Teaching with Podcasts

My parents have a huge record collection, I myself have a ton of CD's and cassettes, and the youth of today have computers full of music files. The way music is produced and shared has gone through several evolutions over the last 50 years and now in the digital age an iPod or other mp3 player is considered essential equipment. That is why I love the idea of turning something most every student has for entertainment into a valuable tool for learning. The article on the use of podcasts for learning was very detailed and interesting, though it was written about a group of graduate students that were required to use and create podcasts for class. As I read it at first I could not see how this technology would be usable at a grade school level, where I would like to teach. Though now as I reflect on the contents of the article I do see some excellent uses for podcasts for younger students.
The author mentioned that the use of the podcasts greatly improved the writing skills of a particularly weak student. She recorded herself reading her papers, and when she listened to her recording she was able to see where her writing needed changes and adjustments. Though in the article this was just an added bonus and in no way the focus of the project, for grade school students I could see this being a valuable application. Often when I write I read my work out loud to myself as part of my editing process, so I understand how hearing a piece can make you aware of what is awkward or hard to understand much better then silently reading the work. I think it would be great for grade school students to record their work and listen to it to help them edit and adjust their pieces. Podcasts could also help students prepare for oral presentations as they record themselves giving the presentation then are able to listen to it over and over anywhere to help them remember and feel more comfortable with the speech.
Another possible application of the podcast that would be appropriate for grade school students was the way the graduate students in the article used podcasts to help them research and share information for papers and projects. Students working on a group project could record information for each other such as summaries of research or updates on what they have done so far, and the teacher would be able to see how the project is coming along and post the podcast so other group members could keep updated. I think it would be awesome to do group projects with other students in different classes, schools, and even states using podcasts to communicate.
The article also talked about how listening to each others' podcasts helped students prepare for class discussions. I could see this being particularly good for grade school students when discussing literature. Students could each be assigned a chapter in a book the whole class is reading, and given directions to create a podcast that perhaps summarized the chapter, reacted to the information or story, or asked questions. This would allow the class to listen to each others podcasts and see where they agree and disagree on their peers perspective, which would then lead to interesting class discussions. Teachers may also record podcasts that students can listen to when reading at home that would encourage better comprehension by giving students background information and questions to think about during their reading.
Though I have an iPod I have never recorded or used a podcast, but this article has inspired me to check out the technology. It opened my eyes to the true educational benefits that podcasts can have when used properly. I am excited to learn more, and to integrate this new and exciting way of teaching and learning in my future classroom!