Thing 19 - Podcasts

Podcasting is one of the most exciting new technologies in education today. Whether you're a consumer of podcasts (you listen to them) or a producer (you make your own), podcasting provides a unique and growing way to share professional development, class content, and student projects. Podcasts are accessible, portable, easy to create, and best of all - FREE!

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To complete Thing 19 you must:
A. Learn what podcasting is
B. Listen to a variety of podcasts
C. Reflect on Thing 19 on your blog

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A. Learn What Podcasting Is
Podcasting is the ability to create or listen to audio or video content either live or downloaded for later use. A podcast is similar to a radio show in that each show consists of a series of individual episodes you can listen to on your computer or on a digital audio player like an iPod. What distinguishes a podcast from a traditional radio show is that you can listen to a podcast whenever and wherever you want to, and you can subscribe to a podcast series so when a new episode is available, it automatically downloads to your computer. The word podcast comes from a combination of the words iPod and broadcast, but you don’t need an iPod to listen to podcasts.

Besides audio only podcasts, there are also enhanced podcasts which include visuals along with the audio – something like a slide show. And there are video podcasts – sometimes called vodcasts or v-casts.

As popular as podcasting has become, you may be surprised that the first podcast was produced just a few years ago – in 2004. In 2005, “podcast” was the New Oxford American Dictionary’s word of the year (incidentally, beating out sudoku, bird flu, and trans fat). Today millions of people subscribe to podcasts and more than 100,000 people are now creating podcasts. Interested in a particular topic? You'll probably be able to find a related podcast.

Watch this video which does a great job of explaining podcasting.



If you can't see the video, click here to watch it on the Common Craft website.

And if you're so inclined, learn about podcasting from a Ninja point of view.



B. Listen to a Variety of Podcasts
The best way to learn about podcasts is to listen to a sampling of those available. You'll find professional development podcasts for educators, podcasts created by teachers to support classroom instruction, and podcasts created by students.

Watch these two episodes of RESA's Tech to Go for a guided tour of educational podcasts.
Great Educational Podcasts - Part 1
Great Eduational Podcasts - Part 2
Note: Several URLs have changed since these videos were created.

Then to listen to podcasts directly, go here and start exploring.

C. Reflect - Blog Prompts for Thing 19
Which podcasts did you find interesting? Identify one or two podcasts and describe how you would use them in your work. (Be sure to include links in your blog entry to the podcasts mentioned.)