Podcasts
Podcasts have a wide range of uses in education. Teachers can make podcasts for students to listen to. These podcast could be listened at home with reminders of skills learned that day. They could also be used at school as a way to give the students a new means of learning information. I especially like how podcasts were used at Mills Murfee. The podcasts featured students and their work. Sometimes one student was the featured in a podcast, sometimes a group, or sometimes the entire class. Using the podcasts in this way lets students know that their work is important. Parents would also be able to have access to the podcasts and have a better knowledge of what the students are accomplishing at school.
Grandview Elementary used podcasts in a similar way as Mills Murfee. In their podcasts, Grandview featured units that are being learned. Some podcasts were of children creating their own works, previewing information that had not yet been learned, etc. Along with the podcasts were photographs of activities that the students had completed. One of my favorite things about the podcasts at Grandview is that some of them are of books being read aloud. This is very helpful for students whose parents do not have the time or do not take the time to read to them. If a computer is accessible, the students can have a book read to them through a podcast. Grandview’s site is definitely worth the time spent navigating through it. It provides so many good examples of podcasts and the many ways of using podcasts.
I think, as a media specialist, I would like to have a site where I could put podcasts of books being read. It is important for kids to not only read on their own, but to also be read to. It is especially important for students in lower grades who may not be able to read by themselves, or those students who are having difficulty with word pronunciations.
I like this idea of having students use podcasts to read books aloud and share. I could see using this kind of application to give native English speaking students the chance to read certain books, chapters, or passages aloud for ESL students to use as a tool to help with English reading skills. I do wonder...at what point do we run into copyright problems, doing this. If students read entire books, which are then posted for the enjoyment of whoever wants to listen, aren't we in danger of copyright violation?
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of showing student work through podcasts. Students could make a simple podcast similar to the one we made for this class in which they narrate a description of their project and what they learned while showing pictures of their work or of them performing a skill. This could be used for teachers to assess work while helping students meet technology standards. Also, students can easily show their parents at home what they learned at school.
ReplyDeletePodcasts have a great potential to make the gap between the classroom and home smaller. Teachers' voices can be heard in the home as they post summaries of the days' activities. Students can easily share a visual and audio example of their achievements and learning with parents. I'm sure that once parents become familiar with podcasts, they will greatly appreciate them. I believe podcasting is a tool that will gain popularity in the coming months.
I really like the idea of books being read in a podcast. I would never have thought of using a podcast for this. A student could watch the blog, but also have a copy of the book to follow along with. It is a great way to model reading. My students (4th grade) have a lot of difficulty still understanding what punctuation does for oral reading. They also struggle with vocabulary and pronunciation.
ReplyDeleteI also love the idea of students creating podcasts. What a great way for a students to take ownership of their learning.
I meant "a student could watch the PODCAST" not "blog." Sorry!
ReplyDeleteThe idea of podcasts being available for parents is an excellent idea! Not only are parents involved in what their student is learning, but they are able to encourage students and provide positive praise for work they have completed. Most of the time, work on paper that is done in class is either thrown away or never makes it home. With a podcast, students can share and broadcast their work to anyone that has access to the internet. They can take ownership of their work and be proud of what they have done. This seems to me like this would be a great way to encourage students to perform academically and keep them focused on learning and interested in what they are doing in class. This idea can even be stretched as far down as Kindergarten with lots of support from their teacher of course. Students could also display their work for their other classmates, and school to view. What a great idea for showcasing students knowledge!
ReplyDeleteI also really like the idea of using podcasts for recording read-alouds. This reminds me of a service our local library system provided when I was a child: Dial-a-Story. A child or parent could dial a special library line on the telephone to access a previously recorded story. This was top of the line technology back in the day! I loved it! During the summer, I would often call multiple times a day! I can still remember the excitement and anticipation I felt over the thought of hearing a new story.
ReplyDeleteUsing this experience from my childhood, I totally agree that using podcasts to encourage recreational reading would be very motivational to many students. As a first grade teacher, I know my students would love to hear their peers read on podcasts. They would also be so excited to have a chance to record a podcast read-aloud of their own. I could see my "Listening" Literacy Center morph from one that uses CDs and audiotapes to one that is built around podcasting read alouds.
This was a good introduction to podcasts. My understanding of podcasts has come a long way since my panic-stricken days of our Student Podcast Introduction. Its uses in the school and school library media center are boundless. For example, a podcast can be created by a teacher who knows that she’ll be out; the substitute can play it for the class in the teacher’s absence. A podcast can be created by the media specialist about some relevant use of research materials or resources; the teacher can play it for the students before they visit the media center. A podcast can be created as a device for promoting media programs (Book Fair, Battle of the Books, etc.), and can be accessed by the media center web page. It can be training video for new media center volunteers, who may access it privately and as often as necessary. I image that it can be used in tandem with other technologies, such as the white boards and WIKIS, as well. (C. Bercher)
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