3 Podcast Reflections for week of March 25-31

1.) Kidcast
Dan Schmidt
Episode Title: Photo Story and Jodix
Episode #: 39
Episode Date: 3/23/07

This podcast episode dealt with creating visual podcasts on Windows XP through the use of a free downloadable program called "Microsoft Photo Story". Podcasting tends to be Macintosh geared and this episode illustrated how avid Microsoft users could also join the podcasting trend. Within this program, users can download real photographs, order the slides, crop, make color corrections, and record audio just like with programs such as audacity and garage band. You would have to purchase or borrow a microphone though. The user of Microsoft Photo Story can also hit each photo, determine how long you want to speak, and this determines how long your photos will show. There are limitations with this program though, when exporting the files you have to save them as .wmv files and this restricts your formatting to microsoft land. Also, something to consider, is that .wmv files are not playable on itunes (where many people go to listen to podcasts). There is a program called "Jodix" that is also a free downloadable feature on Windows, that will convert these files into a .mp4 format, so that they can be put into itunes.

2.) Moving at the Speed of Creativity
Wesley Fryer
Episode Title: Science and Math Videos on a Purple COW (Curriculum on Wheels)
Episode #: 140
Episode Date: 3/17/07

This podcast episode dealt with a video transmitting stand alone device that is a big purple box that can be wheeled around the classroom. Teachers interested in the Purple COW can visit an Ignite Learning Site to learn more about it. This device is used to download video clip offline and show them to students without any interruption in the streaming. I have become very aware of streaming interruptions in united streaming because when I conducted my formal observation, I had a video clip picked out from united streaming that I wanted to show my students. My video clip worked at first, but it kept stopping and making weird sounds, and then all of the sudden it stopped. I had to delete that whole section out of my formal observation lesson plan because I did not want to waste anymore time messing with the video clip. I had a feeling that I would never get it to work properly at that time, so I just moved on to my next activity. If I had access to a device, such as the purple cow, than I could have downloaded that particular video offline in advance, and would not have had to worry about an interruption in the streaming process. Through listening to this podcast, I also learned that the reason why video clips interrupt, make weird sounds, or quit out completely is because that site or video clip was heavily trafficed at that time, and that makes the stream unreadable. These big purple COWs are very teacher friendly and cost around $1,800 dollars (with projector included). That sounds like a lot of money, but perhaps fundrives or other fund raising methods could make the purchase more accessible. The possibilities with these devices are boundless and they are especially useful in math and science classes.

3.) Tech Integration Podcast
John Lien
Episode Title: Nettrekker Timeline
Episode #: 013
Episode Date: 1/25/07

This podcast dealt with creating a Nettrekker Timeline. First you must log in to Nettrekker, click on Timeline underneath features. A whole list of categories will come up or you can choose to create your own timeline. If you do not wish to create your own, choose a topic. In the demonstration, John Lien choose U.S. History. The time line was from 1400's to 2008, that is a lot of time, and it needs to be narrowed down. To narrow it down, there will be different Topic Titles to click on. In the demonstration, John Lien choose to narrow it down to The American Revolution. Do not click on the link, but rather select the box next to the title of your choice. You can also layer the timelines, to do this click on layer, and a list of other subjects will appear. In the demonstration, John Lien selected Chemistry, and in the timeline now are all of the inovations, discoveries, and people dealing with Chemistry during the American Revolution. These timelines could be very beneficial if used in classrooms. I could foresee using them for many different subject areas and not just Social Studies. They can be used as a resource for integrating other subject areas very easily. You can also save the timelines that you create to access them at a later date by clicking save as.