Johnson, Larry and Lamb, Annette. (2007). Podcasting in the school library, part 1: integrating Podcasts and vodcasts into teaching and learning. Teacher Librarian, 34(3), 54-57

Summary:
Although this article is aimed at librarians, it also provides a basic introduction to Podcasts and how they might be used in the classroom. It explained that a Podcasts are audio files that can be viewed individually or subscribed to by the user. Video versions are called 'Vodcasts' and include a visual component. Because of the overwhelming amount of options, the article made suggestions for how to select a quality Podcast to use in an educational setting. First, look at the needs of the learner--what outcome do you want the Podcast to help students reach? Are you using it to differentiate instruction, or to supplement for all students? Like websites, it is also important to verify validity and credibility of the author when the Podcast comes from a less-than-well-known source. Educators should also check for technical, design, and instructional quality, as Podcasts vary in their offerings.
The next section of the article discussed how to use these Podcasts once a quality one has been found. If the Podcast has interactive components, students can collaborate to submit comments and gain an 'authentic audience.' Other uses involve the different types of Podcasts educators can find--current events, primary source materials, expert interviews, opinions on different sides of a debate, language lessons, virtual museum tours, or book reviews.
The remainder of the article discussed how to find quality Podcasts. The authors suggested sites like Podzinger or Podcast Directory for Educators. It gave specific suggestions for how to monitor, download, and store Podcasts. Last, the gave ideas about podcasts that might be useful for specific subject areas.

Response
Because I was still so unsure about exactly what a 'Podcast' is, let alone how they might be used in class, I really liked this article. It was very basic, but helped spark some ideas about how this technology could really work well in my English class. One of the things I've been struggling with recently is how to help students who are having a hard time with the novel we're reading as a class--they do a lot of their reading outside of class, and those kids who read way below grade level just can't keep up. After reading this article, I'm going to try to see if there's a Podcast of the novel being read somewhere that students could tap into at home. What a great resource! However, I also liked that the underlying feeling in the article was that teachers (or librarians) should really look at what they want to do with a Podcast and whether or not it is a better resource than print text before jumping in and using it. It seems like sometimes we want to use technology just for the sake of using it, without sitting down and thinking through our objectives and reasoning first.