In the podcast, they talk a lot about engagement and excitement in the classroom. I think if we have a great tool like podcasts to engage kids then we should try our best to incorporate it into our curriculum. I particularly liked the idea of an end-of-unit podcast and prefacing a unit by saying the class will be making a podcast. It would help hold students' attentions throughout the unit because they'll have the podcast to look forward to.
My only concern is the time it takes to produce a finished product. I guess it will take much dedication as a teacher to do podcasts, but I think they made a good point that they can be used for future generations to listen to over and over, and it helps to solidify concepts. I'm curious to hear what other people think about the time concern.
I really like the sense of class cooperation that is emitted from the idea of pod casting. The distribution system makes sure everyone has their own aspect to take part in.
I also liked the idea of ending each unit with a podcast because the kids get a lasting reminder of the lessons/unit that they can go back to and hear again when they need to review.
I think it's a great idea, assuming that most schools have access to the equipment/technology necessary to record. However I'm not sure that the majority of schools, especially elementary, have the technology needed to pod-cast available to them.
Regarding this podcast, I felt that there was way too much intro/outro music. Also, I realized it's very important to watch the speed of your speech and enunciate clearly. You should also avoid a monotonous voice. When the boy kept emphasizing "aaagriculture," I was very annoyed and wanted to stop listening.
Some pros/things I learned- Podcasting creates audio/radio shows, which are better than video because they take less editing and preparation. There is a good distribution system for podcasts, and they're easy to access. Podcasting provides great group work opportunities, and it's exciting for kids- they get to be "celebrities". In podcasting, students are learning material so that they can teach others the material...and this puts a new spin on active learning.
Overall, I really enjoyed this podcast. I realized that podcasting can be very beneficial in learning. Before I thought it was more about the kids learning how to use the technology, but it also allows kids to acutally learn the content because of all of the "pre-production" things they must do to prepare a podcast. For example, research, taking notes, and recording really gets the information engrained into their heads. I thought the repository that the teacher created was a really good idea as well. Something that expecially peaked my interest were the city podcasts. I thought that was an amazing idea. Podcasts really can be great learning tools in the classroom. I would love to create a podcast with my students when I am a teacher, but I am still afraid of technology. If I can't get it to work, I don't want to let my students down after they've worked so hard to put it together. Also, I don't understand how the teachers have so much extra time to do this.
I found this podcast pretty informative, although lengthy. I think podcasts are a great way to appeal to nearly all students in the classroom. All students learn differently, and I think that having to make up a script and verbalize is a great way for most students to retain the information. Also, since podcasts can be saved for future classes, children who are auditory learners may benefit more from listening to the podcast, rather than only reading the textbook. Podcasting also teaches students the importance of teamwork, which is such a necessary skill which some kids don't learn. Also, students will benefit from the technological skills that they learn.
I thought that the "our city" podcast was a really cool idea. When students listen to these podcasts by students talking about where they live, they don't even realize that they are learning. This is a great way for them to learn about other cities and cultures in the world, and not strictly academic information.
Like Nica said, I am curious as to how long it takes to create the finished podcast, particularly for the younger grades, who may have more trouble with it. How much work does the teacher have to put in during his or her free time? How much classroom time is taken up to produce one podcast?
I really enjoyed the podcast, it basically gave me reassurance about using podcasting in my classroom. As a secondary history teacher I see myself using it more for individual work, but I think the collaboration aspect is important. I can see myself recording lectures for students not in class. I can also see assigning it as an alternative project instead of an essay or presentation. They could serve as great review devices. I think the only real problem with distribution is just making sure every student has a way to listen to it. It's great that there is such a good distribution system but every student needs to have access to a computer and those with ipod (or similar) technology would be at a great advantage too. It would be cool to do one big podcast and maybe partner with another school to make sure we watch each other. I think anything we can do to make education more exciting and interactive is positive. Virginia
Like Virginia, listening to this podcast gave me a little more confidence that I would be able to use a podcast in the classroom. It especially helped to hear that it does not require much more technology than a computer. Before listening to it, I was not so sure about the educational value of the podcast. Like others previously mentioned, I was worried about the time it would take to make one and thought that it would just take away from classtime. After listening to this podcast, I realized that podcasting is a good educational tool because it gives the students something to look forward too. The students are filled with a sense of accomplishment as they work together to create the final product. I think that creating it as a radio station with different sections works really well; it distinguishes it from just a basic recording of a summary of information.
