Teaching Whole Class with Podcasts

Teaching with Podcasts Whole Group

So you have decided to give teaching with podcasts a try. Good for you! There are many benefits to using this awesome technology.

What is a podcast? A podcast is audio content through the use of an RSS feed that pushes the content out continuously to subscribers, so they don’t have to go looking for it every time. It’s kind of like subscribing to a channel on YouTube. This teaching style is great for students who are auditory learners.

Here are some things to consider when starting up the use of podcasts with your whole class in one big group:

1.     Make sure you have the necessary equipment.

a.     You will need a computer with speakers and a connection to the Internet.

2.     Find podcasts that work for you. The Internet is a fountain of resources. Here are a few places to find great podcasts:

a.     Itunes education podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/podcasts-education-k-12/id1415?mt=2

b.     Book chat podcasts: http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/podcast-episodes/chapter-book-series-worth-30260.html

c.      Topical podcasts used by homeschoolers: http://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/free-educational-podcasts.html

d.     Astronomy podcasts: http://www.astronomyforkids.com.au

3.     Teach students podcast listening behavior expectations.

a.     Students respond to audio content differently than direct teacher instruction.

b.     Because this is strictly audio input, there is nothing for students to look at to focus their attention. If they are looking around the room or doodling/ taking notes, they can still be actively listening at the same time. This will require much instruction and clarification since we don’t want students to do those things while we are teaching. Creating comparison charts or Venn diagrams of what listening looks like while teaching versus what listening looks like during a podcast would be very beneficial. 

c.      It is very important that all students be seated and ready before the podcast begins, since you can’t go back once you have started without interrupting the flow of the lesson for the whole class.

d.     When you are first starting teaching with podcasts, it might be a good idea to give your students something to focus their attention while listening, like a graphic organizer or a note catcher. That way they have something to look at while they are processing the auditory information.

4.     Plan activities or lessons you are going to do with your class after they have listened to the podcast.

a.     You can’t just have students listen to a podcast and then move on to something else. This is a teaching tool. Now what are you going to do with it?

b.     Study up on what other teachers are already doing. No need to re-invent the wheel! http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-with-podcasts-30109.html

http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/subject/teacher-resources/classroom-management/teaching-with-wikis-blogs-podcasts-more-mkt14727

Here are some more great resources on teaching with podcasts:

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/12/teachers-guide-on-use-of-podcasting-in.html

http://www.theconsultants-e.com/ourblog/blog/2012/10_Educational_Podcasts_Worth_Listening_To.aspx

http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/OriginalGadgetGirl/turn-book-talks-into-podcasts

http://steveandcat.net/mrswalker/podcasts.htm

http://teachertakers.blogspot.com/search/label/Classroom%20Management

Teaching Small Groups with Podcasts

Teaching with Podcasts

So you have decided to give teaching with podcasts a try. Good for you! There are many benefits to using this awesome technology.

What is a podcast? A podcast is audio content through the use of an RSS feed that pushes the content out continuously to subscribers, so they don’t have to go looking for it every time. It’s kind of like subscribing to a channel on YouTube. This teaching style is great for students who are auditory learners.

Sometimes it would be a benefit to use different podcasts with different groups of students. This would allow you to differentiate instruction.

Here are some things to consider when starting up the use of podcasts with individual students or small groups:

1.    Make sure you have the necessary equipment.

a.     Podcasts can be listened to on a variety of devices that have Internet connection including iPod touches/ iPhones, laptops, computers, and iPads. Every individual student or small group would need a device. Each student would need earbuds to listen. If you have a small group, an earbud splitter would be beneficial so that your entire small group could be listening simultaneously.

b.     If your students have never worked with this technology before, several more lessons will be required to discuss rules, procedures, and expectations for handling the technology equipment.

