Podcasts

It was interesting to see how people use podcasts to share and collaborate information and ideas. I previously had never heard a podcast, but now understand that this is a very important tool being used by people today. I listened to several podcasts and I was surprised to hear commercials and introductions to music during some of them. I believe that this is a great way for people that have similar interests to discuss topics.

The first podcast that I listened to was the SmartBoard Lessons Podcast "Not 150 Yet". It was a great one to start with because they are reviewing and discussing past podcasts. In this particular podcast the hosts did separate mini-podcasts. It started with Ben Hazzard speaking and he talked about how podcasts a link for people that are like-minded and help them to share and learn together. He told about his favorite podcast and how it was the first time that he realized the power that podcasts have. I liked the way that he described how the podcast feels like a community and many times you can describe them as "edutainment" podcasts. The other host on this podcast was Joan Badger. She talked about her favorite podcast being one that about a running competition between her and Ben. She beat him twice. She also discussed her favorite link that they added and it was "Buzzword". She said that it was put out by Adobe and it allows people to share files and their desktop. I listened to another SmartBoard Lessons Podcast #142. Ben and Joan were talking at the same time and with each other in this podcast. They discussed great links and Cross Classroom Collaboration. They were both podcasting from their homes and discussed the website that Ben had created during the summer for Graduate school. It was a website for teachers to connect to one another and share ideas. The website is teachersconnecting.com. I really like the way that Ben described podcasts as Radio on Demand. I think this is a great to explain them.

Another podcast that I listened to was Kidcast:Leaning and Teaching with Podcasting. The speaker in this podcast is Dan Schmit. He discussed how he had recently searched for student content online in podcasts and the only examples he found were about the act of creating a podcast and not exploring topics. He explained that he thought it was great that they know the technical aspect, but it would be better if they use it to extend academic conversations. He suggested for teachers to help students "brainstorm" and create questions about a topic that create a spark in students. Then, this gives them a reason to create a podcast that they can elaborate and collaborate together about questions they have.

The EdTech Talk Podcast #79 "Lectures and Discussions" was hosted by Curtis Bonk and Steve Kossakowski. They selected guests to speak that had e-mailed them prior to the show. The guests on this podcast were Dave Cormier, Jeff Lebow, and Jennifer Maddrell. I thought it was interesting that they spoke live, but added links and looked at links as they talked. They discussed alternative to traditional textbooks and how online education will affect how people are educated around the world. One of the speaker noted how some people do not want to open the classroom because of new problems that we will face. The personal needs of the teachers, students, and parents will change. There will be a new safety issue and teachers will feel like someone is always looking over their shoulder. They said that their will have to be a huge shift for this to take place and it will be a very big change for education.

The last two podcasts that I listened to were about Photography and Technical issues. This Week in Photography "TWiP" #67 (Showing Off Your Assets) had speakers Alex Lindsay and Scott Bourne. They discussed software development for cameras, political photography, nature photography, and apertures. They talked about how Facebook is the number One way to share photos online. Another thing they mentioned was how "Twitter" is a great way share and find ideas for locations of great places to photograph. They had guest speakers that were photographers that were discussing how they choose to share their own photographs. It was funny to hear them talk about pictures that they were finding and looking at during the show. The MacBreak Weekly podcast #126 "La-la-la-Leo" was five people discussing Technical issues. The speakers were Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Andy Ihnatko, Scott Bourne (Also in the TWip podcast), and Frederick Van Johnson. They discussed items such as cameras, laptops, desktops, software, and more. They talked about which were the most frequently used and gave tips on certain ideas they had.

Overall, this was very interesting. It was amazing for me to see how many different people podcast and what they share with others. I definitely have a better understanding of how podcasts are created and how people can use this wonderful technology.