Podcast Article- 3 Important Ideas

Using a podcast or vodcast in the classroom is effective if it is used the right way. This may not be the answer for all, but can reach out to some students. The article and study brought up several good points. I took 3 away that are meaningful or important to me and can relate them to what I would use this tool for in my classroom.

The first small, but very important point I liked was the fact that the podcast was less about learning strictly from listening to it. More is learned through the creation of the podcast. I think that this is very true. If a student listens to a podcast or a vodcast they may like seeing the visuals and learning some facts, but that is more like lecturing with a visual. It is the actual making of the podcast that the students learn from. They need to research and organize the information. In a way they are teaching which is again related back to the theory that we learn by teaching others. The students need to know the content that they are putting into the podcast. In my classroom I think this is how I would use the tool rather than me create one to share with the class. It makes it more interactive.

The second important point builds on the first point. The article discussed the theory behind the creation of the podcast. It builds collaborative and cooperative group work skills. In doing projects like this the students are working together and creating as a group. This allows for social interaction and each member may bring something new to the table. Knowledge building in the creation of the podcast is also based on the theory. In order to create one a student must not only build there knowledge of the process and use of technology, but more importantly the content. There is a great amount of knowledge that will be created in the process of doing an activity like this. Having the students create a podcast takes the level of learning deeper and allows them to sort of take control of it rather than a teacher delivering materials.

The third point that I took from this article I choose because it began to give me ideas for my classroom. They discussed the use of dialogue that occurs during the development of a podcast and the use of scripts with spontaneous talking. I really like this because it provides a way for a teacher to allow students to run with a topic and have a discussion with their peers. If an interview is used the students will need to know their material to be able to answer questions. It sometimes may be more effective than a script. It seems that the use in this way may support them to retain the information longer and think about it on a different level. This made me want to try this. I like the idea of using the interviews because it adds an interesting element to presenting and discussing information. It is also a way that I could assess what the students know.