We talked on a comment thread about podcasting, and I posted some game related podcasts the other day, but this article explains podcasting:
Podcasting.
Podcasting didn’t exist before September, 2004. I first got interested in the technology in November of 2004 when I started listening to Adam Curry’s “Daily Source Code.” At the time, there were, maybe 200 podcasters. Today, there are thousands. The second anniversary of podcasting has just gone past and the tools are beginning to get some attention so let’s spend some time bringing you up to speed.
It’s important to understand that a podcast is not a digital archive of audio or video. While there is a payload that is usually an audio or video file, podcasts can be anything from word processing documents to powerpoints to pdf files. The key is that a podcast is a payload that’s delivered via RSS enclosure tag. No feed? No podcast.
The significance of the feed is that it is readable by a computer and can, therefore, be sorted, merged, tagged, and selected on the basis of a computerized process. This is particularly important for educators who are looking for specific content for specific purposes.
September 16th, 2008 at 7:49 PM
I really like the idea of using podcasts in the classroom. They are easy to create and students love using them. Last year, I did a writing assignment using a podcast and my kids love it. It is a great way to have students evaluate their own writing by listening to it.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:19 PM
I do think podcasts are wonderful and are becoming more useful in the classroom with the growing availability of technology. However, I agree that you must use it with moderation. With listening only, this type of instruction becomes a little difficult for the younger students as their comprehension in this manner isn’t developed enough.
September 19th, 2008 at 2:05 PM
Latisha, I can see that this would help. The thing is that by having the students listen to themselves, they hear their mistakes. It is different than just reading it. I teach Spanish and I am always encouraging my students to read aloud different things (from vocabulary to conversations). They don’t realize how different it is when they hear it out loud than when they say it to themselves. While hearing it, htey pick up on mistakes faster. It seems to me that people have a tendency to unconciously make corrections to what they read and don’t notice the mistakes. The podcasts seems to be a great way for the students to listen to themselves. Thanks for the idea.