Week 9: The Sound of...Podcasting

This week we looked at tools for creating sound and using sound for teaching, learning and communicating. Sound files can come in the form of mp3 players or audio formats and can enhance presentations; they can also stand by themselves as podcasts. Podcasts refer to audio files that can be played on a computer or downloaded to mp3 players like the iPod. The ease of creating files and locating them on the internet has increased greatly in recent years. In class, we also learned how to create our own podcasts through programs such as Garageband on the Mac. The typical file format of a podcast is an mp3. After I recorded my podcast, I published it on the web for others to see and embedded it into my blogger.

As a future educator, audio media and sounds, like podcasts, are definitely useful tools that can be utilized in the classroom. There are three main ways in which a teacher can use podcasts in his or her classroom. First, teachers can access podcasts created by others. This allows teachers to supplement lessons with sounds, often created by other teachers, in order to add to curriculum activities. Podcasts like these can be useful in supplementing foreign language textbooks, for example. Second, teachers have the ability to create their own podcasts. Teachers can use their own podcasts to help students review for tests or help to enhance student understanding of homework assignments. Finally, students can create their own podcasts. This allows students to enhance their research, communication and speaking skills. As one can see, podcasting is a relevant and useful tool for education.

I found this YouTube video to contain useful information about podcasting which helped to supplement what was learned in class this week. The video discusses how podcasting is different from traditional forms of media in that it allows you to go to a website and subscribe to a podcast, like in iTunes. The podcast then downloads to your computer; so, for example, if an author adds a new episode, then that episode will download automatically to your computer. All that is needed to podcast is a computer, microphone and some form of audio software such as Garageband.  The video then explains how to share podcasts and publish them on the web, which I found to be useful information for when I was trying to complete the extra blog post for this week.