Podcasting: A Cool, New 21 st Century Tool for Educators

Podcasting is a way to post and distribute electronic media files online. Podcasts are of interest because they provide an easy way to get engaging multimedia content out to a dispersed group of people, who can listen to it whenever and wherever they like on a variety of readily-available platforms.

Utilizes 21 st Century Skills – Communication, thinking, technology Promotes engagement – kids are increasingly social and collaborative Broadens the audience for student products and presentations Is real life and fun to do Addresses different learning styles and intelligences Is highly mobile because it can be created and accessed through a variety of tech devices Can deliver content “just in time” Higher-level thinking skills Improves verbal skills Students become producers of information rather than consumers of information

Showcase student writing (poetry slams, narrative pieces, plays, etc.) Description of project-based learning results “Learn from the Expert” – let kids share their expertise Scientific experiments – Science Fair Social Studies reports and presentations Radio Shows (e.g. an audio cooking show, a news show of an historical event, weekly auto repair tips, etc.) Audio walking tour of community Interviews Foreign languages Public speaking opportunities And more!

Plan the content Who is your audience? Set up equipment Record Edit it with Audacity Send to 9-R technology as MP3 file They will upload to a web page that can be accessed anywhere.

Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. You can use Audacity to: Record live audio. Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs. Edit MP3 and WAV sound files. Cut, copy, splice, and mix sounds together. Change the speed or pitch of a recording. And more!

Elementary Secondary Kathy Schrock’s Technology Podcast

“You're making your classroom part of the global conversation," said David Warlick, founder of the Landmark Project, an educational consulting agency. "When you engage the kids in the world, the kids see their values in a different way." Some students usually can't wait to get out of class. Others, such as 14- year-old Adrienne Graskemper, can't wait to listen to her teacher Eric Langhorst again and again and again. Langhorst is an eighth-grade history teacher in the Liberty School District of Kansas City, Mo., and his secret weapon is podcasting. He is among a handful of teachers who use podcasts to help students review for exams and to supplement their education outside the classroom.