Podcast, Vidcast.........

What?
This week we are learning about Podcast & Vidcasts, & how to make and apply them.

So what?
I knew what podcast & vidcasts were before this week, but I didn't really know how easy they were to make! I feel that as teachers, we can use these tools very effectively in education. We can create podcast of our lessons and put them up on a site for students if they miss class, or even just to their benefit for study purposes. If you want the class to hear specific instructions on a particular assignment or walk them through how to workout a problem, make a podcast on put it on your site. Also, I feel that as a music educator, vidcasts could come in very handy. I can make a vidcast on demonstrating how to properly clean your instrument, or how to just do basic maintenance. This way, when students are at home, they can watch them and learn how to do basic maintenance on their own instruments and save them some money.
As a student now, I could make podcast of classes that I am in if I want to re-listen to a lesson later on while I am studying. Or even just to make myself notes or leave myself voice memos. Again, very effective tools if learned how to use properly.

Now what?
For my future students, I feel that this technology can benefit them greatly, when used properly. Other than the things I have already mentioned, I feel that I can use this technology to record rehearsals if needed so that students can go home & listen to these rehearsals to see where they need improvement & then the ensemble can benefit as a whole. Also, my future colleagues and I can also use this technology to share information when we go to seminars and possibly attend different classes. Then we can share information and get more out of the classes we attended.

Video Reflection
Why Let Our Students Blog?
Educators need to realize that our students our digital learners. By letting our students blog, we are allowing them to work in their digital realm. It well help our students remain engaged and help them reflect on what they learned that day. By actually having our students do something, versus hoping that they reflect on the assignment sometime after they leave your classroom is a benefit to our students. BY blogging, they will actually jog their memory and reflect on the class that they had this day. This will help them long-term, Hopefully, help them realize that by reflecting on their daily classes, will help them retain information & hopefully become better students. It also gives them a sense of ownership & control. Since they are the ones that have access to their blogs & control what goes into them.