Class Discussion recorded and broadcast using Gcast.
Gcast is a free Web-based podcasting service. A key feature is the ability to record and upload a podcast via a cell phone! Once registered for the service, one calls a special number, enters an ID and PIN code, and starts recording. The recording can then be saved automatically and, if you desire, your podcast will be on the Internet within minutes.
Tom used his cell phone in class to record a unit-ending conversation that was immediately posted to the Web. Students were preparing to write an analytical essay and Tom wanted his students to listen to the classroom conversation later on and revisit the different points made in class before writing their essay.

Why the cell phone? Tom's comments:
"A cell phone is incredibly versatile and portable and provides a simple and effective means of recording commentary and conversation. Too often students are busy typing and scribbling notes and not paying careful attention to what others are saying and, even if they are, they sometimes forget important points made in the classroom. Gcast makes it easy for me to record a conversation in class or an a field trip -- I simply pass my cell phone to whomever is speaking -- and students can review it at any time to help them prepare for assignments and assessments. I see mobile podcasting via the cell phone as a particularly useful means of capturing student ideas and commentary on school trips and excursions."

For more on podcasting visit our Student Presentations section.

Ideas for mobile podcasting :

• record student impressions while on a field trip to a museum or historic site
• record an interview as part of an oral history project
• record a conversation with a classmate in a foreign language
• record a poem or short story
• record lines from a Shakespearian play
• record a virtual tour of a historic site
• interview local residents as part of a local history project
• interview students and administrators for an online journalism assignment