Although I have personally done very little with a podcasting, I would be more than willing to assist a teacher that approached me to start a podcast. The first thing I would do would be to relate to the teacher the amount of exposure I have had to podcasting. I would explain that I have been following music podcasts for years, but I have only just recently created a podcast of my own while pursing my media specialist certification. The first step I would take would be to discuss with the teacher what the intended use of the podcast is in order to get an idea about format. For example, does the teacher want their podcast to be audio only, pictures with audio, or audio with video? Additionally, how does the teacher plan on linking their podcast to a personal blog, class webpage, school website, or does the teacher want to burn it to a CD for distribution? The answer to all of these questions would help to guide my research for resources.
In an effort to get this teacher started immediately, I would introduce them to Camtasia, the software that I use for my podcast, and provide them with a copy of the powerpoint tutorial that my professor had created. Although Camtasia is a relatively expensive fee based software, it will allow the teacher to sign up for a free 30-day trial. This trial period will give the teacher immediate access to Camtasia and the powerpoint should provide enough training to assist with their learning curve. Furthermore, because I have used Camtasia before, I should be able to lend support and answer any questions the teacher may have. I would then explain to the teacher that I would use the next 30 days to research various options and software that could be utilized for podcasting that would not require such a costly financial investment as Camtasia, such as Audacity.
As a media specialist, I would be more than willing to help out any teacher that came to me with a question. Even if the question involves material that I am unfamiliar with, I would still try to assist the teacher by researching the topic or directing them to a more experienced individual. By taking the time to research any given technology topic or sitting in while the technology support persons trains the teacher I am not increasing my own personal technology knowledge, but I am also increasing the amount of technology support I am able to lend the students and staff of my school. With the recent budget cuts in education the technological role of the media specialist has increased greatly. As a result, many schools consider the media specialist the first line of defense when dealing with instructional technology questions. Since technology should be introduced into a lesson whenever possible, the media specialist can provide instruction to all teachers by designing and implementing an in-service that demonstrates how to thoroughly use an instructional technology.
The uses for podcasts within my school are nearly infinite. Media specialist at all grade levels could utilize podcasts. If the media specialist is servicing an elementary school, they can link podcasts of them reading popular or themed books to the media center blog for viewing both within the classroom and at home. At the middle to high school level, the school library media specialist can assist teachers in creating a “real-life” project involving technology by engaging students in creating their own podcasts as an alternative to the standard PowerPoint. Additionally, the media specialist can create a podcast as a method of implementing an in-service that could be accessed through the media center webpage at all hours. Teachers at all grade levels could utilize podcasts linked to their classroom blog as a way of introducing a new unit to both the students and parents alike. In my opinion, this is a recent technology that has not yet been completely tapped of it’s instructional capabilities.
I agree that podcasts are useful for teachers and students in all grade levels. Teachers can create podcasts to take students on virtual feildtrips using photograps, music, and information about the location. In this manner teachers can expose students to a wide variety of places in any continent or historical time period. Digital Story telling is another great use of podcasts. These can be created (with varying levels of assistance) by fairly young students. (I am reminded of the commercial showing an adorable 6 year old using photo-sharing software.)
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to add that I think having the IT person or media specialist create a podcast to use for in-service training is a fantastic idea. In my county they have taken IT professionals out of the elementary schools, and these responsibilities are given to the media specialist. How helpful would it be for the current IT pros that remain to create podcasts that can be used throughout the county in schools without this resource! I would love to have a video guide for myself and to share with the teachers.
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