Dyslexia, audio and podcast

Just found Read Regular that advertises using different typeface for people with dyslexia. It was very revealing to see how people with dyslexia see the written word. There are so many new and exciting technologies to assist people that have problems. I wonder if changing the typeface will work. Could it be such a simple fix? I think it is wonderful if it is.

There are sites that offer assistive technologies for visually impaired. Assistive Media is a non profit organization that creates audio versions of the written word. Some of the articles come from the New Yorker. The extensive list can be individually downloaded to an ipod. Soundportriats.org is another great site with radio shows available for your listening pleasure all from National Public Radio (NPR). I am considering purchasing an iPod to listen to all these great programs.

The Assitive Technology Podcast can be subscribed to. It discusses all the latest assistive technologies available. There is so much available online if only you take the time to explore and verify your sites. Everyone has something to share.

Educational Podcast

Spreading the Gospel of Information Literacy - How Do We Get the Kids to Care? Podcast by Joyce Kazman Valenza

Joyce Kasman Valenza’s podcast focuses on the necessity for students to have information literacy skills when leaving high school. She equates the way students search now with search engines to the “fast food” of the internet. They grab the first two hits on Google and call it adequate. She proclaims the need for students to acquire these skills in high school by incorporating the whole school in the process of teaching information literacy skills. With a vested interest students will become better searchers and it will benefit them throughout their lives.

Her webpage is fabulous with many resources for lessons. She also has a blog "Joyce Valenza's Neverending Search" Great resources from a passionate Library Media Specialist.

Blog about podcasting

John Furrier has a relevant blog posting about podcasting. He states only 10% of adults know about podcasts. Really? Probably true. I say podcast and people generally say, what is that. I then respond with, it is like radio on demand.

He also speaks about advertisers missing markets because of blogs and podcasts and dvrs, to name a few of the new technologies. I will have to argue against that. My children tend to watch TV or listen to radio for the ads and then have conversations about the ads and how funny they are or aren't. I don't know if they influence us that much anyway. Do you think over time you become deadened to the constant media ads flashed before you?

Weekly high school podcast

Here's an example of a school with a daily podcast. Park School in Baltimore creates a podcast on wednesday of the week in review. It is inspiring to see schools embracing new technology instead of baning kids from using it. Technolgy is here to stay the faster we finds ways to incorporate it in our education system the better off our students will be. Hats off to Park School.

Safe internet sites for a fee

I found this article in the online San Fransico Chronicle. "Safe spot for kids to surf the web child-friendly sites wipe out porn predators" by Benjamin Pimentel. I was interested because it stated two moms were coming up with ideas to keep kids safe on the web. Strange but they both cost money. $9.95 a month for safe searching with nettrekker and $5 a month for Imbee.com which is the equivalent of Myspace for the 8 to 14 year olds. Does paying money make parents feel safer when their children are on the web? There are so many free search engines like Yahooligans and Ask.com geared for children I am not sure I understand why you would pay for the service.

Supervision is the key. As a society we need to stop throwing money at problems hoping they go away. We need to take responsiblility and time to solve these problems. Sitting with your child while they are on the internet would be the solution instead paying money for a service that probably dosen't even work. I am sure kids would find a way around it. It is like the filters at school. If the kids really want to, they find a way around the filters. Supervision, supervision, supervision (a little foot stomping was done there).

I liked the quote towards the bottom of the article that states ""With a little bit of skill, often just by having a chat with a librarian, you can find these resources for free," Price said. At least someone appreciates us. I would like your thoughts on this article.

Oh, there is also a podcast available (top of article).

Dictionary on iPod

I wanted to share this link to an article. For anyone with an iPod this is a great new tool.


The article from Applelinks.com tells how iPod and Merriam Webster have created a downloadable dictionary for the iPod. "Unlike audio versions of classical literature, iPREPpress provides text and graphics hyperlinks that bring highly readable text and easy navigation to the iPod, turning it into a PDA-like experience." stated Charles Moore.

The ideas that stem from technology can be intriguing. I wonder who thought of putting a dictionary on an Music playing device. I guess anything is possible.

