Podcasts + Teachers + Students = Super

Here are some resources that will inform and educate the reader about using podcasts in the classroom.

Educational Podcasting
To start off with, this article informs the reader about what podcasting is all about. It tells you what the word ‘podcast’ actually stands for, what is a podcast, educational uses of podcasts (for teachers and students), and what type of software can be used to create a podcast.

Some of the examples for using podcasts are:
-The ability to listen to a lecture multiple times
-Supplement to traditional class notes
-Post student compositions
-Peer critiquing of student work

Educational Podcasting is a great place to start for information and links about podcasting. Check it out.

***This next reference is not a link to a website but an assignment for the reader (don’t worry, it’s a fun assignment). You’ll have to have iTunes for this task.

Step 1. Go to the iTunes Store home page
Step 2. Under the iTunes Store heading, select Podcasts
Step 3. Then under Categories, pick Education
Step 4. Take a look at the top 25 podcasts people have subscribed to
Step 5. Be surprised

I know I was intrigued when I saw what people were using podcasts for in education. It makes perfect sense after I thought about it though. Have fun with your assignment!

Study: class podcasts can lead to better grades
Can it? Let’s see. After reading this article, you will learn about a study given by psychologist Dani McKinney from State University of New York (SUNY) Fredonia. In the study, McKinney gave a psychology lecture to a group of students. After the lecture, the students were split into two groups; one given slides of the lecture, the other given slides plus a synchronized podcast of the lecture.

The students were then given a test on the lecture a week later. The results were interesting, but I bet you can figure it out.

Why every school should be podcasting
As the title suggests, this article gives you an abundance of reasons why every school should be podcasting.

The article mentions some of the products that can be made using podcasts: children's stories, audio diaries, plays, interviews, news and reviews, and the distribution of exam revision material.

The article then goes on to talk about why you should use podcasts. Some examples are publishing to a potentially vast audience, it's a great way of distributing learning material, it's publishing with a purpose, and it's a great communication tool.

Radio WillowWeb
This was by far my favorite site to visit regarding education and podcasts. It has examples of elementary students’ podcasts covering a wide variety of subjects.

First graders talking about how ants live and work together and fourth graders reading a book about energy are some of the podcasts on this site. I highly recommend it to get ideas for the classroom.