On Podcasts: Thoughts, Benefits, and Essential Resources

I think that podcasts are good for students to communicate outside of the classroom. By making podcasts, they can share information internationally. By listening, they can hear/ learn information. Both activities keep children engaged because they are actively working to share their knowledge. Also, podcasts (and many other forms of technology) are used by students, making the act of podcasting relevant to them.

One of the websites The Benefits of Podcasting in a Classroom explains that with podcasting, students are learning through project-based activities. This allows for higher-order thinking skills described by Bloom’s taxonomy. Project-based activities allow students to move beyond the knowledge and comprehension stages and develop application, analysis, and even synthesis. In short, this helps students move away from regurgitating information. Instead, they learn to separate material or concepts into component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood, and can make judgments about the value or the idea of materials.

I chose Eagle Nest Radio, and listened to the “Take a Bite at of Shark Facts” and “Roamin’ with the Ancient Romans” podcasts. This is a fantastic learning tool for third graders to college students (remember, 91.3 uses NPR podcasts to bring us the news)! In both podcasts, the “eagle eyes in the sky for news kids need to know”, the students used catchy vocabulary ("sharktastic"!) and energy to engage the audience. There were a number of short lessons in each podcast.

In the Shark Facts lesson, Eagle nest radio host took us under the deep blue to reveal some tidbits about our sharp-toothed friends. The lesson included “Poetry Corner” where a student read an underwater poem by Ogden Nash. A musical intermission then takes us to the vocabulary vault, where another student tells us the definition of cartilage, and we hear two examples of it being used in a sentence.

I went to a link from 100 Ways to Use Your iPod and Study Better called Philosophy Talk. The podcast was "About Fear in Politics". The hour long podcast from philosophy talk explains that fear is an emotion. Politicians have harnessed this emotion for centuries for the art of persuasion. Corey Robin, Associate Professor of Political Science, Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, said that it is a fear of the state that leads to government in the first place. I thought this was extremely interesting, because it seems like a backward occurrence. It reminded me of a study I read in high school that explains that we do not smile because we’re happy; we’re actually happy because we smile.

From FDR’s famous speech on fear to post-9/11 politics, the emotion is harnessed by advertisers to tell us things we should fear. There are obviously some things we should legitimately fear. We should fear global warming. However, we should not fear technology! It’s fantastic I happened upon this “Technology Talk” podcast on fear. It helped me realize that while I may not know much about living “in the clouds”, I shouldn’t fear checking it out.

This is a great tutorial from the Wise Women.org site! It defines “podcast”, explaining when the term was coined and the root words it stemmed from. Then, it goes into creation basics. To start a podcast, one needs a microphone (a headset is recommended). It explains that most sources recommend starting with audacity, which is a free app. Luckily, we already had to download it for Dr. Strange’s class. However, if you haven’t done it, a link is provided. ;-)

There is a link to How to Podcast, a site with step-by-step tutorials on making and promoting your podcast. Everything you need to be successful is right at your fingertips. Just click away and get started. Also, the wise-women site gives a like to Odeo, an easy-to-set-up site that introduces you to podcasting. These are very good tools for anyone who wants to create a smart-content podcast for their classroom, book club, or community!

The EPN will be my new favorite website! This is the Educational Podcast Network, a collection of educator podcasts on all subjects. These are educators who have found the benefits (see paragraphs 1 & 2) of podcasting: to share knowledge, experience, insight and passion…in any field of study. Today, I listened to a podcast about Consciousness and the Universe.