Podcasting is a new method of communication allowing anyone to create audio files and post them to the Internet for others to download and listen to at any time. These audio files can be downloaded to a personal computer or handheld device such as an iPod. Podcasting has rapidly become a new medium for both commercial and home-grown talk shows on multiple subjects. The relative ease of production and low costs associated with the making of a Podcast has opened this new medium to the masses. Our students today are all now native speakers of the digital language of computers and the internet. It was only a matter of time that this medium will reach the classroom. The potential of podcasts as a teaching tool is limitless, so much so that there are fears that it can replace the teacher in the classroom. This of course will not happen, not under my watch at least. Mark Prensky describes teachers as “digital immigrants” who speak an entirely different and outdated language and who are struggling to speak an entirely new language. Well some teachers do behave as though it is impossible to learn this new language and some, who have learnt the language, lose it because of lack of practice. Well Mark I am proud to say to you that I am comfortably "bilingual"
Monday, August 2, 2010
Podcasts: The New Teacher
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I remember downloading podcasts to itunes and listening to them. It interesting how this works as students spend a lot of time on itunes listening to music. Imagine giving them the opportunity to explore podcasts that you have already downloaded and left in the library? Students can listen to well articulated stories which can assist them with listening, speaking and writing skills.They can do this at the click of a mouse and explore stories that interest them.They can also experiment with making their own podcasts which will further develop their writing skills.Since the computer language has already become part and parcel of everyday life where a mouse is no longer thought of as a rodent but as a computer part, we can be sure that anything technology based will arouse some curiosity in the students we seek to assist.
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