Podcasts in the Classroom

How can podcasts be effectively used in the classroom?

            I believe that podcasts are fantastic tools to use in a classroom.  Podcasts and other forms of virtual learning have become more and more popular as of late and educators are now thinking of creative ways to use them to enhance their curriculum.  In 2007 Bard Williams published the Educator’s Podcast Guide, a guide with probing questions educators should ask themselves before using a podcast in their classroom to determine if it is actually appropriate for the students.  Some of these questions are: Is the content appropriate for your current area of study?  Does the podcast add to or enhance your current lesson plan?  Is the content of the podcast compelling enough to hold the attention of your audience? Was the podcast produced by a source you consider credible?  After describing how to judge the answers to the probing questions, Bard also includes examples of podcasts that may be appropriate for a wide range of ability levels. Bard agrees that podcasts are excellent tools to use in one’s classroom but each podcast must be individually scrutinized for content and appropriateness.

Shepard (2009) stated that “podcasts can be used in the classroom for things like lectures for students who were absent, who need a refresher, or for students with hearing impairments.”  Podcasts can also be posted on a classroom blog so parents can stay more informed about what their children are learning or a teacher can recommend podcasts parents can listen to so they can help their children with certain subjects at home.  Creating podcasts in your classroom also allows you to easily share what you are doing in your classroom with other educators.  Along with enhancing a lesson plan, podcasts allow educators to collaborate with other educators, their students, and parents and students can collaborate with classmates, their teachers, and their parents. 

Apple has a website called Apple in Education ( http://www.apple.com/education/podcasting/) that allows one to download an App to record and distribute their own podcast.  I think this is a great tool because educators can use this to make podcasts specifically for their students based on their current needs and abilities. 

Radio Lab (http://www.radiolab.org/) offers many different ways to listen to podcasts.  One can choose from a number of stations offered in many different cities, choose an individual podcast to listen to, or find episodes of podcasts.  These podcasts are based around a multitude of subjects and from my short search it seems as if there is a little something for everyone. 

NPR (http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php) offers podcasts on-line of segments they broadcast on their radio stations.  They also have a section on their website where one can record their own podcasts, like the Apple website I discussed above.  I feel that podcasts from NPR and Radio Lab can be used more to influence curriculum and lessons for elementary students rather than having the students listen to them because I am not sure how much they would actually understand.  However, as educators we can use these sites to create our own podcasts that are at our students’ developmental and cognitive ability levels. 

Shepard, Nina. (2009). Chrome Chalk Monster: Podcasts in the Classroom pp 61.University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. http://education.uwsp.edu/chrome_chalk_monster_2009.pdf#page=60. Accessed on 6 November, 2011.

Williams, B. (2007). Excerpted from: Educator’s Podcast Guide. International Society for Technology in Education. http://www.breitlinks.com/podcastsforlearning/PodcastPDFs/EducatorsPodcastGuide.pdf. Accessed on 6 November, 2011.