Thing #17

Prior to beginning Thing #17, I had some knowledge of podcasts. My husband and I often download podcasts of sermons we want to listen to on our Ipods; however, I have never used podcasts in the classroom. I have to admit, for the sake of honesty, that I was a little disappointed with my podcast searches for this thing. I got really excited when I saw the podcast directories that were available, as I have only ever used iTunes. I tried several of the directories. One of the first ones I used was Education Podcast Network. I was completely confident that I would find some things here that could be used in my classroom. Unfortunately, I just found myself a bit disappointed. I found a couple of things that were interesting to me, but nothing I could just take right into my classroom. I subscribed to Just One More Book and Book Voyages. These are both sites that review and recommend children's books. Some of the books are definitely geared more for younger kids but some can crossover to older grades. I am a fan of using children's books to teach my sixth graders certain concepts and they seem to be, too!! Who doesn't love them? This will just expand my knowledge of books and will be a helpful resource when I am looking for books to use in class. I also tried the PodcastDirectory. I didn't find anything of value on this site for me. I really enjoyed exploring some of the educational podcasts. I LOVED the Jamestown Elementary School podcasts! I was fascinated by what the 2nd graders had done. These kids created podcasts to go along with a slideshow of famous Americans they studied. They were fabulous! This got the wheels turning in my head. My students could create podcasts to do book reviews or various other projects. So, while I was disappointed with my findings on the directories, I am not disappointed with the possibility of using podcasts in my class. I am sure with more time searching I can also find podcasts that will be of value to me.