I don’t know if it’s the changing economy or merely the next iteration of Web 2.0, but it seems like the number of “free” services turning subscription is, well, no longer free. 

For those who were nervous about podcasting, I used to recommend Gcast.com.  Pick up the phone, type in your ID numbers, and record a voice mail that auto-converted to a podcast.  Free!

As of mid-April, this service now costs $99.

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Many teachers are planning to have their students write letters to incoming President Obama.   A few days ago, NPR ran a story on a Navajo school that had done just that.  The NPR story contained an audio collage of the children reading their letters aloud. 

There’s just something that tugs at the heartstrings when we hear children read their work aloud.  Perhaps a similar project in your school would make a great podcast or video broadcast?  It’s a great way to connect children with the community — consistent with the ASCD Whole Child initiative, the NETS*S, and the AASL Standards.

Our media center is filled to the gills with voters today.  Our students have the day off, and we teachers have a records day. 

This has given us an unexpected “play” day, when we can sit down and explore with teachers. 

Our Spanish teacher asked if we had ever heard of Voki.com, where a colleague of hers had recorded an avatar speaking in Spanish. Needless to say, we have spent the last hour playing — I mean, engaging in meaningful professional development — and thinking about how Vokis could help us make podcasts that are more engaging for children.   The avatars can be installed on Web pages, blogs, Myspace, etc.  The avatar’s mouth moves along with the text, which can be input via cell phone, computer microphone, an uploaded podcast, or machine-read from inputted text.  See ours above.

This day serves as a reminder of the pleasure of sitting down and just exploring with teachers.  As colleagues have come into the lab, ideas are shared and exchanged, and it’s so much more rewarding than standing in front of a group of teachers telling them “what” and “how” to do things.

(Heads-up: Students under age 13 cannot create an account.)