Podcasts

Podcasts offer a world of possibilities for teachers and students alike. Firstly and foremostly they tap into the technology that students love most. Mp3 players/ipods/phones. All of these devices are capable of playing podcasts and the majority of students would have access to one of these.

Podcasts could be used to revise information before exams. Video could be added so as students can watch an example of working (for mathematics and physics). These would be convenient for students as they could watch or listen to them anytime, on the way to or from work/school/home.
Listening could be on a new subject, revision or extra content. This extra content could be optional for students who wanted to extend their knowledge beyond the requirements of the subject.
Once again, this ties in with today's students being digitally native and taking advantage of the fact.

Another use for the podcasts could be for preintroduciton to the next lessons content. Preperation for the next class could be listening to a ten minute podcast provoking thoughts, interest and prompting questions to be asked for the next lesson.

These are far from all the uses for podcasts, however they are many of the purposes that I would use them for within my digital age classroom.

Reference:
Marc Prensky (2001), Unknown, Viewed 16th December 2009, http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf