Think outside the box !
Ive been reading over my posts, and I can honestly say Ive learnt alot about podcasts through all my net surfing and listening to only a few of the many many podcasts available online.
There is a vast amount of podcasts that are directed towards teachers, and i just thought it was important to make the point that podcasting opens up new doors for professional development as well… take for example these tutorials on whiteboards. This is a podcast designed to teach teachers about how to implement whiteboards into the classroom, however all teachers could benefit from the many ideas that are presented…
There are countless podcasts available that allow for this professional development to take place from every corner of the globe, linking teachers internationally…
I think its really exciting that so many teachers are starting to think outside the box !!!!!
Radio Sandaig
A group of enthusiastic primary students in Scotland produce a fantastic podcast with news, jokes, stories and competitions. The radio program is called radio Sandaig student run and they get lots of other children from around the school involved in the show, which makes it interesting to listen to and would open podcasting up to the whole school !!
They upload a new podcast roughly every two weeks. They use Garage bang alot to create alot of jingles and create sound effects. I know garage band is a very simple program to use, and it makes their podcasts sound so exciting and well composed !!
You can leave an audio comment on their page which is a great way on making comments more personal and allowing listeners/amatuers to have a go at podcasting themselves !! Im thinking I might leave one now.. I imagine it would excite them to hear from someone from Sydney !
Before implementing podcasts into a classroom I think it would be a great idea to show an example such as Radio Sandaig !!
Filed under benefits, podcast, Uncategorized | Comment (0)Meet the Goobers !!
It is great to find so many class websites on the net ! it seems more teachers around the world are really embracing technology in their classrooms and extending their enthusiam to the creation of class websites. Most of these examples come from schools in America, however I am sure in the near future we will be seeing more and more websites emerging from Aussie classrooms too !!
A great example of a class website I discovered in my search comes from a second grade class in Maine, USA. They have podcasted information reports, fictional stories and have a dopted a regular format that allows the students to discuss what is going on in their classroom and around the world i.e weather reports ! It is a great way for students to become confident speakers and is another example of how podcasting assist in literacy. You can hear the students struggle over and correct themselves as they read off prepared scripts.
Another great example of how this class benefits from podcasts being used can be seen after an author’s night was held at the school whereby students shared their original stories with a large audience. These readings were recorded and podcasted on the class website. This allowed any parents/relatives/friends who were unable to attend, the ability to hear their child read their story. It also allows the student to listen to their reading and reflect upon their performance !!
Please be nice…
Just noticed a recent posting made by Cassie on her blog. She had made a first attempt at a short imovie. Whilst she was happy to upload it, she was fearful that she might receive negative comments in response. I doubt this would happen, however it does raise an important point! Students who do create technology based projects eg. movies, slideshows, podcasts etc. are using their own voices/images. It could therefore be said that they may be more sensitive about the comments they receive !!
Something teachers may need to be aware of, and may need to make students aware of , in order to create a safe and creative classroom !!!
Virtual School Bag !!
The hi-tech/new generation “school bag” is a very interesting concept as dicussed in a recent posting on Jenni’s blog.
I agree that it definately is important for teachers to integrate technology into the classroom but to remain aware of the fact that each student’s access and familiarity with different technologies is going to be different.
Assigning homework tasks that must be completed online will be meaningless and exclude a student that does not have access to such resources at home.
Something to keep in mind…
Filed under attitudes, learning, problems | Comment (0)Improving Literacy !
My response to a post on Matthew’s blog about podcasting improving literacy skills :
My response to a post on Linda’s blog about using podcasting in remedial reading sessions :
Filed under benefits, learning, podcast | Comment (0)Alot has changed..
This was part of an email forwarded to me today.
School 1960 vs. School 2007
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1960 – Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up mates.
2007 – Police are called, SWAT team arrives and arrests Johnny and Mark. Mobiles with video of fight confiscated as evidence. They are charged with assault, AVOs are taken out and both are suspended even though Johnny started it. Diversionary conferences and parent meetings conducted. Video shown on 6 internet sites.</em>
I think this is meant to be over exaggerated, but still pretty amusing and something to think about !!
I also find this amusing because it is so true to life !!
Are you listening to me !??!
I came across an article on engadget titled ‘ Ipods banned in Sydney school for breeding social isolation’.
The title didnt shock me at all, I remember being at school and anything that became a craze was instantly banned.. yoyo’s, tazzos, footy cards etc.
This article was written in 2005. I think attitudes towards technology in schools has changed even in 3 short years. However, it does make a good point that whilst introducing mp3 players to be used for podcasting can benefit students academically… we need to becareful of the social implications. Audio recordings should not replace verbal dialogue between students !!! Im pretty sure most teachers would know and be aware of that already..but its good to be reminded sometimes that technology cannot provide students with everything !!
Filed under attitudes, problems, Uncategorized | Comment (0)see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil….
Today a posting by Kathy Shields on her blog really struck a cord with me, as the ideas and feeling she expressed about using audio content in classrooms are similar to the thoughts that have been flying around my head as I continue to explore the possibilities and credibility of podcasting in classrooms. Kathy discusses the problems she can see with using audio content, such as podcasts within the class room , “How can you and I be sure the audio content is safe without listening to every word, every second? What kind of warning do you have before it’s too late to stop the sound? What if the unexpected happens? How do you recover? What do you tell the students?”
When I first thought about podcasts, I only considered that the students would be making them themselves. However, I quickly realised how naive I was in forgetting about the giant resource available online…listening to podcasts created by others !! Its such an exciting concept, and opens up students to vast amounts of different information, ideas, attitudes etc. from all over the world !! The classroom has no limits when technology opens the world up in this way…
However, how do we protect our students?? It is impossible to filter all content found online. Kathy didnt know the answer and either do I… but I still think podcasting is a valuable tool for teachers and students alike.
Filed under benefits, Games, podcast, Uncategorized | Comment (0)Congrats ! Its a podcast !!
A picture demonstrating the ‘Heredity of Podcasting’, as found in a document titled ‘ Fishing for Learning in a Podcast Net’ .
Image found : http://www.unf.edu/dept/cirt/tech/podcast/HargisPodcastArticle.pdf
Filed under podcast | Comment (0)