RSS, podcasts, and media resources
Posted by Harvey on November 20, 2008 in Podcasting, Web 2.0
The wealth of resources available on the web for use in education make it more important than ever to be effective at managing the firehose of information that exists on the Internet. Rich media like video and audio files, including podcasts can greatly augment the learning experience of students, but managing the information to support curricular goals can pose a problem for teachers and students alike.
RSS or Real Simple Syndication creates a feed from a web server hosting content to allow users to readily subscribe to frequently updated information (For more information about RSS, view this short video). This stream pulls content into an aggregator or Feed Reader like Google Reader, iTunes, or newer web browsers.
One popular way of distributing RSS content is by using podcasts. Podcasts are simply audio or video files that have been made available on a web server via a RSS stream for download to an aggregator. A podcast does not require an ipod, nor does it require iTunes. However, ipods do allow your content to become portable, and iTunes offers an easy way for users to find and manage podcasts.
Once you have identified how rich media like video or audio can support the curricular goals of your classroom, there are a few considerations that can help support the effective use of these tools in an educational setting.
There are many sites that offer free content, but some of the sites that offer the largest variety may be difficult to use with students because the user-generated nature of the content means much of what is available may not be appropriate for students. Some of these sites such as Youtube also face restricted access because of proxy filters or firewalls that are often used to meet FERPA and CIPA requirements. Many teachers can be frustrated about the availability of content on district machines, but the nice thing about the Internet is that most content exists in multiple places and so with a little bit of google-fu you should be able to find the resources you need on an unfiltered site.
Teachers that intend to become savvy about using rich media in the classroom should become comfortable searching in other locations such as educator-driven resources like
Teachertube, Edutube, Research Channel, etc to find RSS feeds. Using delicious can be a great way of doing filtered searches leveraging the work of others, and it can also be a fantastic way to manage bookmarks through the web. (Check this bright idea for managing feeds) Alternately, it is also possible to use resources like idesktop.tv to download videos that then can be played in a compatible media player.
There are essentially two ways of managing RSS feeds for video or audio content, either via desktop software, or a web-based model. Both have benefits and drawbacks.
Desktop Software
(i.e., iTunes)
Pros
- Available in Seattle schools.
- Accessibility of content can be determined immediately through podcasts in iTunes store
- Easy to organize and manage content
- Easy to use interface that also plays rich media content
Cons
- Machine-based- must use the machine with the software and files
Web-based
(i.e., Google reader, delicious)
Pros
- Accessible from any machine with Internet Access
- Resources are mobile and not bound to a single machine
Cons
- Some web-based readers are filtered and unavailable within the school district
- Web-based readers still require a compatible media player to view resources
As a final note, no teacher should ever show students content that they have not thoroughly reviewed for its appropriateness and relevance to student learning, and all copyright considerations should be observed.
January 28th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
I recommend you take a look at http://www.authorstream.com. This tool is a web based power point presenation platform and has a feature that allows for podcasting power points.