Podcasting in Education

There are many ways that podcasts could be used in a classroom, both by the teacher and for the teacher.  Podcasts that have already been created can be shared to a classroom or to parents or even to fellow teachers who could in turn learn from them.  Teachers could also create their own podcasts in order to inform students or parents about upcoming events or to summarize a lesson.

Three very useful podcasting tools available are iTunes, Audioboo, and Audacity.  The first, iTunes, is great for searching for pre-created podcasts that can be shared among many different people: fellow teachers, parents and students.  Audioboo is another great tools to do this, and it is a little easier to use, in my opinion, because all it has is podcasts whereas iTunes has many different features.  Along with what we already talked about, Audioboo is also very useful for making your own podcasts and sharing those as well.  This is helpful when you can't find what you're looking for, don't like the ones you find, or have something very specific you want to say.  This podcast can then be embedded to another site or shared.  Audacity is on the opposite side of the spectrum as iTunes.  A user could not find podcasts that have already been created with this tool but they would be able to create their own.  One major difference between Audacity and Audioboo is the length in which a podcast can be made.  Audioboo has a limit of three minutes for each podcast, but Audacity can be much longer.  Here are the links to these three tools, just click on the one you want to go to:

Audacity

iTunes 

Audioboo

Here are two examples of podcasts that I have created.  One is a podcast made by Audioboo explaining a podcast that I found on iTunes, and the second is a podcast I made using Audacity then uploaded to Audioboo.


This is a summary of a podcast found on iTunes called Teen-Babble, Episode 2: "Are You Independant?"

listen to ‘iTunes Summary’ on Audioboo

This is a podcast I created using Audacity, and then uploaded it to Audioboo

listen to ‘Audacity Upload’ on Audioboo

Using Digital Storytelling in Education

This is an introduction to my classroom via digital storytelling.  Viewing this video will give you information on what to expect in my classroom and what it will be like.  If you are interested in creating your own Digital Story you can click here to go to PhotoPeach, which is the website that I used. Welcome to Mr. Drifmeyer's Jurassic Jungle!

Social Media

• The way that the world is progressing today, social media is almost a crucial tool to becoming a great teacher.  The generation today will not know a time when computers were unavailable, and surfing the internet will be like second nature to them.  The best way to reach any child today is through the internet, where they already are involved.  Meet the child where they are and earn the right to be heard. In the article "Social Networking Goes to School" by Michelle R. Davis, Principal Eric C. Sheninger from New Milford High School in New Jersey, once an antagonist of social networks, tells how he now supports them to the fullest.
• Two potential drawback to this, at least at this point, is running into the few parents who are against the internet and the lack of computers in every home.  To a parent who is not technology savvy, using social media can seem unprofessional and might even embarrass tat parent.  As a young teacher it will seem even more as if we are immaturely using tools that don't really work.  Also it is often forgotten that not every home has a computer and this is something that will need to be considered, especially when working in a lower income community.  
• Two very useful social media tools are twitter and blogs.  Twitter is a great tool to give students and parents a simple reminder or update on what is coming up in the classroom.  As a college student some of my teachers have actually used this tool and it has proven to be effective.  Even the simple reminder to bring a laptop to class can save a student a rough class period.  Blogs are great tools in which teachers can give a detailed summary or outline of what is going to be happening in the future of the class.