Today’s post is broken into many parts. We will be discussing both VIDEO and AUDIO podcasting. Click here if you want to know a complete definition of podcasting, but for our purposes we will call it a way to transmit lessons to your students, while in class or once they leave your classroom. The video for today’s lesson is at http://youtu.be/eIkferu6Cps

We will be looking at VIDEO podcasting:
*where to find them
*how to make your own
*why students should make them
Links discussed in the VIDEO portion:
www.youtube.com
www.teachertube.com
www.khanacademy.org

To find a video podcast, try teachertube, youtube, or simply type the topic in your browser and see what the internet already has available. ALWAYS watch the video and listen to audio COMPLETELY before you share it with students.

To make your own VIDEO podcast I suggest purchasing a flip camera. These cameras are low priced and easy to use for adults and students. Loading videos to your computer are easy as well, as they come equipped with USB ports. Depending on your type of computer you can use Windows Movie Maker, I-movie, or programs you already are familiar with. To distribute videos to students, the easiest method I have found is Youtube. You can create your own channel, load your videos as private or public, and then send out the link to those you want to view the video. I post all the videos I make for this blog to Youtube to make it easier to produce and distribute.

Paper pencil tests get boring and students can’t always show what they know with a traditional assessment. Creating an assessment that utilizes a video podcast is fun and interesting for students. In order to have a successful Video experience, teachers need to create an assignment sheet that outlines the expectations, grading criteria, and timeline.

Opportunities for using podcasts in the classroom include Science, Math, Social Studies, Reading, and more. For Science they can make a video of how to be safe in the lab. For Math they can make videos to teach names for shapes. In Reading students can create a video to share what books they have read, like these my students made recently: Drew, Ziv, and Raquel.

We will be looking at AUDIO podcasting:
*where to find them
*how to make them
*how to use them in the classroom
*how to have your students make them
Links discussed in the AUDIO portion:
www.podcast.com/education
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?i=lame-mp3&s=install
www.ipadio.com

To find audio podcasts you can visit podcast.com for a good search area. Apple has a podcasting storage site that you can search as well. If you scroll all the way down there is a professional development area that may help those of you who use MAC. A quick search online can give you many places and premade podcasts that may be just what you are looking for!

To make AUDIO podcasting, I have been using Audacity with Lame for creating MP3 files. It is an easy download and quick format for learning. Garageband is a recording program for MAC users. There are more available, but for the price (free) and usability (easy)- Audacity is a great choice!

Last year I made an audio recording explaining an at-home project I was assigning, so students couldn’t go home and claim they didn’t know what to do. I even loaded the audio to MovieMaker, added pictures, and produced it as a full video and posted it on my website along with the audio file. Using audio files in class can help students develop their mental movies in Reading by hearing a book read aloud but having to make the pictures in their mind. You can also use audio files to back up and support a writing lesson. While you write students listen to another person talking about what you are writing. It gives students a break from just listening to the teacher.

Students can use podcasting in many ways. A major thought for me was to use Ipadio to record their reading when I am doing my DRA assessments so I can refer to the recording for clarification. Students can read to the phone at home or in class to practice their expression and fluency. In language classes, students can practice their vocabulary, accents, and verb usage using podcasting. Students can also create podcasts to explain solving math problems, giving step-by-step instructions for a Science project, and practice spelling or word study.
Here is an example of one of my students who was reading a Fancy Nancy book. He was working on adding inflection and emotion in his reading. As you will see he still needs to work a little more.

To hear an example of an audio podcast I created for my class at Nova, click compression recording2.

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