EDM 310 Podcasts Critique

For this assignment, I listened to three different podcasts: Useful Internet Sites for Elementary Teachers, Can Facebook Be Used as an Educational Tool?, and Technology Used in the Classroom at the University of South Alabama. Each of these podcasts were composed by former EDM 310 students who are also aspiring teachers. The podcasts can be found at http://edm310podcasts.blogspot.com/.
After listening to Kristin, Briana, and Andrea's Useful Internet Sites for Elementary Students-- the most appropriate response is, WOW! I hope to model my group's podcast after their wellpaced, informative, and clearly articulated podcast. The best part about their podcast is that they introduced so many new ideas, resources, and overviews. They discussed websites such as Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX), Stark Wall (sp?? which has peaked my interest, but Kristin did not enunciate well enough for me to look it up), Funbrain, and Scholastic. Each of the three group members took turns introducing the websites. Then, most effectively, they each told which facet of the website was most appealing or useful for them. As an avid listener of NPR, I think their podcasts should be broadcast on National Public Radio as a testimony to the many resources and innovations ready to be used in the classrooms of the 21 century.
The next podcast was less enjoyable for me. However, Can Facebook Be Used as an Educational Tool was relevant to another article I read thanks to my google reader application. Mr. Jarred Lamshed from Adelaide, Australia and contributor to the blog: At the Teacher's Desk, wrote that he effectively uses Facebook as a means of communication with 20 out of 29 parents of his students because he has found their response time with Facebook to be faster than traditional email. Although I do appreciate the friendship that I have with Sam (a co-host of the podcast), I was minimally stimulated by the audio podcast her group recorded. I think that this is because I was already very familiar with the topic, and they did not rotate speaking roles frequently enough.
The best thing about the least informative podcast that I listened to, Technology Used in the Classroom at the University of South Alabama, was the colloquial nature of the commentary. Sarah, Nick, and their third partner made you feel as if you were sitting on your living room couch having a mildly reflective conversation about school tools. Although it was not informative at all, I must give them kudos for keeping it so comfortable.

***Notes and questions for clarity
1.) What is the website that Kristin refers to that sounds like starkwall?
2.) I would like to learn more about the Courses Application for Facebook that Candace refers to even though I don't think Facebook is an appropriate tool for my classroom.