Podcasting/Vodcasting

I have been particularly interested in podcasting since our Active Research class. In that class I read journal articles about Reader's Theater and how it can motivate students to practice and participate. One way to get students even more interested is to have them practice in order to make a podcast. I have done this a few times with my second graders using Notebook Recorder software (I haven't tried it since the tech finally put Audacity on my computer). Students were very excited to be able to practice and then make a podcast of a play to share with the rest of the class. What a great way to teach intonation. The biggest problem I had was problems with the microphone. I had to be sure it was close to each speaker, and some students were a little soft spoken. So, it took several tries to get things done. Plus, I couldn't edit with Notebook Recorder. I hope to eliminate both of those problems now that I have Audacity. If students mess up, they won't have to restart from the beginning b/c you can edit and cut out pieces. Reader's Theater could also be done as a vodcast, but would require more work. I am interested in the many ways podcasting can be used to truly enhance learning. Students could write and perform radio interviews with famous Americans (Ben Franklin, for example). Working with second graders limits what I can do with this in the classroom, but I could see using podcasting being an extremely powerful tool with students who are a little older.