Gabcast

=[|Gabcast]=

Resources
Tutorial []

=__SWOT ANALYSIS__=

Strengths:

 * Free with email signup
 * Allows you to save audio files in mp3 format to your computer for use with other programs
 * Ability to delete, rename, and tag audio files.
 * Option to embeds a player on your wikispace, blog or website, so that podcasts can be played directly on the page and visitor can view pictures as they listen

Weaknesses:

 * Another password to remember
 * Automatically saves broadcasts, which can lead to a stockpile of audio files you never meant to keep

Opportunities:

 * Create multiple channels to sort podcasts of similar purpose

Threats:

 * Possible inappropriate comments can be left on the site. You may choose to block comments, but I don't think there is a way to moderate comments other than looking at it every day. It does however send you an email when a comment is left, so this is one way to moderate.
 * ====== Because the content is audio, it will be difficult to monitor inappropriate files without listening to each one. ======

=IDEAS FOR THE CLASSROOM=
 * Book Talks
 * Students sharing their writing
 * Students reflecting on a lesson, text, or other experience to demonstrate learning or serve as an assessment
 * Students creating audio files to be used with movie making software, such as PhotoStory or MovieMaker
 * Students discussing problems of the world
 * Speeches for classroom elections
 * Families could compile and share experiences or stories for posterity
 * Homebound students or students with disabilities could read their work into the phone
 * Teachers could set up a homework channel and have updates sent directly to their blog, either directly from the teacher or via a student who is responsible for this task
 * Classroom newscasts
 * Audio blogging
 * Students record educational topics they are learning about
 * Parent newsletter
 * Teachers can record lectures or other verbal directions to be posted on their site or used to create a multimedia presentation
 * Can be posted to student electronic portfolio
 * A connection between classrooms
 * Electronic penpals

Examples of Use in the Classroom

 * 7th-grade students used Gabcast to create narration for multimedia projects and then shared them with the school through an Edublog managed by the teacher: [|Voices From the Middle]
 * Very similar to Odeo; Here is an example of Odeo being used on a class wikispace[| -Mrs. Abernethy's Cyber Chickens Blog]