Podcasts & Vidcasts

In class this week our topic was podcasts and vidcasts. We learned what they are, how to create them, and how to use them in education. Podcasts and vidcasts allow educators to teach in a different way. They also allow educators to reach students outside of the classroom. This new and exciting advancement in technology is a great resource for educators.

A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released in episodes and downloaded through the web. Itunes is a great place to find podcasts on pretty much any topic you can imagine. And if you can't find the topic you are looking for, you can make your very own podcast centered around that topic. Podcasts are a way to share a series of information in an easy, fast, and fun way. Educators can create podcasts of their lesson plans and post them on a website for easy student and parent access. Educators can also use podcasts as a way of educating themselves. The best thing about podcasts is that you can access them from your personal computer or you ipod. You can download a podcast onto your ipod and have access to the information anywhere you go. The majority of students have or will eventually have an ipod. Podcasts allow educators to teach their students through one of the most beloved technologies of our time.

Vidcasts are another amazing resource for educators. Through the use of vidcasts, educators can make videos or important concepts and posts them on YouTube or a classroom website. By doing this, students will have constant access to important information. Educators could even record themselves teaching. This would be helpful for students who have a question during homework or for those students who were absent from class. Vidcasts are a great way to keep students on top of what is going on in the classroom. They are also a great way to get parents involved in what their children are learning. By creating a vidcast of lessons, educators allow parents to better assist their children in the learning process. The best thing about vidcasts is that they can be about anything. Want to teach a lesson? Want to make a movie? Want to read a book? Want to sing a song? Vidcasts can be used for all these things and for much, much more.

As a future educator, I am so excited for all of the possibilities that podcasts and vidcasts have to offer. When I become a teacher, I plan to use both of these technologies to variate my teaching and to reach my students outside of the classroom. I plan to post vidcasts of important concepts on my classroom website. This will allow students constant access to things that they need to know. I also plan to use podcasts in my classroom. I will post weekly podcasts on my classroom website for parents. These podcasts will contain important annoucements and updates from the classroom. I am so excited to use both podcasts and vidcasts to enhance my teaching.

I really enjoyed this week''s video. I am such a fan of blogging. I think it is so important that students blog. Blogging allows students to be creative and express themselves. Blogging is also a great way for students to develop writing and reading skills. But the most important thing that i believe students gain from blogging is self-confidence. I plan to incorporate blogging into my classroom.