Podcast Lane

1 to 1 Portable Computer Labs for Primary Schools

Podcast Lane — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:21:48 +0000

As high schools enjoy the benefits of the Digital Education Revolution where all students in years 9 through 12 will be receiving their own netbook computer and wireless access across the entire school, K-6 schools are looking to also provide 1 to 1 access to computers for their students through the use of shared trolleys.

The same netbooks as those supplied to 2010 Year 9 students are now also available for public schools in NSW to purchase. The netbooks offer a more affordable alternative to desktops and full-sized laptops and their ultra-portable nature makes them perfect for use in classrooms where each student is provided their own netbook to use. Battery life has increased and wireless speeds are suitable for large numbers of devices to connect at the same time. For under $20,000, a full classroom kit of 30 netbooks, two trolleys and two wireless access points can be procured and implemented. The vodcast below is a great starter for schools considering going down this path.

In addition, here is a handy set of work practises and rules you can adapt and adopt for your own requirements. I hope your investment in a portable computer lab for your school becomes a great success! Please share your experiences in the comments below.

Sanyo PLC-XL50 Projector Filter Cleaning Guide

Podcast Lane — Mon, 17 May 2010 11:41:51 +0000

The Sanyo PLC-XL50 Ultra Short Throw Data Projector is excellent, but because it’s so convenient for Interactive Whiteboard use, it tends to be turned on all day everyday. The problem ends up that the fan which cools down the globe tends to suck the dust from the room up against the air filter, clogging it.

This video will show you how to clean the filter and also reset the Filter Warning indicator on the projector. This was shot with a little Kodak ZX1 mini HD camera and edited and narrated with Adobe Premiere Elements – all done in about half an hour total.

Lenovo M58 Dual Monitor Setup

Podcast Lane — Mon, 17 May 2010 11:38:09 +0000

The Lenovo M58 desktop PC (2009 and 2010 T4L Rollout) has a standard VGA port, but it also has a “DisplayPort” which can be used to connect a second monitor very easily – all you need is an appropriate DisplayPort adaptor cable. This video shows how to set it up.

All you need is a DisplayPort to VGA Adaptor such as one of these.

Using Jeopardy in the Classroom

Podcast Lane — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 23:55:26 +0000

With schools getting data projectors and interactive whiteboards, we’re always on the lookout for interactive, educational and fun activities that can involve the whole class using this great equipment. The longest running and most popular quiz-based gameshow in the world is Jeopardy! And now you can play it with your students in the classroom. But not only can you play it, you can actually create quizzes for other classes, and even for other schools around the world!

This Jeopardy Gameshow Maker is very easy to use and looks great. You can even customise the way it looks by creating your own skins for it – a great exercise for learning photo editing. And each question can include text, and image and even an MP3 audio file if you like. Podcast Lane has put together a great vodcast on what this program looks like and how it works. Just press Play below to find out all about it.

Related link from the podcast: http://stuhasic.com/jeopardy

If you’d prefer to see a full screen hi-res version of this video, just click here. We’d love to hear your thoughts about this great educational application and how you’ve used it in your school. Just add a comment.

Choosing a Blog-Hosting Service

Podcast Lane — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:44:57 +0000

Part 1: Why Teachers and Schools Should be Blogging
Part 2: Students Blogging in Class
Part 3: Naming Your Classroom Blog

This is the fourth podcast in this series of classroom blogging and now we move onto the important step of selecting an appropriate blog hosting service for the great classroom resource we’d like to develop.

Resources mentioned in this Podcast:

Blog Host: EduBlogs.org
Blog Host: PodBean.com
Blog Host: WordPress.com
Individual Student Blogs: EduBlogs Campus

Click Play below to hear this podcast. If you have any questions or comments about blog-hosting services, just add them to the comments section.

(Duration 3:42)

Download this podcast to your PC or MP3 player. Any feedback or questions on this podcast? Just add them to the comments section.

