Podcasts

Grammar Girl


http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

What did you find?
Grammar Girl describes quick tips for listeners to become better writers. She responds to questions posted by both students or teachers.

What did you think?
Great idea for writing instruction. In her podcast "Active Voice Verses Passes Voice", I like how she gives several simple examples of sentences, famous quotes and music.

So What?
She found a topic that could be used by many groups of people. She gives concise responses to help listeners.

What now?
This is a great source. She explains how to get started with writing blogs as well as tips on grammar. This is a great model to understand how to effectively utilize podcasts.

Stanford Lectures

http://itunes.stanford.edu/
What did you find?
The Stanford lectures can be downloaded through iTunes. Once the process of getting iTunes installed is complete, complete lectures and presentations on specific topics can be accessed.

What did you think?
Since I did not have iTunes, the process of getting to the information was extremely frustrating. The downloads, like a lot of software, took a long time to get going. My computer shut down in the process, causing me to lose a lot of my work. Then, the download changed the settings on my browser including some of the requirements to use this website. After I took the time to get my computer back in order I was able to download access the information.

Once the information was accessed, the Stanford lectures were detailed and informative. It is interesting that a university like Stanford allows public access to so much content.

So What?
Because of the nature of setting up this kind of podcast I wouldn't expect students (at this point) to utilize iTunes for classroom information.

What now?
I don't think public schools are ready for this quite yet, but I could see this as a possibility in the future.


New PBS Podcast
http://www.podcastingnews.com/details/www.onthemedia.org/index.xml/view.htm

What did you find?
Two hosts describe and discuss "hot topics" in the news. They designed their podcast like a radio show, using the media as their way to give opinions on news stories.

What did you think?
The show was interesting to listen to and I can see why they are popular.

So What?
This design could be adapted for many audiences.

What now?
I could imagine beginners to the podcasting world using this style of media to realistically use regularly.


http://www.podcastingnews.com/details/weekendamerica.publicradio.org/rss/podcast/podcast.xml/view.htm
The final Podcast I listened to was by APM: Weekend America.

I found a casual discussion podcast about people and the things they do in their lives. They also interview everyday people and discuss what they have experienced.
It was a simple, but interesting podcast. I enjoyed listening to such a large variety of personalities.