Podcasts are great tools for teachers to use in their classrooms. All of my classroom computers have Audacity downloaded on them and come with microphones. Using podcasts is easy for young students and does not take much time.
I have introduced Audacity to my students by having them record a story. They were able to learn how to record, pause, and play back their recordings. They learned how to save and open the recording. The students filled out a fluency rubric and were able to go back and record a second time to improved on their fluency. This is the perfect activity to use before I introduce podcasting.
Scholastic offered some great ideas about using podcasts in lower grades. I think one meaningful activity would be using podcasts to record interviews. Students could prepare interview questions for people around their school and community. People would come into the classroom to create a podcast with a student. This would be a year long project that would incorporate oral language, writing, reading, technology, and hopefully science and social studies based on the people we get to interview. This project is also a way to get families and the community involved in education.
Great ideas! If the students gain these skills at the elementary level, when they get to high school, their teachers be able to incorporate them into lessons without needing to teach the technology first! Way to go!
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of students interviewing one another. That is something that students typically don't get to experience until they are much older. I bet they would love it!
ReplyDeleteThe interview idea is awesome Kristen! What if they even pretended to be a famous person in history and interviewed each other?? That might be cute!
ReplyDeleteI could definitely use the podcast to have them pretend to interview a famous American. They would love that! I'm sure I could teach them how to use the voice change to make is sound like the famous American!
ReplyDeleteI think those podcasts are something I would love to hear! I hope you get the chance to use this idea!
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