Asking children to make podcasts seems like a good way to have them demonstrate concept mastery. It would also, as the chapter says, be a good way for children to practice public speaking which is a very valuable skill to posses.
I wonder about how easily these things could be incorporated into the primary-grade classroom. Is it reasonable to assume a kindergartner class could handle videoconferencing as a group? Behavior issues would likely arise, considering how distractible five and six-year olds are.
Communication and the ability to globally interact cannot be underrated. I'm glad, though, that the end of the chapter gave a caveat: Technology does not strive to replace face-to-face interactions; a healthy amount of both would be ideal.
I loved how one of the communication sites even goes as far as to translate text into another language before sending it (if thats what you request of course). How amazing!
I'd be pleased to incorporate podcasting, instant and asynchronous messaging, and conferencing tools like skype into my classroom. I want to be technologically relevant. However, if I teach a younger grade level, I think that it will be a challenge for me to remember to incorporate technology. Sometimes the things that younger students are taught just don't seem as conducive to podcasting or message posting.
Overall, this chapter was a quick and easy read. It brought up a lot of the same points as the chapter before it that introduced Tapped In and The Knowledge Forum. I did appreciate how they posted tips for teachers in regards to facilitating quality forum postings. Those were helpful and thought provoking.
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