BeCast is an online, educational broadcasting community that is exclusive to pupils and school staff.
The aim of the site is to promote the use of broadcasting as an educational tool and to encourage the sharing of learning materials across schools.
This simple and secure site allows teachers to create user accounts and then go on to create, listen to and share Broadcasts. BeCast also has many of the features of the social networking websites of recent years. Members will be able to comment on and rate each others' Broadcasts. The aim is to create a thriving online community that will integrate broadcasting into the educational experience from Key Stage 1 through to Key Stage 4.
In addition to BeCast itself, system administrators in your local authority will also provide an ongoing programme of professional training for teachers across the authority who would like to develop their broadcasting skills. This training programme not only covers the technical aspects of making and publishing a Broadcast, but also provides the opportunity for teachers to explore and discuss the educational applications of this new technology.
BeCast was created by Barnsley City Learning Centres in partnership with CDSM.
If you are unfamiliar with Broadcasts, they are simply short digital recordings that can be created by anybody on a basic computer using free software. This recording can then be placed on a website. This "Broadcast" can then be downloaded from the website and either watched / listened to on a computer or put onto a portable MP3 player and watched / listened to anytime, anyplace, anywhere. The potential to use broadcasting as a tool to enhance teaching and learning is rapidly gaining recognition in the education community.
If you would like to find out more about BeCast or about educational broadcasting in general, please contact Stephen Quayle at Holgate City Learning Centre. Email: s.quayle@barnsley.org