I thought this podcast had some pretty interesting elements to it. Like some have said, it was a little lengthy and I lost some interest towards the end. I really liked how the idea of a podcast is so exciting for the students that it creates motivation for students to do a good job on it. Podcasting seems like such a great tool that enables students to be collaborative and gain team work skills. The pre-production (the note-taking, research, script writing) also emphasizes important skills as well. It's always been said that the best way to learn about something is to teach others and I think podcasting embodies that in a sense. Most importantly, I think podcasting would be a great tool for the class for review. Tony Vincent was saying how his students could listen to the podcasts over and over again which reiterates the content and really learn the curriculum.
I remember in class we watched a video about this, and the teacher spent a lot of his free time working on post-production. How much free time and time in general will educators have in organizing, creating, and executing these podcasts?
Regular podcasts provide a great opportunity for parents to keep up with what their children are learning.
It seems like the podcasting is a great way for the students to learn, but does is the time it takes to teach and plan the technical aspects of a podcast worth the time lost in core subject study? It seems worth it to me but I wonder what the effect is on test scores. -Aaron
This podcast was lengthy, but very interesting. I can definitely see myself using a podcast in the classroom in different ways. In one way, I will have kids collaborate and do something like the kids that we saw in the video last week did. Also, I would definitely record my class and post it online for either missing students or interested parents that want to know what is going on in the classroom at school. This way, parents can feel more informed with the subject material and progress of the children. Kirsten posed a good question about whether or not teachers would have enough time to organize, create, and execute these podcasts and I think that effective teachers would definitely put in the time to create these podcasts. The end of the school day shouldn't signify the end of the teacher's day and I think it is important for effective teachers to go above and beyond to help students learn. Overall, podcasts can be a great way to learn for several different learning styles and I think it is an important use of technology in the classroom.
I think that podcasting is definitely a creative and affective way to teach students. It not only targets different styles of learning (from auditory to verbal repetition) but it also allows students to interact and play an important role in the learning process. They can play the teacher or the radio host. It is beneficial for reviewing topics and is an easy way for parents to keep up with their child's schoolwork. When kids have fun with learning they will approach school with a much more open attitude and will absorb more information. In order for podcasting to work, the teacher needs to make sure that it's an organized operation. The teacher interviewed in this podcast talked about having each student do a different segment. This will keep the work organized and won't have the students or the teacher get bogged down with having to do a ton of different topics. Podcasting seems like a daunting task, but it's actually pretty simple once the teacher understands how to cut and edit the recordings. The outcome, though, is very impressive especially to parents who are used to having their kids do typical schoolwork that doesn't involve technology. I definitely think that I'm going to incorporate podcasting in my classroom - whether it be with having the students record their own review segments, or recording important lessons and topics myself.
I really enjoyed the podcast and thought it was interesting when he was talking about how the students went into a unit with a different perspective when they knew they were going to doing a podcast about. He explained that throughout the unit, they were looking more interesting tidbits to include in the podcast. I think this really goes to show that when students are engaged in a classroom activity and enjoy it, they are more likely to really pay attention and learn something from it. By using a podcast to teach students rather than worksheets or other less engaging material, students get more from activities and are more likely to remember the material they are teaching other. I also thought it was really interesting how he talked about how students learn the material better because they listen to the podcast over and over again. The fact that something like a podcast would encourage students to voluntarily listen to educational material over and over without assigning it as homework or directly testing them on them is really cool. Again, anything that will engage students and get them to learn while having fun should definitely be encouraged and used in the classroom. However looking at podcasts, especially in the younger grades, it seems like it would be something that would be much more easily done in smaller classes. However, as class sizes continue to increase, how will this effect teachers’ ability to use podcasting in their classrooms and what can teachers do to overcome this challenge?
