User:Ckatie

From School Computing

'Podcasting as a Tool for Educators and Students'

Example of podcatchers (image from http://www.apple.com/itunes/)

[edit] What is Podcasting?

Podcasting is a combinatgion of the terms iPod and broadcasting to describe audio content delivered through the Internet that can be downloaded and played on your computer or transferred to a portable MP3 player so you can listen where ever you may go. But you don't need a portable MP3 player or an iPod to listen to podcasts. You can download them to your computer and listen to them using free software such as iTunes.

[edit] What do you need for a Podcast to work?

According to the book Podcast Solutions: A Complete Guide to Podcasting, to download a podcast you need three things.

1. The Podcast itself

2. The RSS feed (a particular type of code stored on the web as a raw text file that includes vital information about the podcast)

3. The podcatcher ( such as an iPod as seen in the picture above or any other type of MP3 player)

How to begin Podcasting

[edit] Record digital audio

1. According to Will Richardson's book, listed in the resource info. at the bottom of the Wiki page , this can be done by plugging a microphone into your computer or record directly to your MP3 player.

2. Transferring your recording from a handheld device to a computer involves some software. Richardson recommends the open-source program called Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) which is free. Richardson also recommends using the free internet telephone service Skype (www.skype.com)

3. Now you should decide what you want your podcast to be about. Richardson recommends thinking about your audience because you will be asking your students to do the same, and if you prewrite your podcast, don't read directly from it as if it were a script.

4. Editing - You can do this using the Import Audio feature in Audacity to take out any little or big imperfections in your lecture. Audacity can also be used for adding things like introductions and music to your recorded podcast. The selection icon allows you to drag and out the parts that you want to edit and allows you to import music. The Time Shift tool allows you to time when you want the music to begin and end in your podcast.

[edit] Sharing your podcast

1. To do this, you must transfer the MP3 file that you made and saved from your computer to an internet server. Teachers can use their school's server. Richardson recommends OurMedia.org for free storage. Blog software is also available. Most blog software should have support for MP3s. When creating the post that describes your podcast, you should be able to add your file automatically.

2. Students that want to listen to your podcast can subscribe to the RSS feed on your blog.

3. If you are using a blog like Blogger, people cannot subscribe to your podcast because it doesn't have support for enclosers. Feedburner.com allows you to create a seperate RSS feed for your students to use.

[edit] Podcasting in education: Articles & Summaries

Both articles explain how Podcasting is changing the way students learn . It seems to have changed the way students participate in class and create and share there work.

Unleashing Creativity with Student Podcasts

This article discusses professors using Podcasting as a part of their curriculum. Students are required to create their own Podcasts. This seems to allow the students to put a creative spin on an assignment given. It is also a growning trend for professors to creat podcasts for their classes. Some people were scepticle about students not going to class because of the easy access to the Podcasts, but according to the survey in the article, two-thirds of the respondents reported there was no effect on their class attendence.

Podcasting in Education This article explains how Podcasting should be used for learners of all ages. Dr. Kathleen P. King describes how Podcasting should be used in K-12 vs. higher education. The article goes on to talk about the advantages of using Podcastinging in education such as, touching on different learning styles, self-directed learning, facilitated learning, and co-learning. Podcasting has become popular in higher education, but is not used as much in elementary education.

[edit] Podcasting websites

http://www.mypodcast.com/browse.html Create podcasts

http://www.vodstock.com/vodstock/vodcast-directories.php This website gives ways to create video casts and view them, but also gives sites for podcasting.

http://podcastpeople.com/?gclid=CIzX2I77t4sCFRNUZQod3CEV2A Listen to and create Podcasts

http://www.podbean.com/start-podcast?sourceid=goog_66 Website for creating your own podcast for free

http://www.podcastforteachers.org/ Podcasts for educators

http://www.mpsomaha.org/willow/radio/podcasts.html For elementary grades - Podcasts made by children for children on a variety of topics

[edit] Sources sited

. - 2006, Will Richardson; Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms; pages 118-122

Ckatie 57 edits since January 30, 2007