Thing 14

My husband and I are very familiar with podcasts and enjoy them very much. My husband works a lot of weekends so we have subscribed to Pastor Greg Laurie's podcasts and receive them through i-tunes. It gives him a chance to listen to a sermon on the way to work via his ipod.

To be honest I never really gave much thought about using podcasts in the classroom. After reading the article, Professor Studies Podcasts Effects On Learning, I can't help but think what a wonderful tool it might be on a number of different levels. As a graduate student I can see how I would benefit from a lecture on a podcast. So often I find myself missing important information. It would be so helpful to go home and listen to a lecture again....and again if needed. As a parent (who will have a child in school before I know it) I can see that it would be nice for teachers to have podcasts of various lectures. It would help me to know what was going on in the classroom and therefore better assist my child in the learning process.

As a teacher I found a few sites with podcasts that I thoroughly enjoyed and hope to use in the classroom. First Book Podcasts allowed me to listen to various authors of children's books. Many times throughout the year we have author studies. This would be a great way for my students to learn about the authors being studied. They could listen to the author speak about his/her book and find out interesting facts about his/her personal life. Another site I enjoyed was Storynory. This was a site that allows children to listen to stories via podcasts. It got me thinking that I could do this. I could take a story we were reading and make my own podcasts. Students could listen to it during centers or at home with families.