Podcasts in Education

I created a mini-lesson on circuits for a physics classroom. Students would be given a light bulb, wire, and battery. Then I would give them the goal of lighting the bulb. I would want them to find constructions that light the bulb and constructions that do not light the bulb. Then we would transition to drawing these symbolically and I would show them the following podcast. After viewing the podcast, students will be able to draw their successful circuits. Students would then listen to a second podcast. After this podcast, students will understand the requirements to have a successful circuit. They will use this knowledge during a quick write on why/why not certain configurations of the bulb, wire, and battery did not work.
I think podcasting can be used as an educational tool inside and outside of the classroom. I like the idea of highlighting the important ideas of a lesson on a podcast. Students that missed the class can listen to the podcast and learn what topics they missed. This also reminds students about the key points and what they should have taken away from the lesson. Parents can also listen to these podcasts to get an idea of what their child is learning at school. I think I like the podcast that have visuals along with the audio. I am a very visual person and I think I would have difficulty strictly listening to information on my computer. I do not think students would retain that information very well either.