Thing #22 Podcasts

I was exposed to podcasts for the first time (that I was aware of) last spring and even helped my 6th graders create a rudimentary podcast (no bells or whistles) as part of their 6 weeks' composer report. I do plan to find more opportunities for them to podcast their information. However, I'd never heard of podcast directories so this was a fun search. Sometimes you choose a directory based on the first look, and that's really what I did (isn't that what a lot of people do when checking out places on the internet? - it's the appearance that grabs them or puts them off). I looked at all 4 of them: Learn Out Loud required a sign-in; Podcast Alley had too-obvious ads on the first page; Educational Podcast Directory was too stark, and then I found the one that was "just right," :) PodcastDirectory. I checked out some Gospel podcasts, then went to my usual favorite, 60's music. The Soul Shack had some good soul music, but the one I thought I could use best with my students was Keener 13, claiming to represent a time " when rock and roll meant the Beatles, garage bands and Motown, and a 5000 watt AM station in Dearborn, Michigan transformed Detroit radio." And yes, I think I might want to subscribe to this one and listen regularly. I liked what I heard, and that's anyone's primary criteria.