Podcasts

After learning all about podcasting and creating one with my classmates, i have found that they are fun and enjoyable. I believe that students would love to create a podcast that have educational value. They incorporate voice narration, sounds (jingles etc.), and pictures. It makes education fun, informational, visual, technical and interactive. Garage band is a software that is not too difficult to use with a small amount of basic training. Students can easily record their prepared information and add sounds/pictures to illustrate their ideas.
Some problems that i can foresee happening when creating podcasts in the classroom are time and software. The main reason i would decide not to have students create pod casts is that they take time and preparation to create. Students need to prepare a script, find pictures, edit and save their podcasts. This can take a long time, especially if it is a large part of a students grade. In order to carry out this project student would need lots on in class time to work on their projects. Especially because some students may not have access to a computer at home, or one with the software required to make and publish a podcast. Even the school may not have garage band and itunes installed on every computer in the school.
Young children may also have problems with creating podcasts, and may need more help then provided. In this case, a teacher could become overwhelmed and the project may fail miserably. I think podcasts would work best with upper elementary school age children, middle school and high school students. Some good ideas to have students create projects are for a travel brochure, creating stories, reporting on a broad topic and making newscasts. Having students work together will encourage teamwork, problem solving and creativity.
Another way to use podcasting in the classroom is for the teacher to create a podcast to teach a lesson to his/her students. This can spice up a lesson and engage students in learning. It is a different and interesting way to incorporate technology in the classroom. The music and pictures enhance the lesson. When teachers use podcasting they do not have to worry about teaching all the students in the class to use the software required.