Podcasts

Before last night's class I had never created a Podcast or even known how they are made. I never realized how easy they are to create with the right materials. To create a Podcast one must have a headset with a microphone, some type of podcasting software such as Audacity, and material to podcast. With the right equipment, podcasting is very fun to do. I think students would really enjoy creating podcasts related to different topics because they are engaging, relateable to students' lives, and creative. Podcasts would be an excellent method for performance-based assessments because students could demonstrate their understanding of a topic in an original way. 

Teachers can also use Podcasts to communicate with their students. For example, if they are out they can assign the homework via a Podcast, or they could create Podcasts about classroom events for parents. Podcasts can also be used in instruction to provide comprehensible input for students about any topic.

There are endless creative ways to use Podcasts, however there are some shortcomings as well. First, you must have the materials listed earlier to create one, which may be expensive for some schools. Secondly, you must have a script or plan for each Podcast. Writing a script and then editing it can often be time consuming for only a few minutes of a Podcast. Lastly, you must have access to sounds that will make the Podcast more interesting. You do not have to add sounds, but they help make the Podcast more engaging for listeners. Despite these few shortcomings though, I think I would still like to try Podcasting within my future classroom. I do not think I will personally have enough time to create them on a regular basis, but I think they would be great to have students use within instruction and for assessment.