Thing 17 - Podcasts

Podcasting is one of those technologies that happened almost by accident. It's evolved over time to be what we experience today. In June 2005 Apple woke up to what was going on and jumped on board by including podcast directories in its iTunes Music Store. I point this out because I'm still amazed at how new these technologies truly are. For me this inclusion into iTunes was a game changer moment that totally altered the way I consumed many forms of media. I had an iPod at the time that I kept tunes on but now I had the option of downloading and listening to what seemed like talk radio shows targeted at topics I was interested in. This was awesome!

The podcasts I'm listening to for this assignment are from the K12 Online Conference 2008 all downloads through iTunes and titled "K12Online08". There are two feeds from the 2008 conference you can subscribe to - the K12Online08 Audio Channel and the K12Online08 Video Channel. If you haven't been introduced to this conference before its in its second year and is a conference created by educators for educators interested in integrating emerging technologies into classroom practice. Content I believe we are all keenly interested in.

This conference is unique in it's structure in that it was never a face to face conference but instead was created online and will stay online. If you had the opportunity to attend the conference while it was in session you would have had more opportunities for collaboration but the content and discussion boards are still alive and online even after the conference dates have passed. K12 Online 2008 Conference Agenda

I understand the reason for the "no iPod needed!" statement at the beginning of the assignment (which is true) but having an untethered device that you can listen to anywhere and anytime is freedom. I listen to podcasts anytime I'm traveling in a car (it plugs into my audio system - no headphones while driving please) while waiting on appointments, while shopping or basically anytime I have a little time on my hands or have the opportunity to multitask. Anywhere anytime learning I carry in my pocket is unbelievably convienent and we've just begun scratching the surface exploring the possibilities for educating our kids with this kind of device.

Take a look at Wesley Fryer's blog post as he shares his wonder at being able to carry the K12 Online Conference 2008 in his pocket.