Using podcasts (Thing 15)

I see many potential uses for podcasts. The first would be to assign students to listen to/view specific podcasts outside of class for response or discussion. The advantage of podcasts over reading articles would be less paper (eco-friendly), less cost, ease of use (students could listen on bus, in car, on bike...perhaps), as well as being friendly to students who struggle with reading.

Another use would be as a research tool. I will begin to allow podcasts as a source on research projects, and perhaps require students to use at least one.
That said, it may even make sense to allow/ require students to create a podcast...versus a traditional oral or written presentation.

There are two major obstacles that I can see. The first is technology, and the requirements on students to own a device (or bring it to school!), which could be a problem. One way around this would be to have cheap, simple MP3 players available as part of student school supplies (sold in a school bookstore, for instance). These could even be kept by the teacher until the end of the day.

Another obstacle would be the "other"content that could be accessed and used alongside or instead of useful content. This is a more serious concern, but I imagine there are some ways to filter the content accessed, as well as "check up" on what students have on their players. (Random confiscation, perhaps?:)