Video Podcasts

The WGBH podcasts impressed me more than I thought they would. I looked at several of them and they ranged from grades 3-8. One was about life on a coral reef. The quality was surprisingly good. When I think of free educational material I remember the grainy videos my history teacher had taped at home and brought in! The image was clear and the fish were absolutely beautiful. The information was presented in a clear manner so that students would be able to take notes if needed. At the same time the voice was not monotonous which can make anyone want to pay attention to something else. Though the clip was only two minutes long I thought it would be very useful to show a 6th grade science class. Notes on paper are useful but having an image to go with what you are learning helps to. There was another clip on precipitation that was targeted at 3rd graders. It was extremely short, only about thirty seconds long, and it was more of a slide show that a real video. There was a scene with rain falling and it had the word rain at the bottom; this was also done for snow, hail and sleet.
Students are spending more and more time on the Internet than ever before. I believe the average is around four hours a day! They are also using it to get information fast and easy instead of looking at flash cards or reading a book. By having podcasts like these online and by using them in the classroom I would be able to have the classroom available twenty-four hours a day to my students. It is easy for them to click over to itunes and watch a minute long segment on Wuthering Heights while waiting for their music to load. Also a podcast will not go anywhere whereas a book or a sheet of notes can be lost.
Another reason to use these podcasts is that they are free. Free is the true name of God to a teacher. Funding is very limited and books and videos can range from slightly to very out of date. A podcast can be updated with the latest information quickly for free. The podcast itself is also, usually, free. Videos and class discussions can be made available for no charge which is also good for students. They too can also have financial problems at home so anything that is free benefits them as well.