A podacst is a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar programme, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player. People create podcasts on many subjects ranging from movies, to technology, to music and politics. You can listen to podcasts on anything that plays MP3s. At the core a podcast is an audio file that is automatically received from the internet and then synced to your MP3 player. The files are received by subscribing to what's called a podcast feed (RSS feed). Orden (2008) has likened podcasts to magazines, whereby once you have subscribed, you keep receiving the next editions.
You can rewind a podcast. You can play it over and over. You can pause it. You can store it wherever you want. You can delete it when you want. Podcasts give you the control and flexibility, and for these reasons they can be ideal for use in the classroom. It allows the LM to check the value of any podcast and in doing so plan how to best use the information within.
I found this vodcast in Animal Planet on itunes. Worm composting would have been ideal to show my prep students last year, as we had one just like this. It could be used before introducing the real thing to help students understand the new information. It could be re-played and paused at salient moments for teacher elaboration of the process, and any literacy opportunities when the typed text is on the screen. The visuals of a vodcast is more engaging for the prep students, although storytelling through podcast can also engage young students.
References
Orden, J. (2008). How to podcast. Retrieved from
http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/what-is-a-podcast.htm
Worm composting retrieved from http://www.discovery.com/radio/xml/planetgreen.xml
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