Podcasting and learning programs

I have started writing a paper for submission to a conference committee on the use of technologies such as Podcasting in learning programs. I am currently trying to pitch the benefits of podcasting to my boss and give him an insight into how these concepts can work in education. I am interested to get some feedback on how educators out there in the blogasphere are using podcasting. Even if you have a neat idea that you can see working in any educational context….. I would love to hear from you.

My general concept at the moment is bringing together notions of podcasting and the desire to encourage our students to become reflective learners. I picture students producing a podcast that reflects on their learning experience and gives them opportunity to express their new found knowledge. I want to encourage a global initiative of learners coming together to create an exciting information environment that demonstrates the powers of collaborative learning with peers. As I have the privilege of working with learning programs which are very quickly becoming global, I can see opportunities for multicultural collaborations that wouldn’t have been possible before.

So what is it that excites you about podcasting as a tool that opens doors for an exciting new information and learning environment?

Let the sharing begin……

Educate or Block – Student access (April 15th, 2010)
ACEC – So far… My rant!! (April 8th, 2010)
ACEC 2010 – School’s Journey so far… Part 2 – Your Students (April 6th, 2010)
ACEC 2010 – School’s Journey so far… Part 1 – Your Staff (April 6th, 2010)
ACEC 2010 Presentation (April 5th, 2010)

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Travis Showers said in March 8th, 2006 at 9:21 am

I started blogging and podcasting with my fourth graders towards the beginning of this year as an experiment. We are stuck right now because of preparation for the state achievement tests, but it has been an interesting journey. I am already doing some reflection on how to improve things for next year, but I am excited about the possibilities.
To answer your question about why podcasting and blogging, I started with the district approved reasons . . . Ohio Content Standards. There are many standards that revolve around defining and writing for different audiences, verbal presentations, organization of information, research, citing sources etc, all of which are embedded in podcasting and blogging.
My second reason was to motivate the students to become readers and writers within the a digital literacy framework. I work in a rural area and many of my students do not spend much time on the internet so this was a chance to get them used to reading and writing in a digital environment. They also liked that they were creating materials for a world wide audience rather than just for me or their parents. The added benifit is the idea of only putting your best work out to be seen by EVERYONE.
Finally, I am trying to push my students to write with a purpose. Too often I see writing at the elementary level that is written simply to create something that will be turned in for evaluation. I want my students to think of writing as something that changes emotions, makes people think, and engages interest from the reader. Comments from others to the student blogs give the students instant feedback about the impact they made.
Just a few ideas, I can’t say that the experiment has been 100% successful, but I take most of the responsibility for that and hope to improve as the year goes on. I look forward to hearing what others have to say.