Naming Your Classroom Blog

Podcast Lane — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:31:01 +0000

Part 1: Why Teachers and Schools Should be Blogging
Part 2: Students Blogging in Class

This is the third podcast in this series of classroom blogging. In it we focus on the process of finding a suitable username and blog title for your class blog. It’s not as straightforward as you think – neither is choosing a suitable password!

Resources mentioned in this Podcast:

Article: Unique and Complex Passwords for Everything

To hear about the importance of a good class blog name, click Play below. Tell us what great names you’ve come up with in the comments section!

(Duration: 3:01)

Download this podcast to your PC or MP3 player. Any feedback or questions on this podcast? Just add them to the comments section.

Students Blogging in Class

Podcast Lane — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:42:33 +0000

In the podcast “Why Teachers and Schools Should be Blogging“, we discussed the reasons and benefits of blogging in the classroom, but for the blogging-novice, there are student privacy, security and policy concerns that must be considered.

In this podcast, we will focus on the pre-requisite understandings that any teacher or school needs before setting up class blogs with their students. If you get these things right up-front, your class blog is sure to be a success.

As mentioned in the podcast, here is a sample Parent Consent Form for Student Internet Publishing as a Word document that you can download, adapt and distribute to parents to get the ball rolling. So, let’s get started. Just click the Play button below.

[Audio http://podcastlane.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/studentsblogging.mp3]

(Duration: 3:37)

Download this podcast to your PC or MP3 player. Any feedback or questions on this podcast? Just add them to the comments section.

Setting up the Behringer Podcastudio

Podcast Lane — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:05:44 +0000

Since we presented the Behringer Podcastudio at ther Term 1 ICT Coordinator Days last month, there’s been quite some interest in the product from schools, with several schools now buying one from Computers Now. One thing missing from the bright yellow box it comes in is a clear step-by-step guide on how to put it all together so it works.

We’ve decided the quickest way to explain it to you is via a vodcast! Yes, this is our first ever vodcast here at Podcast Lane and we hope to make many more in the future. Just click the Play button below and wait a little while it buffers. (Duration: 3:13)

If you have any technical questions about Podcastudio, try the Behringer support website here: http://www.behringer.com/EN/Support/index.aspx

Podcasting? Get a Good Mic!

Podcast Lane — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:57:31 +0000

Many podcast sites on the internet provide some great content, but unfortunately, the sound quality is often unbearable. Combine bad quality sound with a 20 minute diatribe and you’ll quickly be turned off podcasting yourself. Here at Podcast Lane, we’re taking it a little more seriously. For a start, each podcast is no more than 4 minutes long and sound quality is very important to us – as it should be to you!

If you’re interested in starting podcasting yourself, you really should invest in a good microphone. Gone are the days of the analogue mic with the little round plug. As an absolute minimum, you should look at the Logitech ClearChat Pro USB Headset, or if you really want your podcasts to sound great, the Behringer Podcastudio USB is an excellent option. Both are pictured here.

The podcast below discusses all of these options and includes sound tests so you can hear the differences. The analogue microphone you’ll hear had the audio properties significantly tweaked in order to get a passable recording. Click the Play button below to hear the podcast.

(Duration 2:49)

Download this podcast to your PC or MP3 player. Any feedback or questions on this podcast? Just add them to the comments section.

Why Teachers and Schools Should be Blogging

Podcast Lane — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:54:12 +0000

The Internet is not what it used to be. Web 2.0 – or the Read/Write Web has changed everything – and your students love it! The social aspects of Web 2.0 with sites like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo are so engaging to students that they are attracted to them like magnets. But they are so foreign to schools, teachers and education authorities, that we choose to BLOCK them at school.

This podcast focusses on the benefits of using such sites and as an introduction to the subject, also provides an insight into the ramifications that our students are often oblivious to. In under three minutes, you’ll understand why teachers and schools should be blogging. Just click the Play button below.

(Duration: 2:55)

Download this podcast to your PC or MP3 player. Any feedback or questions on this podcast? Just add them to the comments section.