Ashley Sherman
MEDT 7477
Blog Post #1:
Podcasting
At first, I was
skeptical how effective and useful podcasts could be in an educational
environment; I didn’t know all the possibilities that podcasts have to offer to
students, teachers, and media specialists as well as the possible audience
members that podcasts can be projected to.
Podcasting
essentially allows students to share their ideas and presentations among other
students, teachers, parents, and possibly even the community. By sharing the
audio files with an audience beyond the walls of the school, students begin to
make see a relation to the “real-world” beyond second, sixth, or twelfth grade.
Not only can students record their own audio file to share with others (AKA: a
podcast), but they can also listen to other podcasts produced by other students
across their school, district, county, state, or even country. Students now
have the opportunity to hear and listen to other ideas and presentations that
weren’t available to them before the notion of podcasting was introduced.
In Kristin
Fontichiaro’s (2007) article, she tells how in first grade she felt “empowered”
and “grown up” when she would tell her stories into a cassette recorder; she
even signed off each session as a real reporter would do (School Library Media
Activities Monthy, pgs. 22-23). Podcasts can provide students with Fontichiaro’s
feelings of empowerment over their own learning in the classroom and beyond. The
possible ideas for the incorporation of podcasts in the classroom as well as
the media center are endless.
Some possible
ideas for student podcasts include: student interviews with other students or
possibly other members of the school community, record students reading their
own stories or research findings as if they were news reporters, record student
testimonies about a specific class or skill they learned in order to play it at
an orientation or open house, and have students record their podcast and
incorporate music and sound effects to ensure they can utilize the technology effectively.
All of the possibilities for podcasting promote higher-level and critical
thinking as well as possible efforts in collaboration and mastering skills for
the 21st century learner.
Not only can
students benefit from the possible uses of podcasts, but teachers,
administrators, and media specialists can also incorporate podcasts into their
classroom and everyday tasks as well. For example, sometimes teachers are
absent or not able to attend professional development sessions. Administrators
or media specialists could record these sessions and make them available for
those who missed the presentation or if someone needs to refer back to the
session, they have the ability to do so through a podcast. Also, Fontichiaro’s
article highlights the possible uses of podcasts for students with special
needs. If teachers record instructions or a day’s lecture, students can then
access the podcast from the class blog or wiki and lesson to it as needed to clear
up any questions. Additionally, if students need test or assignment directions
read to them, teachers could pre-record this information as needed per a student’s IEP (Fontichiaro, 2007, p. 22-23).
Podcasts can serve not as a burden to teachers
but as an additional resource to promote student learning as well as the use
and incorporation of technologies in the classroom. Podcasts also serve to meet
the standards for the 21st century learner set by the AASL. For example,
standard 3.1.4 states that students “Use technology and other information tools
to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can
view, use, and assess” (AASL, 2007). Not only are students and teachers
creating their podcasts as finished products or part of larger projects, but they have the opportunity
to share their audio files with others within the school community and beyond.
Resources:
American
Association of School Librarians. (2007). Standards for the 21st
Century Learners. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstand rds/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf.
Fontichiaro,
K. (2007). Podcasting 101. School Library
Media Activities Monthly, 23 (7), 22-23.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you included that first sentence in your last paragraph stating that "podcasts can serve not as a burden." The thing I find interesting with incorporating techonology in general, is that the teachers that I have encountered have either been very much on board or very apprehensive. There are teachers at my school who have asked the media specialist to order more microphones and headsets specifically for podcasts and audio projects because there students expressed interest, and it provides an alternative to the everyday paper assignment or powerpoint.
The thought of broadcasting professional learning sessions is such a simple but wonderful idea! My media specialist is going to a meeting in a couple of weeks on how media specialists can promote the common core standards and I have caught myself thinking, "I wish they could transcribe or record this meeting so I could listen in!" I think there is definitely potential in podcasts as well as vodcasts.
...excuse the typo. "Their", not "there." Apologies.
ReplyDeleteAshley,
ReplyDeleteGreat original post! I, too, am excited about the possibilities that podcasts offer. Just last week, I had a student opt to record himself acting as an interviewer and respondent in an interview with Frederick Douglass. While some students wrote out interview questions and responses and had a friend act as an interviewer, this student took it a step further. He asked meaningful questions of Frederick Douglass, responded in another voice, and even added audience responses such as clapping, cheering, and "awwwww"s. When his turn to present came up, he played it for the class. The podcast was very effective and captured his classmates' attention much better than the other interviews that were read by two students in the front of the room. Now that I have read the articles on podcasts, I can think of so many more ways to use them. At the end of the semester, when my Gifted/Honors World Literature classes write historical fiction, I am going to have them record their stories as podcasts so that classmates can respond to them. They are going to LOVE it!
I LOVE this! What originality and creativity shown by your student! Good luck with future projects :)
DeleteThanks, Sally!
DeleteI feel that I had the same initial reaction to podcast as you described. I was not quite sure how it fit in to the educational setting or how it could be utilized in a way that was beneficial. The more I read, however, the more I am wondering how I have not been using podcast before this point. The ideas you mention for incorporating podcasts into student assignments are the perfect way to cover and address several of the NETS for students, such as the Communication and Collaboration standard which states “Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.” Your ideas for how podcast can be used by teachers, administrators, and media specialists have inspired me to brainstorm even more ways this technology could be used. In addition to recording lessons as podcasts for students to access anytime they are having difficulty with a concept, podcasts could also be utilized by parents who are trying to help their children with homework. Just recently at parent conference’s, I found myself explaining a math concept to several parents who are unfamiliar with the “new” way our math series teaches certain concepts. They felt so silly asking me, but they were unable to help their child at home without confusing them. I now see that I could upload a series of podcast throughout the year to my school webpage explaining things like this to parents.
ReplyDeleteI've always considered the idea of recording audio for absent students, but not for absent teachers. What an excellent idea! It would be wonderful to record and play back audio for teachers who are undable to attend professional meetings. Of course, a podcast should never take the place of attendance, but it would be useful in certain cases (i.e., consider the coach on a sporting event or a teacher out on materinity leave.) To me, adding voice helps create and aid in understanding more so than a plain PowerPoint.
ReplyDeleteEmpowering students to take control of their learning is one of the most valuable things we can do for our students. Teaching gifted students for 22 years has taught me that when given or using the right tools children can and will make awesome choices in the process of learning.
ReplyDeleteYour examples used with teachers and media specialists are great. I have used recordings of staff development for teachers who missed the option of making it up simply by listening to the podcast. I also think some people are better at speaking than writing. When this is the case, they would benefit from the use of recording ideas and thoughts to help them later on with writing.
I love the example Sabrina gave with recording an interview with Frederick Douglass. I am going to share it with my 5th grade teachers who are requiring all the 5th graders to read and biography and then present their reading through a product. I think many students would enjoy using this over writing a report or creating a brochure.