I have to admit that at first I was pretty skeptical about the idea of podcasting. While I could see why it would be exciting for students, it just seemed too time consuming and complicated of an activity. The interview with the creator of the Willowcast program really broadened my mind. While I still think it might be too time consuming for one class to be doing constant series of podcasts, I really like the idea of a technology specialist in the school putting it together so that classes are alternating when they are doing it. It seems like a really good way to energize the kids and get them excited about the subjects. It utilizes the idea of having the students being the teachers, and I am a really big supporter of this.
QUESTION: How do you make sure that the educational value of the project matches the time and energy students have to put into this sort of project?
Podcasts pretty much amaze me. Like most people, I had doubt about the time it takes and making it an efficient and positive classroom experience. But now, after completing an in-class project, I feel like podcasts CAN BE DONE. We spent an hour in class working out a final script, recording, finding music, and doing some editing work. Then we took the stuff home to put final touches on editing, and voila, 3 hours later, a podcast was born.
I think that if we want to incorporate podcasts into classrooms, we must remember it's up to us how fancy we want to make it. It can be something that takes hours to sophisticate, but I felt as if in the 3-odd hours we took to make a 7-minute podcast was sufficient to make a "professional-sounding" podcast, worthy of parent audiences.
Also, teachers can stress the importance of being prepared prior to class. Writing a script for homework prior to creating a podcast in class is a crucial step. Students who don't do this homework will miss out on all the fun of producing the podcast in class. Furthermore, writing the script allows students to synthesize information in normal everyday speech, not the daunting essay voice. I don't doubt the educational value of podcasts one bit; I see many opportunities for real learning and using a finished podcast as something that can be fairly assessed.
If in-class podcasts are too difficult to do during instructional time, a teacher who would be interested in podcasts in his/her school could start an elective class or after-school program. Podcasts, to me, are very much like literature circles in that they take up time but have great value. Even though we don't speak about literature circles in this class, I drew parallels with the concern for time. I read an article that suggested that literature circles can be done as an elective class if a teacher is willing to set that up in her school. I think the same goes for podcasts. It would be a shame not to provide kids with the opportunity to participate in making a podcast.
Podcasts definitely overwhelmed me at first, but after trying it, I think it seems like a good idea. Some challenges that teachers will face are all the extra time that is needed to put into these podcasts, kids being absent, kids not putting correct information on the podcast, or it simply being too complicated for kids to use. When problems occur with technology, it ends up taking much more time to complete an activity than it should, which is not helpful to the teachers OR students. Techers could put step-by-step instruction at each computer station, so that kids will have less technological problems, and hopefully just more questions about content. Written directions usually guide children to rely more on themselves and less on the teacher. If podcasts are not available in class, then there should be other availability in schools to be able to us them. For example, after school programs or specific technology classes would be a way for kids to have time to use podcasts. If teachers do not want to take up class time to make podcasts because they think that the technological issues will take too much time, then teachers need to get more efficient in the way they teach how to make a podcast.
I thought that the podcast project was a really fun experience, although it took awhile to get used to the recording software. We spent less than 2 hours to produce a successful podcast with music, transitions and our recordings!
In order to successfully complete a project like this with students, I think students (an teachers) needs to have the necessary cooperation and patience which can be challenging. It took time for everyone to have their turn and record. It was also sometimes frustrating to keep messing up parts of the script and having to record the same thing over and over again. From my experience, the post-production was the hardest part, having to cut out the mistakes and figuring out how to put in the music and transitions.
I definitely think that all think that in order to make the process more efficient in class, it is important to make sure that a lot of preparation is done ahead of time like assigning topics, roles, and having students brainstorm ideas and write their scripts as part of homework so that the in class work is easier for everyone.
For the in-class time, it would definitely be helpful to have a workshop on how to use the software before starting the podcast process and also maybe a set of guidelines and reminders for the students to refer back to. I can see things getting complicated as well but it's all a part of the learning/collaboration experience.
If doing a podcast in class isn’t an option, you can create the same experience by doing all the preparation, research and writing, and having students present to the class, maybe even incorporate music into it as well, although it isn't as cool as a podcast. If there's a teacher that's dedicated to it, make an after school program or club that does it. My elementary school had a news program every morning where the 5-6th grade students were rotated into it and got to be the anchors, sound, camera person, etc and that was a lot of fun. Podcasting could be used similarly.
I thought that this project was very worthwhile, and I can see how students would be excited about creating their own podcast and researching a topic thoroughly in order to make that podcast interesting and successful. Setbacks for students include becoming too wrapped up in the details – like music and transitions. If I were to do this exercise in my class I would have the students research and write their own segments, but then I would deal with the technical parts of adding media and transitioning. However, in order for the students to practice using podcast and its editing technology, I would have them edit their own part – cutting out the portions where they made mistakes or adjusting the volume.
If podcasts were not an option, students could film their own movies and practice editing that since it uses some of the basic skills of cutting and moving segments around. If this was also not a possibility, students could have their own unrecorded in-class radio show so they could feel the responsibility of being in charge of a topic as well as practice public speaking.
Like a lot of my classmates, I thought the podcast project was a lot of fun. I always imagined that podcasting was really hard to do, but it seems so easy. Some of the challenges our group experienced involved transitions and the small details like fading in and out with the music. However, with practice and patience, we figured it out! If I wanted to do this in my classroom, I would have my students do something similar to what our class did, except for the "workshop" part would probably take a little longer than 45 minutes. I think the key to success is how well the students prepare. They should write a script for homework, read it outloud to their group members once or twice, plan who is going to do the intro and outro and who will speak when, and finally, record individually. I feel like if you start recording too soon, things could go wrong very fast. Making a podcast seemed like it was easy enough for third graders to do. I was talking to my sister, who is a third grade teacher just last night about our podcast assignments. Her school has three computers per classroom, and twenty kids. I told her they might be able to make one if they split up into groups and rotated stations--for example, one group could be doing the podcast at the computers, another group could be in the literacy center, and another doing spelling/word practice. Each group could be in a station for thity minutes, which should be enough time for students to at least record their parts on the computer for the podcast. Then they could save it and work on it the next day. If podcasting was not an option, students could still do all the preparation needed to make one, and instead of recording on a computer, they could just read it out loud to the class in their groups.
Like everyone else has been saying, I really enjoyed the process of creating the podcast. Going into class last week, I was pretty hesitant about the idea of creating a podcast, just because I really wasn't sure how everything would go. The process itself didn't take as long as I had expected, and I was amazed with the final product (I made my roommates listen to it!).
I still think that the greatest challenge is probably the time issue. The two hours we spent working on the podcast could easily at least double in a classroom with thirty kids, also assuming that younger children may not have as good of an understanding of the technology involved as we did. I think it may be a little difficult for younger students to learn the ins and outs of all the technology, and confusion about this will add to the time each podcast takes.
One thing teachers could do in order for the podcast process to be more efficient is to only have the students record their segments, and then teachers can cut and edit the recording, as well as add music, in their own time. If teachers wanted students to have more say over things like the music selection, they could have certain music that students must choose from, instead of open-ended options. Again, these ideas still require teachers to devote their own free time to this project, which may not be feasible for some of them.
If students are unable to do a podcast in the classroom, other options would be to start an after-school podcasting activity for interested students, and they can meet once every week or so. Also, teachers could offer podcasting as a project option, in which students have the choice to create a podcast if they want, as opposed to a poster or class presentation. In this case, teachers would have to provide students with all the information on podcasting, so students could work on their own.
Overall, I really like the idea of podcasting in the classroom, and I hope to one day try this in my own classroom, although there would definitely be some issues to work out beforehand.
