Blog Post #4

Langwitches Blog

I really liked the idea of recording the children on the podcast. The teacher has to stay ahead of the story in order to have the script ready though. It is an example of how reading skills can be reinforced and I think that if the students are involved then they really retain what they have learned. It also adds excitement and anticipation to the reading lesson.
In her example of “Dinosaurs Before Dark”, there is evidence that the students were more than just interested in the story itself, but they were experimenting with their voices by using more inflection, pitch, and emotion. I think this helps with fluency and speed in their reading. It also helps to build confidence in young readers.

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale

The benefits of podcasting in the classroom are many!! But the idea I liked the best was making information available anytime, anywhere and especially when a student is absent. Many students are over-whelmed when they come back after a sickness with all of the make-up work and with podcasts they can listen at home and it also saves the teacher time in that they don’t have to re-teach missed assignments. Podcasts are easy to upload to a web page or blog. It can help parents stay involved in what their students are doing and learning.
Podcasts are also a great way to differentiate and utilize the higher level thinking skills of Bloom’s Taxonomy. It is a type of project-based learning in which students engage in the teaching and learning process. It is a chance to express themselves creatively and be responsible for the quality of the outcome. It is also a great way to review concepts and information that has already been taught.

Podcasts Collection by Judy Scharf

This was a very informative article about succeeding with podcasts in the classroom. She actually lists some tips to help you succeed such as making sure you are very familiar and comfortable with the software you choose to use in making your podcasts. She suggests giving students a choice of their topics and even includes a list of project ideas. She shares some great links to good examples of podcasts so students will know what they are working toward.
She also shares an example of a time-frame in which you can go by in order for students to have a sufficient amount of time in which to finish a good podcast. She also includes a rubric for students to use as they are progressing through the steps of their project. All of her examples will be of great help to the classroom teacher.