Podcasts

New School Year's Resolution
The podcast I listened to was about twenty-three minutes long, and was a KidCast: Learning and Teaching with Podcasts. Dan Schmit was the man speaking during the podcast. The podcast was from August 24, 2006, so it was the time that school would be starting. Schmit asked teachers to make a New School Year's Resolution to include podcasts in the curriculum. Schmit suggested just trying short, three to ten minute, podcasts in the classroom to see how students react, and to see if the podcasts are beneficial to the curriculum. Schmit also talked about using cell phone effectively in the classroom, so that the students can use something they love in the classroom. He suggested looking at http://odeo.com to look at how cell phones and other technology can be used in the classroom. He said that the man who helped make blogger.com was looking at how cell phones could be used in the classroom. At the end of the podcast Schmit answered a question about writing a grant to get ipods for the classroom. He told the woman how to write a grant, but also told her of other ways to get podcasts into the classroom that would be cheaper.
I think that podcasts could be used in classroom at the right time to be an effective tool to teach students. I think that if there was a podcast of a speech or about a topic the class was discussing then finding a podcast for the students to listen to would be beneficial. I think that podcasts would be more appropriate for older grades who would have more of an attention span to sit and listen to a podcast. When I was listening to the podcast I felt like I was listening to a lecture, so I think that would be hard for younger grades to sit through. If I could find a podcast in funny voices that was dialogue or something, then the younger grades might have fun listening to the podcast. I think the biggest problem with podcasts in the classroom is students getting bored while listening to them. I think having students make their own podcasts is a fun project for students to do. Students would have fun making a podcast then listening to themselves after and getting to have other people listen to the podcast. Podcasts could help instruct literacy instruction by listening to podcasts about a topic of literacy. It could be another reinforcement for the students, and anything that helps a teacher reinforce a lesson is helpful. Students could also create their own podcasts on a literacy topic that way the students have more experience with the literacy piece. Basically, podcasts are a great tool for reinforcement in the classroom that students could find a new and refreshing aspect in the classroom.
Podcasts in my Practicum Classroom:
1) I would have my students listen to a podcast about poetry or a podcast in which poems are read to help reinforce the poetry unit they are doing. Students could hear other examples, and could even publish their own works to be on a podcast or create a podcast of their poetry.
2) I would have my students create a podcast about preparing for their MEAs for the grades coming in that have to go through the standardize tests. The podcast can be fun and silly or serious as the students give advice and practice writing a podcast.
3) I would have my students make a podcast about the state of Maine as an advertisement to attract newcomers to the state. The podcast would cover what we have been talking about in class about the resources and places in Maine that are attractive.
4) I could have my students make a podcast in the Spanish they have learned. They could write a basic conversation or tell the public how to say basic phrases in Spanish.
5) I could have my students listen to a podcast about new children's books to check out. This way they are learning new books and how to talk about literature.