The idea of having your children make podcasts seems more complicated then it actually is. I think the greatest challenge though would be to keep your children focused. I think that all of the fancy things that can be done with podcasts, and that draw the kids attention in the first place, could also distract the children from the material that is the point of the project. When kids create powerpoints they can often spend more time fixing fonts and animations then creating content. I tutor a fourth grader. His teacher has him illustrate stories that he writes for class. If I do not keep him on task he will spend 10 minutes writing and 20 looking for pictures on the internet. The challenge is to keep the temptation to make a really cool podcast from interfering with the heart of the lesson, the script writing.
One thing that the teacher could do ahead of time would be to download a few sound and music choices to the kids computers ahead of time. If the kids have choices more limited than the internet at large they will spend less time searching and choosing and more on content. With younger children the teacher should probably edit the pieces together and just have the kids record their pieces.
Kids don't have to record a podcast to get the experience. They could write the script and then perform, like they were recording a podcast, in front of the whole class. They could make their own sound effects behind the scenes too, with bells and whistles and such.
Like most people before me have stated, I actually found that making the podcast was much easier than I expected. The actual recording was simple and painless, the editing was a little more challenging and I understand why a teacher rather than a student would be in charge of that.
Also, I found that the working with a group aspect of it was fun too. I think that a class full of students would get excited about collaborating to put the podcast together.
The only concern I would have, now that I have recoded one, is just the practicality of a class full of close to 30 students being able to get involved. I would probably do multiple podcasts over the course of the semester and have a group of maybe 5-10 students work on it at a time. After writing the script, the actual recording only takes a few minutes.
I really enjoyed making the podcast. It was fun and not too difficult. I was surprised by how "user-friendly" the program was. The editing was tricky at first but then I thought it was pretty easy. I liked it because it was really difficult to delete things so we didn't ever lose our work (and we saved a lot!). I think it would podcasting would work best in secondary classes. They have the attention span to do the whole thing and it would be easier on the teacher.
Although, at first I was overwhelmed by the idea of podcasting, the final result was actually easier than I had expected. I can see how it may be a challenge for elementary students, particularly with the recording and assembling. However If the teacher is knowledgable enough about putting the actual podcast together than it can be really fun! The teacher can make up for these difficulties ahead of time by making sure each student has their script ready ahead of time and assisting the students with gathering music and understanding the use of audacity. Another way to give students the experience of doing a podcast would be doing an inclass live show, where each student had something to say/contribute to the whole show. Overall the end result made the project really fun, I just hope it would still be do-able with elementary school kids! -Aisha
I really enjoyed doing a podcast today in class and seeing just how easy, and doable in a classroom setting, podcasts are. Once you learn the basic steps on Audacity, it really was not difficult at all to put together a podcast that ended up sounding good!
However doing the podcast was not without its challenges, several of which would be even more difficult in a classroom setting. First of all, the challenge of finding an appropriate space to record the podcast would be particularly difficult in a classroom, which is not at all conducive to recording. To help alleviate this, you could work to find a room in the school which would be quieter and easier for students to record their podcast. Also, our group dealt with the problem of not having speakers, and therefore, not being able to have both people in our group listen to the podcast at the same time. In particular, if you were just starting podcasting, you might not have enough speakers. Additionally, using speakers might be disruptive to students. Finally, I think a challenge teachers would have to worry about would be ensuring that students used sound effects and music wisely. Otherwise, you would have a podcast full of silly and inappropriate sound effects.
In order to make the podcasting process more efficient, teachers could ahead of time set up recording stations so that students do not have to mess with opening up and setting up these programs. Teachers could also give a list of pre-approved sound effects in order to help keep students on track and using appropriate resources. During the project, teachers could divide students into groups small enough to ensure that everyone is participating. They could also “float” around to help deal with technical issues and ensure students are on track. After the recording, teachers could be the ones to do the editing and make the finishing touches. With our podcast, we found that this took far longer than actually recording and writing the script. By doing some or all of the editing, especially in the younger grades, the teachers could have their students maximize the amount they learn from the project while making the process more efficient.
