Week+3+-+PodCasting+and+Audacity

=These are the things that happen when you miss a class...=

I was at home this weekend for my grandmother's 85th birthday celebrations, and so as a result I missed Monday's class. I did not get a chance to create a podcast, or learn about Audacity, so there will be no links to click on to find my example. I'm willing to take the hit, because in some cases family is just more important. What you will find, however, is a discussion on my thoughts around podcasts, a brief reflection on the readings, and my initial reactions/thoughts on Audacity.


 * I actually like the idea of a podcast. I know that may seem strange since I have been almost a devil's advocate regarding technology for the first couple weeks. However, last semester I talked about using something like a podcast (or, if the school is a little less well off, an old fashioned tape recorder) as a way for a student to do a retelling of a book they read. This would help the student to try and sum up the main points of a text, and then be able to play it back to help teach the class, or to study for a test down the road. The options on how the student could perform this task are also open to the creative and the mundane (for lack of a better word). The student could simply speak into the mic and dictate the important points, getting all the pertanent information across. Or, there would be the option to make it creative, turn it into a radio show commentary, or a review of the book/movie/poem. Either way, the student has an opportunity to break away from the typical written assignment.
 * As a digression, I like the idea of giving students something to do that encourages people to get into radio. As a kid, I always knew I had the voice (and the face) for radio, and even considered taking that instead of going to university and eventually teachers college. The fact that students can use things like podcasts to create a portfolio can give them a head start when it comes to getting into the profession.
 * I watched the video about how to use Audacity, and I've gotta say I feel like it could be a useful tool as well. On the one hand, it seems to have lots of options and things to tweak for the experienced user, but is also very simple and straightforward for the beginner. It appears to be a very useful and user friendly program, and that is important for teachers and students alike.
 * There are some other multi-track audio recorders that can be found online. For those not satisfied with Audacity, these alternatives may provide something appealing:
 * [|Jokosher]
 * [|SoX]
 * [|Traverso DAW]
 * As well, Wikipedia offers an entire page of free audio software available on the internet. The programs listed range in usage from audio analysis to streaming audio. Check out the page [|here] .
 *  One brief point on the readings: I feel like the central message that Jukes is trying to get across is that the brains of children today operate differently than they would have, say, ten years ago when I was in high school. It comes as a shock to me sometimes when I'm in a class and see how things operate now compared to when I was in school (and while I realize I'm dating myself when I use that phrase, I'm not trying to say that I'm old, just that things have changed so quickly in the span of ten years). Where only one to three students in my classes would have a cell phone, now its one to three students that DON'T have one. A smartphone was just a twinkle in Jim Balsile's eye when I was in high school. Its fascinating to see how things have been altered over time, and I think its important for us as educators to at least try and adapt to those changes. So while the contention that kid's brains are wired differently is, in my estimation, accurate, it does not mean that we need to change everything to adapt. However, to be complacent also means that our students will receive nothing from us. It is a tricky balance, one that I look forward to trying to achieve.