Blog Post 4

      This week we learned about podcasts, which I found out are a multimedia digital file made available on the internet for downloading to a portable media player. I really had no idea what podcasts were and why teachers would use them in a classroom, before this week. I watched several videos that showed me just how useful podcast could be in the school.

      The podcast resources I viewed where How To Create A Podcast, Flat Stanley Podcast, and The benefits of podcasting in the classroom. These resources allowed me to see just how effective podcasts were in the classroom and how much the students enjoyed the podcasts. I learned that teachers could use a podcast to record their lectures and upload them for the students to review; or if a student were sick one day, they would not miss a ton of valuable information covered in class. A podcast could also be student centered and used for project-based learning. Students could write out scripts and act them out on the podcast.

      I learned it was not that hard to create a podcast. The video I watched, How To Create A Podcast, showed that if you have a microphone, computer, and download a free program, you can podcast! After downloading whatever program you choose to use, you can record your podcast, edit it, and upload it to the internet. It looked easy enough on the video, but I am sure actually doing it will be a different story. That is what project based learning is all about, though!

      I will definitely use podcasting in my classroom. In the resources, I saw that the students really come alive when the teacher uses podcasts. They retain the information better if they have to create/memorize scripts and act them out, rather than the teacher lecturing the entire time and the students just taking notes. Hands on learning is more interesting for the students and allows them to gain skills that they can use in everyday life. This is why teachers use podcasts.