If doing an in-class podcast is not possible, teachers could also work to set up an afterschool program were students would make their own podcast. Students could pick their topics and do regularly podcasts about things they are interested in. These podcasts could then, if possible, be incorporated into classroom units. Doing an afterschool “podcast” club would give students an opportunity to learn to make podcasts while learning about a subject they are interested in.
I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed doing the podcast. It wasn't that I thought it would be awful, but I didn't realize how fun it could be and how relatively easy it is. Based on my experience with our class podcast project I perceive the greatest challenge to be the technology itself. This project requires access to microphones and headsets. Each school varies how much money they can give for technology, but I know my high school did not have either of these things. Also, the program would require the students to know basic editing skills themselves before they began. So, in addition to the time required to do the podcast, I would have to teach an additional lesson on how to use the equipment. Also, this would have to be a project done during the school day since I wouldn't be able to count on each student having access to this at home.
As a teacher, I could save time in class by doing the editing myself, also helping with the confusion. However, that would definitely require a big commitment on my part. Ahead of time and during the project I can give my students sample podcasts done by other schools to show them exactly what it is they are going to be doing.
You could also make the podcasts extra credit, but then as a teacher you would need to be willing to stay after school or go in during study halls to help and monitor the use of the equipment. You could also make it optional parts of certain projects that way the students interested in doing it would know that extra effort and work would be required of them. I also like the idea above of making it a club or extracurricular. You could easily tack this on to part a of a journalism class, since many the idea of "talk show" or "broadcast" is part of journalism.
Overall I like the idea of podcasting because it incorporates collaboration and a tangible product. One issue I perceive in doing a podcast assignment is the time it may actually take to complete the assignment. I know when I was doing the project I found I had to read the piece multiple times to get a "clean read" with minimal mistakes. I consider myself a strong audible reader so I imagine a student would also have trouble. A way to get around this problem would be to have the students chunk large readings up so they don't have to always read the whole thing to edit, rather they can just read parts. I don't really see too many problems as for as accessibility of the materials needed for this task. All you need is a microphone and and a computer. Another problem I forsee is decreasing ambient background noise. A classroom full of middle schoolers all trying to record is a recipe for having random shouts in the background. I would try to find another room for students to go to where they could go if they were ready to record.
Some of the things I would do ahead of time would be to make sure the editing program is set on each computer so that all the kids have to do is hit record. Another would be to compile a list of songs for them to download so they aren't spending a lot of time debating on what songs they want or trying to find it to download.
I would offer it as an enrichment assignment or as a differentiated product students could produce as the result of a task we did in class. For example, if i was doing an assignment on US presidents I would allow students options of how to present their president. One of them could be a podcast.
I am so glad that we created a podcast in class last week because it really changed my mind on the subject. While I was a fan of the idea in theory because it's educational value, I was definitely critical of it because it seemed like it would take SO much time in school that it would not be practical. I was surprised at how easy it was to create the podcast and how quickly it could be done. I also started thinking about how great of a tool it would be because it the finished product would really excite the students and inspire them to work harder!
1. Challenges to podcasting: I think that, while it is easier than I expected, it would be a challenge to get students (depending of the age) to complete the editing of the podcast. The more independent the students are on this project, the more beneficial it would be; however, I could foresee difficulty in trying to get them to use Audacity and complete this process.
2. To make this process more efficient, I would make sure students had been exposed to podcasts so they were in understanding of what they should be creating. They also should have a topic, script, and music/sounds picked out before they touch the computer to ensure that they are efficient with their time. Depending on the age, the teacher may have to do the editing him/herself for practical purposes. If they are old enough to do this alone, the teacher should spend time before the class starts explaining audacity. The teacher should also have ready a method of turning in this podcast (website, etc) to make sure this runs smoothly and doesn't take away from working time.
3. If podcasting is out of the question, you could give a project that has different options for the final project and include the podcast as one of the options. To do this, the teacher MUST ensure that the student has the ability to access the technology within the school in case this is needed.
