Podcasting

It has been found that many students are reading in school and for school assignments but not independently. Kajder suggests that in order for students to develop an interest in reading they must be given opportunities to engage with books and literature. Podcasts provide students with this very opportunity. Through podcasting students are given an opportunity for authentic learning and engagement. Podcasts that are posted on classroom websites can be viewed by anyone that has access to the website.
Podcasts are beneficial to both student and teacher. It is often difficult for a teacher to be in every literary discussion at all times. The creation of a podcast allows the teacher to hear all that students have to say about the piece and all the questions that the students may have. The information that can be gleaned from a podcast can influence further literary instruction. Podcasting encourages students to evaluate their own and their peers’ work. Additionally, students are provided with the challenge of “editing recorded texts, selecting what will be included in a finished product, splicing content so that it clearly conveys intended meaning, and polishing presentation by framing the podcast with introductory and closing content” (2007, p. 221). If podcasts are implemented appropriately into a classroom they can provide many benefits to student learning and literary engagement.
Kajder states that there are three ideas to consider when incorporating podcasting into classroom instruction. First, the “students are creating a literacy artifact” and due the electronic medium of podcasting students are easily able to edit and modify their artifact (Kajder, 2007, p. 222). Second, podcasting and other activities like it provide teachers with a window into their students learning (Kajder, 2007). Last, like portfolios, podcasting encourages students to “explore and evaluate their progress across tasks in a course” (Kajder, 2007, p. 222). In addition to these three points there is one more thing to consider before implementing podcasting into your classroom. While there are many benefits to podcasting, to fully utilize those benefits teachers and students must have access and understanding in the use of a computer with a microphone, a device to do the recording, an audio editing program and a website. When podcasting is correctly implemented into literary activities there is the possibility for increased student engagement and increased student learning.
Kajder, S. B. (2007). Unleashing potential with emerging technologies. Adolescent Literacy, 213-229.