                                               i.     Devices need designated safe places to live

                                              ii.     Accessories need designated safe places to live

                                            iii.     Devices should be numbered and assigned to specific students for responsibility purposes

                                            iv.     Keep passwords and log ins somewhere where students have access to them

                                              v.     Here is information on how to set up ipads for roll out: http://kamloopsedtech.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-to-setup-ipads-for-school-rollout.html

2.     Find podcasts that work for you.

a.     Itunes education podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/podcasts-education-k-12/id1415?mt=2

b.     Book chat podcasts: http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/podcast-episodes/chapter-book-series-worth-30260.html

c.      Topical podcasts used by homeschoolers: http://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/free-educational-podcasts.html

d.     Astronomy podcasts: http://www.astronomyforkids.com.au

3.    Teach students podcast listening behavior expectations.

a.     Because students will be working at their own pace and all listening to different podcasts at the same time, it is crucial that you go over behavior expectations.

b.     This is a great differentiation tool because individual students or small groups can listen to podcasts, pause to discuss or ask questions, or go back and listen again if they missed something. The learning is entirely at their own pace.

c.      Discuss with the students expected behaviors, make a chart and post them in the classroom for everyone to see. Also talk about what students should be doing/ accomplishing before, during, and after the podcast.

4.     Plan activities or lessons you are going to do with your class after they have listened to the podcast.

a.     You can’t just have students listen to a podcast and then move on to something else. This is a teaching tool. Now what are you going to do with it?

b.     Study up on what other teachers are already doing. No need to re-invent the wheel! http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-with-podcasts-30109.html

http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/subject/teacher-resources/classroom-management/teaching-with-wikis-blogs-podcasts-more-mkt14727

Here are some more great resources on teaching with podcasts:

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/12/teachers-guide-on-use-of-podcasting-in.html

http://www.theconsultants-e.com/ourblog/blog/2012/10_Educational_Podcasts_Worth_Listening_To.aspx

http://www.teachersnotebook.com/product/OriginalGadgetGirl/turn-book-talks-into-podcasts

http://steveandcat.net/mrswalker/podcasts.htm

http://teachertakers.blogspot.com/search/label/Classroom%20Management

Media Literacy

http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/advertisingtricks/

This is not a specific lesson plan, but a website put together by PBS Kids. It is interactive and shows many different sides to media literacy. For my students I would let them explore and see what they can find, or give them a specific area to look at in order to keep everyone on the same page and assess their understanding at the end of the lesson. It teaches kids not to click on banners and ads, or give out their email addresses. It talks about advertising tricks, music in commercials, not spending too much time in front of video screens, and many other topics.

A project I would like to do with my students to enhance their understanding of media literacy is having them watch tv and select a few commercials to critique. They could address the following questions: Is the ad tricking you in any way? Is there a bias? Is there any false advertising? What music or background noise was used? 

Fair Use Letter

As you know I am working on my masters in instructional technology. Currently I am in a multimedia class and through my studies I have realized that our school is lacking in knowledge of Fair Use.

Technology is changing and growing every single day and I think we really need to stay on top of that technology in order to teach it to our students. Our students need that up-to-date instruction in order to be successful adults in the 21^st century. In technology class, teaching students about fair use goes right along with the digital citizenship skills and lessons on plagiarism that we already teach. Understanding fair use has become an important life skill that our students will require. Also, they need to understand fair use when conducting research. They need to comprehend the importance of citing sources correctly, putting information into their own words, and what is and is not fair use to put in their research projects.

Teaching with technology is no longer an option; it is absolutely vital. Fair use is a part of this. This realization put into action will definitely require some professional development to prepare our staff. I am willing to bet that most of our staff is not familiar with fair use policies. Most teachers think that because they are using it for educational purposes copyright law does not matter. But for example, only 10% of a text, movie, or song can be used without permission of the copyright holder. Also, some things that are allowed under fair use include commentary, criticism, news reporting, parody, and research. These types of multimedia should be highly utilized by teachers and students to help them become technology literate.

I know that you understand the importance of technology in our school, and I thank you in advance for your support on helping me incorporate this critical subject matter into our curriculum.