Coming of Age: An introduction to the new worldwide web

By Shawn Wheeler

The Start
The most enchanting facet of technology is the fact it is constantly changing. In October 2005, I realized the term “podcasting” was entering my brain with increasing frequency. Considering a primary function of my job is to evaluate new technology and its ramifications in education, I felt compelled to look into this term. Sitting at my computer, I “Googled” the term; within minutes I had entered a new world. An entire subculture had been born and I found myself an outsider looking inside.

One of the first sites I encountered was http://www.podcast.net. I picked a Genre, (Learning & Instruction – what else?), and began listening to a few shows. To be honest, I was not impressed with what I heard. However, the concept intrigued me. Could this work in our classrooms?

Podcasting in education
I began to remember the times I read through my notes as I studied for a test thinking, “I know the teacher had more to say about photosynthesis besides “Makes plants grow,” I sure wish I could have recorded the lecture”. It was at that moment the light bulb appeared above my head. Podcasting has value in education. This technology isn’t just for techno geeks with a love of their own voice. This technology would extend the learning day, change the way students review for tests and allow those students who were absent to hear the lesson. Podcasting was going to change education.

With this revelation, I found myself quickly immersed in the Adventure in Podcasting. Reading everything I could find on the web about podcasting and related tools, my excitement grew and I wanted to share this with the world. Okay, that is a bit much, but I certainly wanted to share this with the teachers in my school district.

On November 25th, I published my first podcast and its corresponding web page titled Adventures in Podcasting . The focus of the show is an audio archive of the process involved in bringing Podcasting to my school district. I share with the listeners the triumphs, challenges and disappointments I encounter along the way. With any luck, those listening to the show will learn from my experiences and embark on their own adventure while implementing a positive change in the education of our children.

My first non-believer
Recently, I came across my first non-believer. I am not sure if this person truly did not believe in the concept of podcasting or simply was not interested in trying something new. Either way, it left a horrible taste in my mouth and one I needed to cleanse. Once again, I found myself in front of my computer looking for validation of my belief in podcasting. I hit the motherlode! Bearing in mind that podcasting is still in it infancy and education embraces change at glacier speed. The Education Podcast Network, (http://www.epnweb.org) is loaded with content from other educators just as passionate about podcasting. EPN is provided by David Warlick and The Landmark Project with a focus of bringing teachers together to share podcast content. Looking through the podcast subjects, I was not only vindicated but surprised. Topics such as History, Science and Language Arts, (in American Basketball terms), are a “Slam Dunk ”. I would have assumed the subjects Mathematics, Theatre Arts, Visual Arts nd certainly Dance would not lend themselves to podcasting. Fortunately, there are educators who think “outside the box”.

Foot note from Terry - I am assured by my American colleagues that this means that the topics cited are obvious candidates for podcasting. Thanks to Peggy George and Shawn Wheeler for explaining it!

I began reading the descriptions and listening to various podcasts beginning with Dan’s Math Cast… Mathematics for the Masses. Even with my Math skills, I was able to close my eyes and visualize the example questions being solved as he described the process in his podcast. His show also included a Math Problem of the Week as well as a Math Jo