Podcasts/ Vodcasts

I went into Itunes store for the very first time today. I never ventured there before because I thought it was a shop where everything would cost money. I promise I will never laugh at someone struggling with technology again. "Yes Nan I will reset your DVD for you no prob!"

For those of you who are still learning about this world of resources such as 'podcasts an vodcasts' I will explain briefly what they are. A podcast is an audio file that you can listen to on a computer, or MP3 player. But to be a podcast/vodcast it must also be included in an RSS feed. Recently, video has been included and these are called VodCasts.

Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) explained that “an ICT environment, is best suited to providing a meaningful and authentic experience for students, one that can be configured to simulate the kinds of experiences students will face outside of the classroom.” Students entering the classrooms now have grown up with this new technology surrounding them, and most own a mp3 or an ipod.

It would be remiss then not to take advantage of a technology that has the ability to be engaging, relevant and ‘technologically up to date’ for the students we are teaching(Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). Students can upload either your lessons or a topical educational podcast and access them either in class or from their homes. They also have the potential of turning your classroom into a radio station.

It would be important not to disadvantage students who do not have access to the podcasts you set from home. For now, it is incumbent on the teacher to make the necessary adaptions to ensure their students are not disadvantaged and have adequate access and time to use these in class but I imagine a future when students can loan an ipod from the school library as easily as they could loan a book now.

Apple recently introduced a powerful version of Garageband that allows you to record and edit brilliant podcasts easily and then press a button to podcast them. This would be ideal for use in the classroom.

My mission was to find a podcast that would have relevance and be integral to supporting a unit of work with my class.

Thankfully I do not need to plan a unit for them technically until next year but one thing I did know was that we are going to do a literary unit on "Where the wild things are! by Maurice Sendak. Apart from simply being a classic it will be coming out at the movies and like Wall'e it will be sure to have a big impact on our students. It is amazing to watch the younger students work when they are engaged. When Wall'e made its debut students wrote books about it made models of Wall'e talked about it non-stop and I think we tend to under appreciate the length of time they remain interested in them for. (Especially in this age of short attention spans.) With things like this the teachers become sick of it well before the children do and that is a great opportunity for some deep learning.

Aah! but I have become side tracked. I went to I-tunes and found a very exciting podcast that seemed like it was made personally tailored for the unit I had been planning. The podcast is the first in a series of five that has been designed for first and second graders using the text "Where the wild things are". Because it is on podcast I will be able to pause it at strategic points to discuss things further with the students.

References:
Kearsley, G, and Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A Framework for Technology-based Teaching and Learning, 1-6. Retrieved 28th November, 2009 from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm