Friday, September 16, 2011

Blog Post 4

"1st Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audiobook"

The first article I read and podcast I listened to for this week's blog post was "1st Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audiobook", by the Langwitches. The basic premise behind this activity was for teachers to turn popular children's books into scripts and allow the students to record the scripts and edit them (in this case, using GarageBand) to add sound effects and turn them into full-fledged audiobooks.

The writer was astounded at how engaged the students were with this activity, even going so far as to ask to edit and re-record parts of their recordings so that they were perfect. Furthermore, the students loved listening to themselves while following along with the script.

I feel like this was a wonderful activity to engage students and encourage them to be creative. Seeing as I am a Secondary Education / Science major, I would be more likely to use this in an activity where students are asked to create a song or rap to remember Chemistry formulas or something along those lines. On an elementary level, however, this could be a brilliant activity for multiple subjects - it encourages creativity and could help students remember important concepts.

An iPod



"The benefits of podcasting in the classroom"

Next, I watched the video and read the article "The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom", by Joe Dale. The video begins by explaining that teachers are now educating students who are called "millenials", meaning that they were born after the 1980s and thus have experienced life full of technology.

He explains that podcasting actually uses the upper levels of Bloom's Technology, and any teacher who's had a bit of training will tell you that that is encouraged to help students learn more effectively. Next, the video asked: "What's the benefit?". The first one that came to my mind, and also the first one that the video addressed, is to assist absent students. Students can download the podcasts for free through iTunes to help them keep from getting behind on their work.

The video also briefly touches on the use of blogs to upload podcasts and to facilitate conversation between students. The principal of the school featured in the clip also brings up that podcasting can allow parents to keep tabs on what is happening in the classroom, and as any teacher will tell you, parents will absolutely love that.

As previously stated, I do like the idea of using podcasts as projects for students to help them learn, but I like the idea of using them to assist absent students even more. I can think of one time in particular during my sophomore year of high school where I contracted a nasty case of bronchitis and missed eight days of school. Had podcasted lectures been avaliable, I would have had a much easier time catching up, particularly in U.S. History and Chemistry.

100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better


I found this list to be extremely informative, and not only because of the podcasting information. I have used Apple mp3 players since 2005, when I recieved an iPod mini. From there, I went through two iPod videos (lawnmower accident...), an iPod touch, and now I'm on my second iPhone. So yes, you could say I'm an Apple snob in that department. Some of these resources are amazing - such as Spark Charts and GoogleGet. However, for this assignment, I am to focus on the podcasting information.

My first thought upon seeing the ESL podcasts was that this could be a great resource for schools in a financial crunch. While there is no substitute for a caring and professional teacher, when a school may only have access to an ESL teacher two or three days a week (or less), this could be an excellent resource to help students retain information! Students, especially younger ones, would also enjoy getting to use the technology in the classroom.

Another one I liked was Mogopop - where one can "add notes, videos, and illustrations to audiobooks and study notes". What a brilliant application for elementary school students! Students could enjoy independant reading time and be read to by the iPod while still not losing out on the illustrations that young children long for. Brain Quest (which has different levels for grades 1-7) sounds wonderful as well for some fun, brain teaser time, perhaps if a student finishes an assignment early and needs something to temporarily hold his or her attention.

NPR Science Friday is another one that could be great, especially for the high school Science classroom, where I hope to be teaching someday. Instead of simply using repetitive, boring textbook units, students could listen to modern discussions about science and be on the cutting edge of what is going on.

Numbers twenty-eight and twenty-nine on the list could be excellent resources for us in this class and any teacher by teaching us how to create and manage podcasts. As previously mentioned, this could be a great tool to both encourage creativity and to help students who are forced to be absent from the classroom for whatever reason.

2 comments:

  1. Excellent. Well written. Thoughtful. Thanks!

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  2. Hello Isaac,

    You have wonderful thoughts and ideas regarding the use of podcasts in the classroom that were stated quite eloquently; I thought it was absolutely wonderful! I too felt that podcasts can be a vital tool to assist students who unavoidably have to miss school. My brother very recently had major knee surgery and returned to school the very next day in fear of missing too much time and information. It proved to have been a detrimental decision that set his recovery period back by a week. If podcasts were available, students would not have the fear of missing class and focus more on overcoming whatever it was that kept them out of class. Although I am a strong advocate for the use of podcasts as a means to aid absent students, other implications concerning this use have crossed my mind. I get highly annoyed in today's society how everyone worries whether or not something is "fair" to them. My only concern with the use of podcasts in this manner is does it offer the same opportunities to underprivileged children whose families cannot afford to put dinner on the table let alone purchase a computer or ipod? Sometimes we get wrapped up in the marvels technology can offer to a classroom that we forget some still live a very modest existence and cannot afford the luxuries so many take for granted these days. I just do not find it fair (keeping in mind I loath the word) that you have to come from a successful family to either be successful or take an easier path to become successful. This is just pure food for thought, I would probably have to do some deep soul searching before I would offer lecture materials via podcasts to elementary aged students.

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