write letters to the teachers and students at the other school.  They wrote letters back and forth exchanging tidbits of information.  Our students responded with enthusiasm because it gave them a personal feeling of involvement.  However, when reading about podcasts, this story immediately popped into my mind.  What if they had created a podcast to share with the other school?  They could have created a video of the students sharing their concerns with each other and had a visual image of their newfound friends.   They could have arranged a time to meet on skype and communicate via real time.  There is no doubt that the students will forever remember communicating with the students from the other school, but can we as educators enhance that memory by making the connection even more personal?  Students will engage easily engage in a project that is fun and creates a personal connection.  “Podcasting is a tool that supports meaningful curriculum integration, and the technical aspects of producing a podcast offer students a unique learning opportunity” (Jonassen, et al., 2008, p. 161).

Podcasting is among the many tools that educators have available to them.  There are voice threads, websites, and many other applications that they can utilize.  One of the main benefits of podcasting is the cost factor.   Free simply cannot be beat.  All that a teacher needs to do to utilize this technology is an iTunes account.  If a teacher has a mimeo that they can use in their classroom, then they can display it on their whiteboard.  Presto, the whole class is involved.  With a podcast, the technology is simple.  It is an easy way to teach your students at a very early age to utilize technology.  For instance, a kindergarten teach can create a blog with her class and attach a podcast with her students talking about various projects.  Let’s use the State of Texas as the class project.  The teacher can use the blog to discuss the various topics within the State of Texas and tell stories on how the class responded to the discussions.  Pictures can be placed on the blog that show the students actively working on their projects.  The teacher can then video individual students talking about the topics covered in the classroom.  The parents can easily see the learning taking place and the students can visually see themselves learning.  Student’s at this age love to look at themselves and their peers.   That is not to say that other forms of technology in the classroom cannot be useful as well but some seem much more intimidating than a podcast does.  Each teacher needs to be aware of all the technology that is available to them inside and outside the classroom.  “Teachers can use the technology to provide additional and revision material to students to download and review at a time that suits them. The flexibility that such time-shifting offers makes podcasting a valuable educational tool.” Western Australians Department of Education, 2011).  Students should be taught technology by the teacher and not the other way around. 

My husband and my children are very familiar with iPod’s and their capabilities… I, however am not (or was not)!  Each one of my children and my husband has an iPod and knows how to efficiently work all the features and components.   That is not to say that I do not know what the device is or does.  I have been perfectly happy with taking their hand-me-downs after each one of them have upgraded.  For instance, I have used a nano and an iPod classic (the original – very bulky) and have been completely satisfied to listen to music while I grocery shopped or studied.  But that is as far as my use had gone.  However, this past February, when Verizon finally offered an iPhone to its customers, my husband insisted that I get one.  I did not think it necessary… I was perfectly happy with my other phone but to appease him, I got one.  Although, I did not think that I needed one, I will happily admit that I was completely wrong.  I never knew of all of the things that I was missing.  For instance, the USGS has an app that can show you where the latest earthquakes are and there are several “This day in history” app’s that can easily be used in the classroom.  As for podcasts, the possibilities are endless.  I have used podcasts whenever we can’t make it to church to listen to the sermon and to even listen to specific topic’s on financial matters from Dave Ramsey.  Never did I relate using podcasts for personal use to using in the classroom.   To utilize any technology in the classroom will intrigue your students and then to take it to the next level where your students are creating podcasts, takes learning from the top of Blooms pyramid and moves it down to the bottom.   “Countless universities, colleges and K-12 classes worldwide are using the technology to deliver recorded lectures, news and information to students.” (Poducateme.com, 2007-2010).  Our students should be excited about learning and about creating an environment that is innovative.  Using tools such as an iPod or a video conference can easily engage learners to see that learning and life are not limited to the classroom but are unlimited to the world.

Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R., & Crismond, D. (2007). Meaningful learning With Technology(3rd Edition). Columbus, OH: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Poducateme.com.  (2007-2010).  Learn How to Bring Benefits of Podcasting to Your Classroom. Retrieved April 27, 2011 from http://poducateme.com/.

Western Australians Department of Education. (2011). Podcasts in the Classroom; Educational Value of Podcasts. Retrieved on April 27, 2011 from http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/podcasts/.