Thing 17 Beware the Pod-people

Podcasting . . . can we say YUCK?! I prefer to delude myself into believing that I really am a 5'9" super model, thank you very much! On the other hand, a pre-recorded tirade my sub could use to threaten my students when I'm out would be nice. I previewed the NPR Books podcast and the Webster's Word of the Day podcast, and I think both have classroom applications. It is worthwhile for students to hear about new literature because it reminds them that books are indeed a part of the modern existence of many people; the word of the day site is a wonderful resource for my TAKS prep students who have English language problems because they can hear the proper pronunciation of English words. I used the iTunes podcast directory to look up The Onion on the advice of Salinger, and it was well worth it!While I have the ability to create my own videos, my students do not . . . some barely speak English. I teach a section of TAKS English to Seniors who have previously failed the TAKS and need to pass to graduate on time. Because most of them do not speak much English (if at all), I must show them how to write one essay they can use for a variety of prompts and then have them memorize it. We write the same essay over and over and over and over again until the can write it by heart in their sleep. There just is no room for podcasting. And, as I've mentioned before, access to the technology is limited. 40 laptops (sans camera) for the entire 2800 members of the student body just isn't cutting it. I can see the possibilities for podcasted lessons that can be used to adjust the pace of the reading of a text or that illustrate and emphasize key moments and concepts in a text, but again, podcasting seems like a faraway dream until technology is truly integrated for all students.