What is a podcast?  A podcast is a digital audio file (usually MP3 or AAC) made available for download on the internet through an RSS 2.0 feed. The web address of the media file is contained in the enclosure tag of an item in the XML file.
 

Roscoe considers recording a podcast - (Flickr Photo)

Roscoe might not be an eloquent speaker but I did discover some elementary students that have an excellent podcast at Willowdale Elementary.  This is a podcast by kids for kids.

Willowdale Elementary Podcasts

Using the Grazr widget, I initially clicked on the “By Students” folder which opened up to several podcast items.  I selected Willow Web to explore.  I noticed that there were several podcasts from elementary students over the past 3 years.  I listened to the first “Willowcast” as second grade students discussed several items.  The students introduced us to a Nutrition website for kids.  You could hear in their voices the excitement of visiting this site to play the different food games.  Users can match foods to food groups, make milk shakes online without the mess and learn all about nutrition.  The kids also gave a riddle and read a poem along with some other facts about dogs and presidents.  Did you know that President George Washington’s favorite food was ice cream?  Who doesn’t like that!

Kids teaching kids.  This is appealing to many kids as they are interested in the things that interest their peers.  Using kids to summarize classroom instruction into a fun podcast for others to share is an excellent way to reach beyond the classroom.  The learning becomes more personal for this group of students as they share it with others.  As a teacher, your influence can be tremendous utilizing this tool.

At first, it was a little difficult to quickly find the subscribe button but did find a link to their website where a XML button led me to a screen where one could subscribe to the podcasts.  As any new tool, becoming familiar with the mechanics of how it works is always important in order to fully utilize its potential.

Another excellent series of podcasts is located in the “For Educators” folder.  A physics and a Spanish teacher talk about “everything” in this series of podcasts.  They call their show “The Tech Teachers Show.”  They talk about things from xboxes, favorite websites, browsers, cell phones, showing videos in the classroom to after school activities, accepting late homework, burning DVD’s, and using web 2.0 tools.

The value of podcasting as a classroom tool includes the creation of original content and making it available to others in audio format.  It allows students to share learning experiences and can be accessed at times of convenience by others.  The disadvantage of using this tool in many classrooms is usually due to firewalls blocking the delivery of the content due to bandwidth issues. 

EXCELLENT PODCAST RESOURCES:

How To Podcast - Free step by step tutorial on how to podcast.
Podcast Glossary - List of podcasting terms and their meanings.
School of Podcasting – Tutorials, live training and resources. 
Podcasting in the Classroom – Who is podcasting and How?
EPN Education Podcast Network - Bringing together into one place podcast programming.
Learning In Hand – Creative Commons License Podcasting from all students all over the world.
Poducate Me – Why Podcast in Education?
ED-Cast - Higher Education Podcast Repository
Learn Out Loud – Browse over 15,000 educational audio books, MP3 downloads, podcasts, and videos.
Podcasts in the Classroom - Department of Education and Training.
Radio National Podcasts – Educational Podcasts.
ABC EdPOD – Education Issues for educators and parents.

Software for Creating MP3 files for Podcasts:

AUDACITY – Free Recording Software to make audio files.  This is portable version.
LAME MP3 Encoder -  Download this file and place it in the Audacity folder to Encode MP3 Files.

Podcasting Schematic