I've listened to podcasts for the last few years but nothing too extensive, mostly personal interest related podcasts on road trips to fight boredom while driving long distances. As I was reviewing the iTunes Essentials podcasts I discovered the How Stuff Works series of podcasts. The series contains informational podcasts in 14 categories ranging from "Brain Stuff" (short podcasts related to natural science) to "Tech Stuff" (simplifying technology and discussing its role in modern culture) to "Stuff You Missed in History Class" (about important, but not very well known, historical events) These podcasts can be used as a resource for students when researching a topic. Some of the podcasts include video, which classroom teachers could easily share with his/her class. For example, "The Coolest Stuff on the Planet" is a video podcast profiling famous locations, destinations, and historic attractions around the globe. It's a fantastic resource for any Social Studies class.
The iTunes search field makes it easy to narrow results when looking for podcasts about specific topics. Just type a keyword into the search field (the same field you would search for a song). Then, from the menu that appears, select podcast. (Or iTunes U). Your search will return specific podcasts. For many students and teachers this will be an entirely new way to find resources. Using this search method I found an interesting video in iTunes U about quipu, the Incan tradition of knot tying as a method of record keeping. I was able to share this with my Social Studies class as we studied South American history. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/incas-and-their-knots/id380228567?i=84484802&mt=2
For younger students I see podcasting as providing a new, novel source of information for a research topic. Perhaps this source provides more detailed information than what they might find in the ubiquitous Google search, even if they need headphones.
Looking at podcasts from the other end, as a producer, I’m unsure podcasting can be useful to my grade and content area. I’m a 6th grade Social Studies teacher in a public K-12 system so I’m mostly concerned with content literacy. I don’t see how having 11 year old students create podcasts by reading from a script about a given social studies topic will help them learn more than reading the same material either during class or on their own. For instance I don’t believe these 5th graders in Mr. Coley’s class [as referenced by Richardson (2010)]created the scripts for this podcast. This is a scenario where a teacher simply had his students record their reading from a textbook. I’m sure it made their parents proud though. “That’s our little boy reading on the internet!” This is not meant to disrespect Mr. Coley. I found his ideas about using flowchart notes very useful. It's too bad Mr. Coley decided to go into administration. He seemed like a great teacher.
In my grade level and content area, podcasts are most useful as a source, not as an activity.
The iTunes search field makes it easy to narrow results when looking for podcasts about specific topics. Just type a keyword into the search field (the same field you would search for a song). Then, from the menu that appears, select podcast. (Or iTunes U). Your search will return specific podcasts. For many students and teachers this will be an entirely new way to find resources. Using this search method I found an interesting video in iTunes U about quipu, the Incan tradition of knot tying as a method of record keeping. I was able to share this with my Social Studies class as we studied South American history. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/incas-and-their-knots/id380228567?i=84484802&mt=2
For younger students I see podcasting as providing a new, novel source of information for a research topic. Perhaps this source provides more detailed information than what they might find in the ubiquitous Google search, even if they need headphones.
Looking at podcasts from the other end, as a producer, I’m unsure podcasting can be useful to my grade and content area. I’m a 6th grade Social Studies teacher in a public K-12 system so I’m mostly concerned with content literacy. I don’t see how having 11 year old students create podcasts by reading from a script about a given social studies topic will help them learn more than reading the same material either during class or on their own. For instance I don’t believe these 5th graders in Mr. Coley’s class [as referenced by Richardson (2010)]created the scripts for this podcast. This is a scenario where a teacher simply had his students record their reading from a textbook. I’m sure it made their parents proud though. “That’s our little boy reading on the internet!” This is not meant to disrespect Mr. Coley. I found his ideas about using flowchart notes very useful. It's too bad Mr. Coley decided to go into administration. He seemed like a great teacher.
In my grade level and content area, podcasts are most useful as a source, not as an activity.