Educational podcasts

I am interested in using this technology. I looked at the Apple ibook that I have from school but it does not have garageband on it. It must be the newer ibooks that have it because I know students were on it. So that experiment will have to wait until next week since I am on Spring break.

There is alot of information on the internet if you truly want to make your own podcast. I found a site that has podcasts from last year that should be listened to before an attempt is made to create your own. There are definitely a lot of don't if you want other people to listen to it. The Educational Mac has podcasts that pertain to education but they are poor. If you listen it is hard to hear what is being said and the guys voice is rather monotone. Practicing would be a definite must before creating.

Another search engine

I liked Rabecca's comment and had to investigate the search engine she sent me. Kartoo is a different kind of search engine. I am still not sure how to use it. As an educational tool I can see uses for kids understanding how terms are generated based on the term searched. I tried searching for podcast as usual and came up with a wide variety of terms associated with various websites. I can see the potential for kids in educational settings with this tool. At our last staff meeting the reading teachers were stressing graphic organizer. this looks like a tool that could be used to facilitate that process. That genie is a colorful addition.

I found a podcast dedicated to video games. What a kid treasury. Dream station has the latest video game playing strategies and more. This is unique. Unitl next time...

a new search engine

I found a new search engine that I am finding kind of exciting. It is kid friendly and not supposed to find any adult content sites. RedZee is similar to google in looks but has quite a few neat features. It shows the time it took to search and also shows pictures of the webpages. I am partial to pictures. Another intriguing feature is the redzeepedia which gives a brief description of the terms searched. I typed in podcasts and learned quite a bit just reading the redzeepedia content which appears at the top of the page.

I found iTunes in my search which I haven't discussed yet in this blog. The site that started the podcasting business. It offers free podcasts and the ability to upload your podcast if you so desire. By going to the online music store you can find what you are looking for. Give it a try.

A little more about Podcasting

About.com has alot of articles and resources that pertain to Podcasting on one page. This new way to create audio seems very popular. It is easy to find information on the subject just by doing a simple search. I can see students very interested in using this in the classroom. The only problem I see is teachers feeling comfortable enough to use technology on a daily basis. As the technology in schools grow I foresee teachers using it more frequently. The possibilities are endless. Also this is a great gap for Library Media Specialist's to fill. The more technology we can use the better situated we will be. In my school I am the tech person people come to. Keeping abreast of tehnology is great job security.

Examples of Educational Podcasts

In my recent search for knowledge about podcasting. I have come across a site that answers Susan's question. She asked if there was an index of podcasts and lo and behold I found one.

Education Podcast Network has created a site that indexes educational podcasts. I don't think there are a lot of them but there enough to get an idea of what is being done in the schools. On the right hand side of the page it is broken down by school such as elementary, and middle, high. Then there are examples from each school. I notice that quicktime is used each time I listen to these podcasts.

The creator of this site is David Warlick. He also has The Landmark Project website which is very interesting. He is the citation machine creator. Take a look.

Creating a podcast

I have found some interesting links to help a amateur podcaster get started.

If you have Garageband 2.0 podcasting is possible. Read the article at macworld.com. All you need is a Mac with Garageband 2.0, microphone, headphones and you are in business. Don't forget the editing software to create a great broadcast.

If you have Garageband 3.0 then podcasting can be a snap. Check out this article with screen shots from creativemac.com

If you are an advanced podcaster this is the site for you. It is a tutorial created by podcast.com that details the equipment needed along with how to operate it.

Listening to a blog as a Podcast

I have found a site that "converts text only blogs into PodCasts". Talkr is a free service if you want to listen to the blogs they subscribe to plus 3 others.

From what I understand you need 3 things to make this work.

1. A Podcasting server (Talkr)
2. A podcasting client (Juice)
3. An MP3 player

The podcasting client Juice is an open source software that is free to download. (Just like Rabecca was discussing earlier)

I listened to a few blogs the voice was a touch computerish and roboty sounding but not bad. This would be intriguing to try...