Podcasts

What are podcasts and how can they be used in education?
       Podcast is a popular way to share information online. Podcasts are a series of recording that can be downloaded and listen to from anywhere and at any time. A podcast can be incorporated into a classroom or library in many ways.
       For teachers it’s a good way to save lectures for students to listen to review before a test or if they have been absent, saving valuable class time. Podcasting can also serve and a great way to differentiate instruction. Teaching students how to make a podcast is a great way to incorporate technology and teach students yet another tool they can use in the future. Students can use podcasts for assignments such as history reports and interviews. It’s also a wonderful way to showcase student work online. Podcast can be used to teach students how to use spoken language more effectively and to create a product they can be proud of I personally would love to post original work like poetry, short stories or reports on the library or school website.
      Speaking on the library and school websites, podcasts are a great way to share information and promote events going on the campus and in the library. Its important for schools to make use of the same technology that we expect the students to use, to show them not to be afraid of technology and to give them examples of how it can be used for something positive.
      There are so many options for podcast software and a lot of it is free to get started. Some examples include Soundcloud, Audioboo, and Podomatic. You just need an email address to sign up. I have created an example of a podcast I have done. It’s a brief how-to for students and teachers on how to create a podcast.