Week 5: Podcasts

Podcasts are everywhere. You can find a podcast about virtually anything. Yes, I mean, anything!  Let me think back to my first encounter with a podcast...

My first introduction to a podcast was using GarageBand with my students.  I was looking for a way to assess students on an ecosystem unit.  I wanted them to write a poem about the ecosystem of the burrowing owl (after reading the book Hoot).  What I didn't want was for them to simply get up in front of the class and read what they had created.  I wanted more ears than just my class to hear their works of art.  Hmmm... how could I reach more people and jazz it up a bit?

The idea came to me when I was in Starbucks one morning getting my daily cup of jo.  I started listening to the music playing in the background.  Relaxing, inviting, yet not distracting.   I instantly thought, "Wouldn't it be great if students created a 'coffeehouse reading', reading their poems with background music playing?"  To entertain the eye, there could be a slideshow of pictures as people listened to the poem.  From that moment my first podcast idea was born.

From there I began searching podcasts on iTunes.  I was amazed at the wealth of information that was out there.  What a variety of data! From NPR to learning how to cook to the basics of brewing, the list is endless.  The wonderful part is the mobility of podcast.  You can easily download a podcast to your iPod and listen to it in the car or while going for a run.  My latest use of a podcast was going to NYC with the girls and getting a personal tour of the city from a podcast on my iPod.  What a great invention, anything you want, Playable On Demand.