Podcasting has many uses in the school library:
- Sharing school news, school board meetings, and library events.
- Promoting the library: storytelling, the library newsletter, book talks, book reviews, reading programs, and announcing new additions to the collection.
- Student-created podcasts to share their research, interviews, field trips, and creative writing.
- As a mobile library orientation, where students listen to a MP3 player and walk through the different areas of the library described in the podcast.
- Professional development, used as equipment / services tutorials, copyright discussions, and more.
I'd recommend playing around and experimenting with podcasts; try out different microphones and audio/video editors, play with sound effects and music, and try different venues for publication (YouTube, iTunes, DoubleTwist.)
Nancy Hart
With all of the great intuitive ideas for using pod-casts in the classroom I think one thing a lot of people are not touching on as much is the advantage of using it for projecting important information like you stated above with the school closings. I know just recently after visiting my child’s school website they had already posted pertinent information about the weather and school closings. This is a great way to reach a large audience and gives the creator the freedom to voice other types of information that is specific to their school. I think it is a more creative and interesting way to spread the news and can be uploaded very quickly. I don’t know if this is possible but it would also be nice to have these pod-casts linked in to parent’s e-mail address or mobile phone number so that an alert could be sent out telling people to tune into the website for important information.
ReplyDeleteYou listed a lot of great ideas for using podcasts in the media center and for school use. I think having these podcasts attached to a school website would be very useful to parents. I sit in parent meetings and I hear them say they check the school website constantly. This would give parents up-to-date information about the school as well as what is going on in the library. I also think it's a great idea to try and link podcast to parent e-mails. What great information to have at their fingertips!
ReplyDeleteThose are some great ideas Nancy! You highlight some of the major ways that podcasts can be used for the media center. Podcasts are becoming a common tool for schools and as you mentioned, some can be downright entertaining! Sharing news and other events with the school and community using a podcast can help to illuminate what is being done in the media center. Seeing a podcast about the newest books may encourage students to come in and check them out, while a podcast reminding students about overdue books could help out the media specialist!!!
ReplyDeleteI have seen student usage of podcast as well and I think that they are a great way to get students involved, especially the shy ones that don't care for live performances! At least with a podcast, if they don't like how it turned out, they can do it again!