It’s easy podcasting on a PC, but it’s a cinch using Mac’s GarageBand, Version 3+. Apple has made it ridiculously easy to record voice; add chapters, image, web links (or a video for a vodcast) for an enhanced podcast; and lay down background music with a great feature called “ducking” which automatically lowers the background music volume when the predominant voice audio is featured.

Now before you get started, make sure your microphone is connected to the microphone-in connection on your computer (or, alternatively, an internal microphone). A set of headphones is also a good idea. Connect them to the headphone jack of your Mac so that you’ll be able to hear the audio as it will sound in your finished podcast. (more…)

There’s a lot of buzz today about podcasting and the value it brings to education. But what exactly is podcasting and what is its relevance in today’s classrooms?

Podcasting is an easy way to broadcast multimedia content online to a dispersed group of people, who are then able to listen whenever and wherever they choose using a variety of easily-accessible platforms. Podcasts can be downloaded automatically as soon as they are available and listened to using a variety of devices, including computers, MP3 players, PDAs, and even cell phones. What’s more, podcasts can be produced and broadcast inexpensively, and, as a result, have made this media channel accessible to the broadcasting masses. (more…)

Are you tired of the same old boring book reports or book reviews? Sure, educators try to make them more exciting with posters, diaramas, or other creative alternatives to the hand- or type-written version, but they’re still not very exciting. Why not try what these students did as an option to the regular ‘ol book report? (more…)

What is Web 2.0, really? Quite simply, it refers to a second generation of web communities and services that encourage communication and interaction between users. The term suggests that there was a Web 1.0 but the reality is Web 2.0 is more of a shift in the way people use the web, and not an update to any technical specification. Frequently referred to as the “read/write” Web (vs. “read-only” Web 1.0), Web 2.0 has also been described as the “participatory Web” in contrast to the “information Web” of Web 1.0. (more…)