Podcasting as an Educational Tool
As technology is advancing at a rapid pace and computers have become an everyday household item, podcasts have started to become more popular. As Richardson puts it, a podcast is a “creation and distribution of amateur radio” (pg 110). Although some podcasts are more professional than others, anyone can create a podcast and talk about anything they would like on it. Podcasts are available through iTunes and can be found all over the internet. Due to their increasing popularity, you can find a podcast for almost any topic or interest. John Green, author of “Looking for Alaska”, has his own podcast, titled Nerdfighters.
Podcasting can be a great tool to use in the classroom. Richardson provides many examples of current podcasts and ways to incorporate podcasts into a curriculum and using them as a means of communication. One of these podcasts is the Madrid Young Learners Podcast. This site is a communication thread between English speakers and non-English-speaking listeners to ask and answer questions via comments.
Other ways to effectively use podcasts include:
- providing a virtual tour of the school for parents/new students
- relaying information for parents who are interested in what their child is doing in school
- a visual and audio representation of any assignments that were done in class or should be completed for homework for absent students
- creating projects where students must make their own podcasts (this hits GPS such as writing for an audience, and public speaking)
- creating podcasts that connect students to other students around the country or world
Podcasts are even available for teachers to help embellish lesson plans and provide a medium for relaying information to students other than the teacher standing in the front of the classroom and lecturing. Grammar Girl provides numerous lessons and tips on using grammar and writing.
