Podcasting is a great tool for use in the classroom. With computer microphones being relatively cheap and online programs such as audacity.com, virtually any classroom can make use of podcasting in some way. Students love using computers, and computers can liven up a lesson and make students more enthusiastic about learning, so incorporating use of a computer to either create or listen to a podcast is sure to grab a students attention. Podcasting can also help differentiate learning experiences for students, appealing to those more auditory learners.
The portable nature of podcasts is also appealing. Not only can podcasts be accessed from computers, but also be downloaded to mp3 players, such as iPods or Zunes, or cds. This, too, is sure to be appealing to students that like to use the latest in technology.
The possibilities are virtually endless inside the classroom and library. Students can create a podcast to be featured on the school website to inform students and parents of important happenings around the school or promote programs. Classrooms can use podcasts to replace the traditional handwritten report. Podcasts can also be used to help students with oral fluency and learning to become expressive readers. Students can listen to their teachers read books from home on a class website. Libraries can use a podcast to be listened to on a portable device to give students a tour of the library. The possibilities really are ENDLESS!
We've all heard the term podcasts, and hopefully we are all gaining the mindset that these are very doable and fun educational outlets for students within the classroom and outside. The portability and accessibility of podcasts is unparalleled, not to mention the affordability of this cutting edge communication tool for any school budget. Podcasting is just another example of how technology being used in the classroom can enliven the curriculum and push student involvement to unseen heights!
I work with 9th and 10th grade ESOL students in Sheltered Literature classes. They have to take all the same tests as the gen ed kids, but we just have smaller groups, more time, and more scaffolding of instruction. As an ESOL teacher, the words that really jumped out at me were "Podcasts can also be used to help students with oral fluency and learning to become expressive readers." A number of my students hate reading out loud in class. This gives me a way to evaluate their reading without everyone in the room listening to them. It will be a great tool and a huge relief to some of my lower level learners.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I think students could really learn a lot from creating podcasts. I like the idea of working with students on learning to become expressive readers as well as oral fluency. When students practice becoming expressive readers, they will also become more confident readers and probably take more away from the story. Podcasts can also help with students who have accommodations and need stories or material read to them.
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea of having students create them for the school website. Kids love when they can help with school projects like this; it gives them a sense of ownership and pride.
The free software what is available online and the relative cheapness of microphones/camera combos, make podcasts and video casts an excellent addition to the media center and classroom. I did not know that podcasts could be downloaded to a portable devise. A page on the school website could link to a teachers or media center page, where the student could recieve the days lesson or other information. Pod/Videocast can be a very powerful tool at schools when used properly and updated on regular basis.
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