Janice’s Adventures in Web 2.0

Podcasting has been around already for a while and I am really excited to finally learn the fundamentals so I can get started using this great tool.  I previewed several of the children’s podcasts. It is exciting to see students embracing this technology and flying with it. I listened to Radio WillowWeb, Willowcast #33 I was amazed what second graders could do. They had studied famous artists and shared their favorite info. Radio WillowWeb is a “podcast by kids, for kids” and it was a great example of what can be done in a classroom. The children were very articulate. I listened to Cranbrook Composers’ podcasts, where middle schoolers played some of their musical compositions. That was also neat, as students shared some of their music with others.

I then went to the section on English/Reading-where else would a librarian go? I  listened to some of Mugglecasts-The #1 Harry Potter Podcast. I immediately forwarded that one on to my son Noah who was there at midnight when the latest Harry Potter movie came out. I would have to listen to the entire broadcast first, but it looks like a good one to recommend to kids that are Harry Potter fans. The other podcast I explored was one I heard about at my convention, since the creators of the podcast were at my Association of Jewish Libraries Convention in July-it is called Just One More Book. This is a neat website where the two podcasters discuss the latest children’s books. The podcast I listened to was about a new Rosh Hashanah book, “The Bliss of Forgiveness,” which I actually purchased at the convention. I actually met and spoke briefly with the author of the book at convention as well. ”Just One More Book” is  a website that all of us in the media center can utilize to learn about great new children’s books, learn about authors and illustrators, etc. I also subscribed to the Book of Life (A Podcast about Jewish People and the Books we Read).  I have been meaning to listen to Heidi Estrin’s monthly broadcasts, since it is a great way to learn about new Jewish books out there-she discusses both Jewish books for children and those for adults.

I know that in the middle school we have already had the children do podcast reviews of Jewish books that they read during Jewish Book Month. I am not sure if the students were required to listen to each other’s podcasts but I think that should be a part of the assignment as well, so they can learn about other great Jewish books they might want to read, and also,  just to get a chance to sample each other’s hard work and final outcomes. I would love to see more student book reviews done and put perhaps, on the Media Center web page (or on a additional Media Center Middle School page) so other students can discover more books to read that their peers have recommended. If I ever get my lost hours reinstated I would probably like to explore developing further our media center program for our middleschoolers.  I am also planning on going to the AJL website and listening to the podcasts from the AJL Convention for sessions I was not able to attend, due to schedule conflicts.

All in all, there is a lot of potential for using podcasts at school for professional developement and with the students, and there are a lot more possibilities to explore!