Entry 3- podcast

According to searchunifiedcommunications.techtarget.com a podcasting is "the preparation and distribution of audio files using RSS to the computers of subscribed users" (http://searchunifiedcommunications.techtarget.com/definition/podcasting). Files are uploaded to computers or digital music players as podcasts. These informative audio blogs allow information to be distributed and listened to easily and conveniently. Podcasts can be saved and listened to whenever and where ever according to the convenience of the downloader. Most podcasts are free and can be downloaded from sites like iTunes for the iPod digital mp3 player.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15319336@N07/2060971197/ -- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

When making my own podcast, I thought a really great way to use the technology would be a weekly homework reminder distributed on Friday afternoon after school let out. This way teachers could distribute the next weeks homework in one easy step, and students would have a heads-up about what the next week had in store. They also would be a great resource for parents whose children might forget to write down the weekend's homework assignment. Making a new podcast every day seems over-the-top so a weekly homework reminder would serve as a convenience to both the teacher and the students. Because podcasts are so easy to make using ipadio.com (as shown below) any teacher could add the file to her class blog or website without problem.

It's easy to see all of the pros about using podcasts in the classroom. They're informative, helpful, and convenient. However, some problems could arise. Technology often times fails, so if the computer system went down or was being worked on, a weekly homework podcast might not be able to happen. Also, many families don't have a computer or time to access one at a local library, so even though it would be helpful for many students, for others it might be more burdensome than anything. Even though some problems may exist, I still believe the pros outweigh the cons. A podcast is a great example of how technology can be used conveniently and effectively in a classroom