Podcasts

I have been subscribing to a podcast for years through itunes. I have been listening to a radio show that I love from Philadelphia. It is one of the things I miss from my hometown, and now thanks to pocasting, I can listen to the show every day.

I had never really thought about using podcasts in the classroom, but now that I have started to think about it, I think it could be a really great tool to implement into the curriculum. It can be used in all subjects and for many different reasons. I like the idea of the students reciting their own poetry via podcast. The students could also create tutorials for math procedures, explain science concepts, or give out book recommendations.

It would be truly great if on the school website or on the classroom wiki, you could download the podcasts for parents to hear at home. They would be able to hear what their children are learning.

I was wondering if this was something that teachers use if they know that they will be out for a day. Do teachers leave instructions for their class via podcast that the substitute teacher could play?

What are your thoughts on using podcasts in the classroom?

Using Video with Kiddies

So I am about to start my second practicum unit, which involves the end result being a video documentary on different animal adaptations. I love the idea, but am very nervous about it. I have some, shall we say, "rambunctious" children in my class, and I am worried about the quality that I am going to get. I think I am going to ask some parent volunteers to come in and help film, but does anyone have any suggestions on managing 25 4th graders creating a video documentary?