A Classroom Library

This post is about pod-casting and it's use in the educational process. pod-casting is the act of creating an audio file to be shared on the Internet. Those that download the podcast can listen to it on their computer or MP3 player. Most content for these pod-casts are designed for a specific audience in mind. The content is geared around a topic such as a television show or hobby. It is a great way to reach a niche group of people. Educators could use this technology to post lectures for students to listen to at their leisure. This would allow them to slow down the lecture to be able to take better notes for class. I am going to be a social studies teacher and could use this technology to record and share interviews with people that either know or have made history, giving students access to stories they may have never heard.

I recently experimented with make my own podcast. You can download it at: https://oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/user/rogwilli/emerging tech1.m4a I made this podcast using Garage Band on my apple computer. Garageband is a great piece of software for creating a podcast. It has many features designed just for this purpose. The editing tools are very simple to use. It gives you a visual image of sound waves, which makes it very easy to see where your "uhms" are and edit them out. Garageband also has several filters to apply to your file that change the pitch and tone of your voice. These are great if you are an extremely creative person.

I highly suggest anyone interesting in pod-casting to first come up with a very specific topic and audience you are wishing to reach with your cast. This technology should not be used to rant about your job, what you had for lunch or just bought at the grocery store. I would suggests getting a Twitter account for that. But if you have laser focus on a topic that you feel a group of people may be interested in than pod-casting is the tool for you.