Question:
The rise of podcasting in schools has been a grassroots occurrence. Depending on what school you look at, podcasting -- if present at all -- may be introduced by teachers, administrators, students, media specialists, or technology specialists. At Willowdale Elementary in Omaha, Nebraska, the technology specialist Tony Vincent introduced podcasting and has taken upon himself much of the work of spreading the innovation and guiding the quality of the podcasts produced. At Beverly Elementary School in Birmingham, MI, the media specialist Kristin Fontichiaro podcasts (herself) and hosts a Podcasting Club for 4th graders. The podcast is disseminated through a blog. At other schools, no one is podcasting.
So, imagine a teacher approaches you and asks you if you can help him to start up a podcast for his class (something like Radio WilloWeb). In truth, you may know little about podcasting. So, how do you respond to the teacher? Do you tell him farewell and good luck? Do you tell him you don't know much, but you're willing to find out? What is your role? What are the reasons behind how you choose to respond to this teacher?
Thoughts:
As I explored the new world of podcasting this week I began to envision the many uses of podcast within a school. The scenario that has been given about a teacher approaching me in order to create a podcast could easily be true, as stated in the scenario I do not know much about podcast. The little I do know I have gained in the technology class by making a podcast. My response to the teacher however would be enthusiastic excitement as I think using a podcast is a wonderful learning tool for students. I would need to play with the software on an individual basis or collaboratively with the teacher but the result would be beneficial to the students. I would be eager to begin working on creating podcast with the students for several reasons.
Initially, it exposes the students to various forms of technology. The students use a microphone to record the narration for the podcast. The computer is used in various ways through recording sound, manipulating files, and possibly even manipulating images if it is taken a step father and produced as a vodcast. The use of different formats of technology or the same piece of technology in different ways allows for the students to improve their knowledge about the technology. We are all aware that the technology that people use on a daily basis is only increasing. Many of the students already are ahead of their teachers when it comes to using technology. For the students to be successful it is imperative that they are able to use technology so the logical step for teachers is to not only use technology in the classroom but teach the students how to use technology in the classroom.
Secondly, a benefit of having the students create a podcast is that it helps improve their academics. A podcast can be used for a variety of assignments such as reports, current events, foreign language practice,audio tours, and even accommodations for those with special needs. Kristin Fontichiaro points out these uses in her article Podcasting 101 (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7729/is_200703/ai_n32211230/?tag=content;col1). The students are able to research different topics or current events and deliver their information in the format of a podcast. Since a podcast is in a digital format it makes it easy to share with others. A podcast also provides opportunities to check the grammatical and mechanical aspects of their work as these errors can often be caught during the recording of a podcast. Podcast can be used with students who are studying a foreign language or those who are trying to learn English by providing extra practice in listening and speaking in the foreign language. An audio tour could be used to introduce new students to the school or all students to an art fair or book fair. I really liked the use of a podcast for accommodations for those students who are to have the test read to them. Having the test on a podcast eliminates the chance of the student feeling different.
Finally, I like the idea of using a podcast because it engages the students in their learning. Students are always excited to use technology in a lesson. The students are more likely to put more effort and would retain more information in assignments in which they are excited about using technology.
As I viewed sample podcasts, such as the ones created by Willowdale Elementary (http://mps.wes.schoolfusion.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?sessionid=cc17faa3b4b3cc4b4356056651b975f8&pageid=115312&sessionid=cc17faa3b4b3cc4b4356056651b975f8), I saw all the possibilities. They were able to talk about various subjects that related to content the students were learning or current events that were occurring. They successfully created podcast across grade levels and presented the information for all who visited the website. Podcast should be considered in every school as they have numerous uses and benefits for the students.
You really did your homeowrk for this post! I agree with you that the media specialist has to be excited about working with teachers to use new technologies. Students would enjoy this new tool for sharing their work. Podcasts are a great tool for presenting research findings, recording stories that students have written to share with others, or even explaining how to do a certain kind of math problem.
ReplyDeleteAn elementary class could create a podcast each Friday that highlights what they did and learned during the week and the teacher could include announcements for the parents. The podcast could then be posted on the teacher's website. Having students write their stories first provides practice in writing, reading, and public speaking! I see the possibilites for using podcasts in today's schools as endless.
The articles provided will certainly be useful to teachers. When thinking about using the podcast, my mind was on morning news; after reading the articles, there were so much more to podcasting in the classroom. The media specialist and teacher will find it useful to students in several subjects, and will help students learn a second language.
ReplyDeleteWow! Lots of good ideas presented here. I really like the idea of using blogs on Fridays as a culminating activity for the week. Students can explain what they've learned. Parents would love to see what they're children actually learned during the week. Using the microphone to narrate is a wonderful way to work on fluency. I see great value in podcasting for learners!
ReplyDeleteYour blog has inspired me as a teacher to consider all the possibilities for podcasts. Media Specialists surely need to know how to help teachers and students alike create these. I appreciate your enthusiasm! And I agree with Jodye in that parents would love to see their children creating something with technology, showing what they have learned in class. It also encourages students to take ownership of that learning.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading several blog posts, I like how you brought up the point about exposing students to various forms of technology. As graduate students, we are having to learn how to use all of these forms now. As media specialists we should know how to, or at least have the knowledge (and willingness) to figure out how to, use as many new technologies for the classroom as possible. Teaching students how to use this form of technology may help them in ways not directly seen. For example, they may see that the podcasts are easy to make and they can focus easily while listening. They may use this sort of technology on their own time for studying and other purposes. Our role as teachers/media specialists is to prepare students for the future and having technology instruction infused into the curriculum will help reach this goal.
ReplyDeleteBy Cecilia:
ReplyDeleteAs a volunteer in an elementary school media center, I look forward to my contact with teachers. These conversations really give me insight into collaboration. I've noticed that there are veteran teachers who are comfortable with some technology. The new teachers are very comfortable with it and use it whenever possible.
My daughter's second grade teachers (it was a situation where the class was "team taught") were adept as using podcasts to cement learnings and viewed it as a way of mastering information. It was very common for them to do podcasts before, during and after units. The students enjoyed it very much and it was obvious to see how beneficial the podcasts were to facilitate learning. While not all teachers use this resource, a media specialist can use this opportunity for a great in-service.