Podcasts and Avatars!

This week we explored podcasts/vodcasts, digital storytelling and social-sharing. All seemed amazing resources that have fantastic applications to teaching, all with many platforms that provide a variety of formats to suit your needs. Today I have decided to focus on pod/vodcasting.

Podcasting

When considering  podcasts  for in education, it is basically an audiofile. From a traditional web 1.0 perspective, podcasts can be used as a passive transmissive learning resource. In the classroom, this could be in the form of downloading podcasts on a particular topic that student's can then listen to. From a web 2.0 perspective, podcasts give students a voice with a world-wide audience (if appropriate). Because podcasts can be shared, they provide an authentic learning experience, as well as allowing students a chance to reflect on the way they may present their views, and to develop oral language skills. They can also be used as an authentic diagnostic or summative assessment tool for teachers. The DET has a fantastic section on podcasts in the classroom; Podcasts in the Classroom.


So what about safety? The great thing about podcasts is that they are audio only, so allow anonymity. In order to engage students further, there are many sites offering avatars, technically turning your podcast into a vodcast. Students can use a pre-programmed voice and enter text, or record themselves, which is then combined with a visual character to represent the student. Blabberise and Voki are two such sites. Personally, I think that Voki is an amazing resource, as they have an online community of teachers who upload and share lesson plans that they found successful using Vokis. In addition, Voki provides a range of other resources for educators.


As we all know in education, there is nothing quite like trying something for yourself. So here we go, check out my Voki, talking about Vokis in education. Was a lot of fun!