Blog Post #4

Reaction to Podcast Resources:

   For those of you who are not sure of what a podcast is I will tell you. A podcast can be defined as a media file that is freely available for download from the internet automatically with software that can handle RSS feeds. This file is then played on a personal computer or mobile device at the listener’s convenience. A podcast can be only audio, only video, or audio/video. I was shown a few different examples of ways and uses of podcasts in an educational setting and chose to look at a certain 3 resources given to me by my EDM310 teacher, Dr. Strange. 
   The first one I looked at was Langwitches. In this blog article, a teacher is helping kids engage in a read-along story by recording her students' individual voices, while reading as the different characters in the story. She claims that it was amazing seeing her young students closely following the story as they waited to hear their voice played out loud. She claimed the kids brought their own personality to the recordings once the became comfortable with the setup. They started to change pitches and attitude towards the feeling of the words. I feel as if this is an awesome way to keep young students engaged about reading. You are truly getting I would say, 100% attentiveness.
   The second resource was The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom. In this video and description, it shows how podcasts are very helpful in education. They claim that it promotes innovation and creativity, which I definitely agree with. This is much easier and fun way of learning things you need to know. Many students do not really progress with traditional ways of teaching. The benefit with a podcast is that you can learn material the way you want to and learn from people you respond to best. This also is an easier way for teachers to interact with students outside of the classroom. A normal school day is a very long day, and sometimes over-capacitates students. Now that teachers can mingle with students away from school, maybe it'll create an easier environment for some students who don't do very well in a classroom setting. 
   My last resource was Judy Scharf's-Podcast Collection. In this resource, Miss Scharf put together a collection of podcasts from examples, to tips, to how-to guides. This collection would be a tremendous help for students, teachers, or any person wanting to know more about a podcast. It is simply laid out, all you have to do is scroll down the page and through the different types and find what you are looking for. This will definitely help me out on my soon-to-do podcast for my EDM310 class.

-- Special thanks to Ms. Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano for all of her hard work with podcasts and teaching her students to use these special tactics!! This link gives you access to a few of her "Langwitch" examples and her use of podcasts with the kids. Click Me and scroll down to Blog Post #4... Disregard the directions and pay attention to the blue links. The directions are for me.

Have an amazing day!!