After reviewing the article I know for a fact that I will incorporate podcasting into my lessons and plans for my students. Creating a podcast for audio and/or video can be very beneficial to us as educators and the students. Most schools have document projectors called Promethean boards that allow you to show documents so that students can see on a projector or link computers to show videos. But notice, I said that they are provided only in the school. After experimenting and creating my own podcast for this technology project, it dawned on me that this is a digital way of what is already practiced in the classroom so that students and authorized users can access all the information they need on the web right at their fingertips. Educators that are not familiar with the different possibilities of the use of podcasting are truly missing out on how it can develop an interaction with both the teacher and students. I look at it this way, most students are connected to social networks, so, they are in to the posting of videos and audios that they have an interest in. Why can't educators connect that interest of that particular digital era with their classroom assignments and projects. Youtube is the most popular hosting site of video posting, so if students knew that their teacher created an opportunity to create a video for a project, I'm sure that students will be intrigued with that experience. Especially if it's something that takes them away from writing an actual paper.
I will integrate podcasting into my classroom by providing a recording of class lectures for lecture review for some students that may have missed an actual day of class or need another reference to study for an upcoming exam. Also, create videos that demonstrate examples of an assignment that some may need additional help with, especially if it is given over a weekend and I'm not available to assist. But more importantly give the students opportunities to create audio or video reports and presentations over a topic that is assigned. Some may say that podcasting takes the hard work out of a class or allows students to lack in responsibility if provided with audio notes and video demonstrations. But I say that there is always going to be a downfall when using new materials such as podcasting in the classroom, however, if a podcast is created for lecture review, students could take it as beneficial if they didn't catch what the instructor was saying or possibly did not comprehend and understand how the instructor presented it. Therefore, students could rewind and review over those parts and grasp the concept that they might have missed. Some instructors speak very fast and as a student when taking notes, it may be hard to follow along, so podcasting could fill in those gaps. After all, we are providing tools to help students benefit and learn, not bring them down and make them feel discouraged for failing.
My thoughts on the future of podcasting in education is very simple. It is a tool that should be attempted or actually be used in the classroom. Podcasting has a great amount of possibilities that students and teachers will gain. It will definitely make learning a lot more fun and engaging just by stepping out of the traditional element of teaching. There are so many different ways that it could be used in the classrooms if incorporated in every subject. Some subjects require reading, research, applying fundamentals after modeling, etc. So if podcasting is incorporated, there can be daily or weekly postings done by the teacher or students of projects, reviews, presentations, and demonstrations. Overall, it is a wonderful idea that is archived and saved on a website that can be accessed right at your fingertips. I know that if I had a scenario where I forgot to cover material on a particular day, I could post an episode where my students could listen and review it right away. Collaboration with students amongst themselves if creating a group podcasting can develop understanding of different perspectives and standpoints then teach them how to relate their findings to facilitate and understanding of knowledge.
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