Chapter 8: Podcasting, Video, Screencasting, and Live Streaming

There are many things about our schools and society that are quite different from the way it was for my parents growing up. A major difference is computers and with those computers comes the internet. The internet brings lots of new things, and most of these things can be brought into the classroom. In chapter 8, it talks about podcasting, and using video and screencasting to enhance one's learning. Students of all ages can use these tools to help them learn.

Elementary students can use podcasting to reenact a scene from a book they just read, or to explain how to do something they just learned. Middle school students can use them to create public service announcements and to keep others informed of current issues either in the school or in the news. High Schoolers can use for the same reasons as the last two but with music and more added effects. College students or businesses can use them to keep people informed about what is going on at their school or company. Video, like skype (which is an example of live streaming), can be used to bring culture into the classroom that may be miles or countries away. A relatively new tool, Screencasting can be used to annotate work, create internet tours, explain math problems step by step, or show your friends how to use new tools on the internet. Recently, our professor attached a screencast to an assignment telling us how to attempt/complete it. Imagine how much easier it would be too show people how to do things via the internet instead of trying to explain it in an email.

This information all seems so interesting. There are three very important things that make them possible though: a computer, some sort of video camera, and a microphone. Now I know for me, a microphone and video camera are built right into my laptop for no extra charge. I assume that all computers being sold now adays have that as well, but I wonder what it is like to do these things on the old computers? Do you have to attach a microphone and a camera?

I look forward to looking through my research to learn more about these. I think they all can be very beneficial to the classroom and I'm exciting to learn how to use them!