Depending on the educational goals, podcasts can range from spontaneous acts of creation, such as an audio blog, to a crafted production like a radio play. Creating podcasts uses a range of academic skills that can be addressed explicitly in the process of creating the podcast. The flexibility of the podcast as a medium for expression can be leveraged in support of many different learning goals. However, the most important element of podcasting involves removing barriers between learners and publishing content. At the most basic level, a podcast is just an mp3 file you upload to your site. By remaining focused on the content within a podcast—as opposed to the bells and whistles of unnecessarily complex production of podcasts—you ensure that podcasts remain an accessible tool for daily learning and extended projects.

While the goals and uses of sharing images will vary from class to class, the ability for students to share images creates an additional means by which students can contribute...