Podcasting in Education: TeacherCast

Blogging has definitely earned its presence in the area of education.  Not only do teachers share their experiences with their colleagues, PLN, and their students' parents, but students are blogging as well.  Through blogging, people are able to express their thoughts and ideas to a wide audience.

Another Web 2.0 Tool used often in education is podcasting.  Podcasting (or vodcasting) can be used in a variety of ways; from using audio or video recording to share a glimpse of what is happening in a teacher's classroom, to sharing information about new available educational technologies.  The great thing about podcasting is that one can listen to podcasts anywhere; in bed, while exercising, or during a road trip.

For the purposes of this blog, I decided to highlight a podcast which I have found to be very great resource in education.  This is none other than TeacherCast (www.TeacherCast.net) created by Jeff Bradbury, a New Jersey educator.   When I asked Jeff about the background of TeacherCast and why he created it, this was his response:

Almost two years ago, I began to notice a trend happening in education.  Technology was advancing very rapidly and educators were becoming increasingly obsessed with wanting the latest and greatest for their schools and classrooms.  However, there wasn’t a single place for them to go for learning how to use technology effectively to maximize the learning of their students.  
It was the lack of a single, solid resource to share with my colleagues that caused me to  create a place online to fill this void. This website would be the place where I could write about my own methods on using technology in the classroom.  I began by writing about the various ways I used my iPhone and iPad for taking attendance, giving presentations and more. I decided that in addition to my writings about these topics, I would create an audio podcast where I would bring other teachers together to discuss how they were using technology to make their classrooms easier to manage.  I called this experiment TeacherCast.  Since the summer of 2011, TeacherCast has grown into a globally recognized and trusted resource in the educational community.  TeacherCast produces 3 unique audio posts weekly, as well as a daily educational magazine featuring more than 50 of today’s social media pioneers. Other great features of TeacherCast include video screencasts, online courses, a career center, mobile app, Livebinder Gallery, and app reviews.  TeacherCast is at it’s core, place for teachers to help other teachers.  It’s truly amazing to watch others use this resources every day.  

One can learn more about TeacherCast by visiting www.TeacherCast.net.  TeacherCast podcasts can be downloaded from the iTunes Store at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/teachercast-podcast-network/id519685828?mt=2 So if you want to learn about new educational technologies, visit TeacherCast today.  You never know - maybe you will have something great to share with other educators and you will share on a TeacherCast podcast too!