iPod, uPod

Podcasting is apparently a big thing. I have to admit that I do not listen to them, although they seem to have many wonderful applications for education. I probably don't listen to them because I am not really that aware of them. Do I have to sign up for them? Do I listen to them on my cell phone or computer? Or either?
Apparently they are not hard to create. It seems to use minimal equipment: a computer with a microphone jack and a microphone (and of course, the internet to post it on.) And you don't need top-of-the-line equipment. So I could probably do this in my classroom. I can imagine tons of applications for this in a language arts classroom.
One thing that seems particularly appealing about using creating podcasts for language arts is that it is centered around listening. I sometimes wonder if listening isn't kind of a lost art in a world where so much is in print. I think creating podcasts would address the spirit of the Washington State Learning standards that not only require students to read, but to present sometimes, also. Part of language arts is about oral communication, not just reading and writing.
I was talking to my dad the other night about what it was like to listen to shows on the radio, before there was television. It made me reflect a little on what is unique about hearing and listening that may be lost when we read. I absolutely love to read; in fact, I prefer reading print to listening. But maybe I haven't been trained in the art of listening; learned to really savor it or something. I think getting my students to record themselves reading their own writing in their own voices could be a small step toward preserving the seemingly vanishing art of listening.

Butterfield, G. (2007). Tech Teacher: iPod, uPod. Edutopia. Retrieved August 4, 2009 from http://www.edutopia.org./node/3949