POD-CASTING!!
To be quite honest, I've learned a ton these past two weeks in preparation for my podcast. I went from not really sure what a podcast is in the first place to having about 12 on my iPod. Podcast, the word, is a mixture of the words iPod and broadcast. I learned that from Wise-Women.
Awe man, I loved Eagle Nest Radio! These kids have exceptionally good podcasts. They were very impressive. I thought I was listening to at least 6th graders talking. I liked how they had a host and the host would introduce a different person who covered other areas and topics. Nice and very entertaining with good information and some jokes in the mix.
Another thing I've learned about podcasting is that content is important, very important! No one wants to listen to a bunch of babble. Content, Content, Content. That is what we tried to achieve in ours. We tried to eliminate any kind of filler talk and only record things that have depth and meaning to them. This wasn't to hard to accomplish because we interviewed Dr. Strange for our podcast and discussed the future classroom. Also, a male and female voices on a podcast go good together. The contrast between speakers is needed and the different gender voices do the trick. I noticed this as I listened to Practical Principals. The male and female voices were very distinguishable from one another. If you have a bunch of guys or girls with the same sounding voice it is hard to tell who is speaking.
All in all, podcasts are excellent ways to be informed and a powerful tool for learning. I like that they are personal topics that you can explore. For example, I really enjoy Sci Fri on NPR, but allot of times I'm not able to listen to it when it comes on the radio. So, I just subscribed to their podcast. Now, I have plenty of juicy Sci Fri podcasts sitting in my iPod waiting for my ears. These informative talk shows can be accessed anywhere by anybody. How awesome is that!
Josh,
ReplyDeleteI thought you did a great job summarizing and discussing the great aspects of podcasts. I also love the children podcasts. I think they do such a great job, and they are extremely professional. Most children love to be creative, and with a podcast, they can accomplish many things. They are able to show their style in a podcast. They get to work together. They practice their communication skills. They also are learning more about a topic and using technology to produce it. Content is definitely the most important part of a podcast. Honestly, I get bored just listening to someone talk, so it is important to grab your listener's attention. I am glad you are truly enjoying podcasts. What other ways do you think podcasts could be beneficial for a teacher or the students?
I guess maybe I missed the point of "what ways are podcasts beneficial to teachers and their students". Podcasts are great ways to hear experts discuss topics. For the teacher, It's a good way to stay current on issues. I like to listen to "Stuff from the Science Lab" and "Sci Fri" to get my science information fix. I think for the student, it is a awesome way to get them engaged in learning because it allows them to personalize their learning (what they are hearing, who they are hearing it from, and when they listen to it). It is an autonomous way of learning! And, I think this is possible for all students at all ages.
ReplyDeleteI also loved Eagle Nest Radio. I found it well made for their age if I did not know the grade I would think it was done by at least 5th graders.
ReplyDeleteI think you did better on this post then I did on my own.