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Right now I am going to school to be a teacher, I love it. I am taking a class where the teacher posts a podcast after each class and sums up what we went over. I think it is an awesome way to keep everyone on top of things. He even throws in some extra credit options which is even cooler! Who thinks this is a good idea? What are some cons to requiring students to listen to podcasts.

The only con I can think of is that some students may not have access to the tech required to listen.

I agree with Chris, Dylaneigh. If students have electronic notebooks or the ends to view the podcast in the classroom, this is a neat way to review and to grab student attention, again, at the end of a teaching period. However, there are many low budget ways to entice students to review and to ask questions of the teacher or of their own understanding. The teacher might project the podcast to the class and then ask each student to pose a question to begin 'tomorrow's class.' The teacher could then select one or two of the questions to begin the new session. This brings students directly into the learning cycle. Or the teacher may show the podcast and then begin the next class with a 'warm up' question from the podcast. The students may have colored note cards to raise if the answer is multiple choice or for yes or no or I agree/disagree. I used to have the students hold their small colored cards in their laps and then close their eyes before they chose the one to hold up- just a small incentive not to let a neighbor influence decisions. AND these warm-up questions were always open to discussion and NOT graded. I used a slightly different format for a 'pop quiz' warm up question. Anyway, it sounds like you are enthusiastic about using the podcasts. How do you envision using them in future classes? We 'veterans' look to your fresh and neat ideas. Thanks for opening this conversation, Dylaneigh. Cheers, ~patty