Utterz...All-In-One mobile blogging! Free! Finally!

While there are some fantastic mobile blogging resources on the web, such as Gabcast, Gcast, Eyespot, Radar, evoca, Flickr, Jott, and Go@blogger.com, none of them allow you to post video, audio, text, and photos directly to a blog from their account. For example, Gabcast only posts audio, and Eyespot posts video, while Flickr only will post images. Now, of course you can set up accounts in all 3 of the aforementioned resources to post to the same blog, but the data will be housed in 3 separate places online. A little inconvenient for teachers and students. It is a also a reason why many teachers would be afraid to ask their students to mobile blog different types of media, because they do not want to deal with too many different web accounts. Now, I am come accross a resource called Utterz. It is the first resource I have found on the web that lets you mobile blog all 4 types of media to one place, from one account! Even better, it is international! So people from 25 different countries (and more), can use this free resource.

Let's look at the positives:
1) It is international, so people from around the globe can participate.
2) It is free to use.
3) You can use a landline (nice for students and/or teachers who do not have cell phones)
4) You can text, photo, video, or audio blogs from one account!
5) It has private options for posting!
6) You can post audio,text,images, and video on the same post from one phone.
7) You can "reply" to other "utterzs" and "listen" to them on your mobile phone.
8) You can receive alerts when someone comments or replys to your "utter"
9) The utters show up within a few seconds in your utter webspace.
10) You can "utter" back and forth with others via cell phone (no need to have computer or Internet access)

The downside:
1) Unlike some of the other resources I mentioned earlier, it is not a toll-free number (it is probably hard to do this since it is international), so if you use a landline, it will cost money (unless you have unlimited long-distance or use long-distance at an "unlimited talk" time)
2) there is some advertising (although it is off to the side and reasonable).
3) Utterz did show up on my blog posts within 10 minutes, but it showed up in my "drafts" box in blogger. This is not necessarily a negative because teachers who want to moderate posts, can then hit the published button after they have viewed/listened to the post. But if you want it to immediately post to a blog---it seems to have some trouble doing this, it might be because I have comment moderation on? I'm not sure.

Other than not having a toll-free number (maybe that will change?!), Utterz is a great resource for mobile blogging because it is all-in-one media blogging. This would be a great resource for students who are on field trips or a break from school. On their field trip, they could "blog" photos, videos, text, or audio to their Utterz account (or an external blog). Over Spring break students could do the same (maybe for extra credit...), for example if they are studying ecosystems in science class, they could post images of creatures and/or plants they find at the beach. Utterz could also be used as an up-to-date local newspaper. Students could post local event information, video, reports, and images as they are happening in their community.

Poetry Slamming with Cells...

A great idea that one of my inservice teachers came up with for cell phones was a Poetry Slam. While many schools and coffee houses host events for students to read their original poems, why not create a Poetry Slam Blog or Podcast where they could broadcast their original work to the world! Published! Using Gabcast, Evoca, or Gcast students could call in their poems, read them (with all the gusto and sound effects necessary), then post them immediately to their Blog or the Gabcast/Evoca/Gcast Podcasting site. If they post to their blog, they could "dress up" the poem with images and text. The benefit of using cell phones is that students could record their poems when they are "inspired" rather than having to be in front of a computer to record it. In addition, they could record "drafts" of their poems, save them in the private Gabcast or Evoca unpublished space, and then publish the draft they think is best. By publishing their poems on Gabcast or on their Blog, they can receive feedback with the comment buttons. Here is a sample Poetry Slam from my inservice teacher.

Podcasting with Cell Phones in schools...

Probably one of the easiest ways to use cell phones in learning is through podcasting. While podcasting is often done with iPods or audio editing devices such as Audacity, podcasts can be created more easily through cell phones (coupled with a few of my favorite FREE web2.0 resources). For example, instead of recording a podcast on an iPod and then loading it to itunes and uploading it to your webspace, you can simply dial a number on your cell phone, narrate your podcast, and then hit the # sign to publish immediately online. This can all be done with the assistance of websites like Gabcast(free), Gcast(free), Evoca(free & paid options) and Hipcast(paid). All of these sites allow you to create an account that will store your cell phone audio recordings! Fantastic! You simply dial a toll-free number and then record your podcast. All three sites also give you an RSS feed so people can subscribe to your podcast. Each site also allows you to post or embed the podcast into your blog, MySpace, Wiki, or other website. The best part is that your students do not have to have an iPod or special computer software...in fact they do not even have to have a computer. Simply a phone (since all the sites have a toll-free number, students who do not have their own cell phones can simply use a landline!). So, how can cell phone podcasts be useful for classroom learning?....here are a few ideas:
1) Conducting Interviews
2) Radio Broadcasts
3) Radio Theater (listen to a great example from St. Joseph's K-8 here).
4) Poetry Slam
5) Oral presentations
6) Recording Field Trip experiences (such as sounds at a zoo, or observations)