Journal 4

"Building a Better Podcast" by Matt Villano

This article discusses how many educators today are using iPods and a variety of other tools to increase student learning through the use of podcasting, an activity based on digital file sharing. But it is not the use of podcasts that is the issue here, it is the making of podcasts with official academic value that can be troublesome for educators. Fortunately, there are ways in which educators can prepare their students to create good podcasts. This can be done through creating a standard lesson for students to prevent content in a podcast that simply rambles on and is rather difficult for others to follow. Like a paper and a speech, podcasts also require a beginning, middle, and end. Preparation is key to a better podcast, because it enables students to take baby steps to the finished product, through research and working together with their peers. Not only does preparation allow for better podcast making, it also allows students to focus more on the content of their work and they are more likely to spend more time learning about a specific topic than tackling the technological aspects of podcasting. But there is more to podcasting than preparing for one, sound and editing must also be taken into consideration, because without either of these, creating a better podcast may be difficult to achieve.

Questions:
1. Would you use podcasting in your own classroom?
As of right now, I do not think that I would use podcasting in my own classroom, because I am not that familiar with this type of media/file sharing. However, because it seems to be an up and coming feature in the digital world, I imagine that it won't be too long before I learn more about it and experience more with podcasting. Despite the fact that I am not as familiar with podcasting as I would like to be, I think it is a great way to have students work together and create media-based files that they can share with other students.

2. Do you think podcasting is a good way to supplement lessons in a classroom?
I do think that podcasting is a great way to add to lesson plans, because it seems as though students would be more willing to learn with podcasts rather than strictly teacher-student lecturing. And just as the article mentions, teachers can record class lectures to create podcasts for students that may have missed classes due to illness. Such podcasts can prevent students who miss class from falling behind, which can be beneficial for everyone in a number of ways.