Podcasting in the Media Center
With the introduction of blogging
and Apple’s iPod came the term, podcast.
It is an automatic, easy way to deliver audio and video content to users. There are numerous uses of sharing audio and
video content and this is no exception for the media center.
Making podcasts of booktalks is a
great way to showcase new library materials and get students excited about new
books and upcoming book fairs. It is
difficult to schedule every class to visit the media center before a fair, and
yet recording a podcast to the library website or showing the podcast through
the school’s TV news program are great ways to reach all students.
Interactive displays utilizing video
podcasts would be an exciting way to highlight the library’s use of
technology. I can envision an elaborate
display of themed books with a computer screen in the middle, looping a podcast
describing the elements of the display.
Podcasts can be used for library
education; recording lessons or sharing supplemental material to accompany what
was previously learned.
Podcasts can also be used to
communicate with the school community, posting links to the school newsletter
or website. They can be used to inform
the community about upcoming events, new resources, missions, or to promote the
library in general.
I like the idea of giving a tour of
the library through a video podcast.
Viewers can visually see the updated information and stay up to date
with new, exciting events and programs the library has to offer.
The many benefits of podcasting
include the efficient and inexpensive equipment necessary for recording. Microphones and webcams are very inexpensive
these days and recording software can be downloaded from the internet for
free. Some other suggestions for podcast
use in the classroom include; making a class news show, recording foreign
language communication practice, and pretend radio shows to showcase knowledge
of learned history.
Whether the podcast is audio or if
it incorporates video, the resources available are very easy to access and
use. Media specialists may utilize
podcasts for their own library website and needs or involve students by
incorporating podcasts into library lessons and presentations.
- Mary Elfers (student 1)
I love the idea of using podcasts to do booktalks, and show them on the school news program. That is a great way to promote the media center and reach the entire school. Especially at the middle and high school level, when media specialists do not regularly see classes. It's a great way to promote new books, and engage students in reading.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first year being a media specialst, so I got a little bit overexcited when it came to ordering new books because the school hasn't gotten any new ones in over two years. Your post gave me the idea of doing a "Reading Rainbow" type podcast where students do a quick review of the new books coming in to the library and make recommendations to their peers. We can show the podcasts on the computers in the media center, post them on the media center's website, or show them at the end of our morning news program.
ReplyDeleteYou bring out some great uses for using podcasts. I especially like the booktalk idea and the tour of the media center. Using the podcast as a tour of the media center would be very helpful to new students or younger students who have "forgotten" information over the summer. Classroom teachers could show the podcast in their classroom which would lend itself to students being able to spend more time in the media center and cutting out some of the "orientation" at the beginning of the year. Allowing students to make podcasts as booktalks would also be a wonderful way to incorporate many of the new CCGPS.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned several great ways to use podcasts in the media center! I think podcasts can be a very useful tool. I teach language arts and love the idea of students completing a booktalk through a podcast. This would also help incorporate some of the new CCGPS standards we are required to teach. I also like the idea of using a podcast as a virtual tour of the media center. This would probably be more engaging for students who easily get bored during library orientation. MCs could also use podcast to introduce new books to the library! Nice job!
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ReplyDeleteThe blog suggested using podcasts/ vodcasts to promote upcoming book fairs. I think this is a terrific idea. Last year was my first year conducting a bookfair and while it was succesful, I would have loved to have each teacher and class preview the materials more effectively before the bookfair opened. Due to limited space, it was very difficult for the students to get a good look at everything that was available during the bookfair. Using a vodcast that was recorded and made available to parents, teachers, and student would have been very beneficial to me. Also, using a podcast/ vodcast to give library tours would be helpful at the beginning of each school year. Many times, it is necessary to shift books during the summer or rearrange the layout of the library. By providing a podcast/ vodcast containing a library tour, students would feel comfortable during their first trip to the library.
ReplyDeleteUsing podcasts, or even vodcasts, is a great way to introduce items at the book fair! This would allow all students to preview materials at book fairs without having to actually visit the media center. I also agree that media center tours are a great use of podcasts/vodcasts. This could help new students get to know the media center and hopefully get them checking out books and reading sooner. The fact that podcasts are very inexpensive (possibly free if you already have microphones in the media center) to create means we should be finding more uses for them. Podcasts are a great way to get around the recent budget issues and get more media center information out to students. Overall, there are many, many uses for podcasts that can make the media specialist’s job more efficient and hopefully a little easier, and podcasting is definitely one of them.
ReplyDeleteI have never thought of how podcasts could be used for parent and community communication tools. Many of the parents at our school are not able to make it to parent night, so it would be great to record the information and make it available for parents to listen to at their convenience.
ReplyDeleteMary you did a wonderful job explaining about podcasts. I really enjoyed reading about the benefits of using podcasts in an educational setting. Students can definitely benefit from using podcasts. It creates a virtual learning environment for them to not only hear what is being said, but to also see it and developing a more thorough understanding for the subject at hand. I personally have not used podcasts yet with my students, but after reading about them, I definitely want to try and see how my students would gain from using it.
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