In the podcast, they talk a lot about engagement and excitement in the classroom. I think if we have a great tool like podcasts to engage kids then we should try our best to incorporate it into our curriculum. I particularly liked the idea of an end-of-unit podcast and prefacing a unit by saying the class will be making a podcast. It would help hold students' attentions throughout the unit because they'll have the podcast to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteMy only concern is the time it takes to produce a finished product. I guess it will take much dedication as a teacher to do podcasts, but I think they made a good point that they can be used for future generations to listen to over and over, and it helps to solidify concepts. I'm curious to hear what other people think about the time concern.
I really like the sense of class cooperation that is emitted from the idea of pod casting. The distribution system makes sure everyone has their own aspect to take part in.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the idea of ending each unit with a podcast because the kids get a lasting reminder of the lessons/unit that they can go back to and hear again when they need to review.
I think it's a great idea, assuming that most schools have access to the equipment/technology necessary to record. However I'm not sure that the majority of schools, especially elementary, have the technology needed to pod-cast available to them.
Regarding this podcast, I felt that there was way too much intro/outro music. Also, I realized it's very important to watch the speed of your speech and enunciate clearly. You should also avoid a monotonous voice. When the boy kept emphasizing "aaagriculture," I was very annoyed and wanted to stop listening.
ReplyDeleteSome pros/things I learned-
Podcasting creates audio/radio shows, which are better than video because they take less editing and preparation.
There is a good distribution system for podcasts, and they're easy to access. Podcasting provides great group work opportunities, and it's exciting for kids- they get to be "celebrities". In podcasting, students are learning material so that they can teach others the material...and this puts a new spin on active learning.
Overall, I really enjoyed this podcast. I realized that podcasting can be very beneficial in learning. Before I thought it was more about the kids learning how to use the technology, but it also allows kids to acutally learn the content because of all of the "pre-production" things they must do to prepare a podcast. For example, research, taking notes, and recording really gets the information engrained into their heads. I thought the repository that the teacher created was a really good idea as well. Something that expecially peaked my interest were the city podcasts. I thought that was an amazing idea. Podcasts really can be great learning tools in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI would love to create a podcast with my students when I am a teacher, but I am still afraid of technology. If I can't get it to work, I don't want to let my students down after they've worked so hard to put it together. Also, I don't understand how the teachers have so much extra time to do this.
I found this podcast pretty informative, although lengthy. I think podcasts are a great way to appeal to nearly all students in the classroom. All students learn differently, and I think that having to make up a script and verbalize is a great way for most students to retain the information. Also, since podcasts can be saved for future classes, children who are auditory learners may benefit more from listening to the podcast, rather than only reading the textbook. Podcasting also teaches students the importance of teamwork, which is such a necessary skill which some kids don't learn. Also, students will benefit from the technological skills that they learn.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the "our city" podcast was a really cool idea. When students listen to these podcasts by students talking about where they live, they don't even realize that they are learning. This is a great way for them to learn about other cities and cultures in the world, and not strictly academic information.
Like Nica said, I am curious as to how long it takes to create the finished podcast, particularly for the younger grades, who may have more trouble with it. How much work does the teacher have to put in during his or her free time? How much classroom time is taken up to produce one podcast?
I really enjoyed the podcast, it basically gave me reassurance about using podcasting in my classroom. As a secondary history teacher I see myself using it more for individual work, but I think the collaboration aspect is important. I can see myself recording lectures for students not in class. I can also see assigning it as an alternative project instead of an essay or presentation. They could serve as great review devices. I think the only real problem with distribution is just making sure every student has a way to listen to it. It's great that there is such a good distribution system but every student needs to have access to a computer and those with ipod (or similar) technology would be at a great advantage too. It would be cool to do one big podcast and maybe partner with another school to make sure we watch each other. I think anything we can do to make education more exciting and interactive is positive.
ReplyDeleteVirginia
Like Virginia, listening to this podcast gave me a little more confidence that I would be able to use a podcast in the classroom. It especially helped to hear that it does not require much more technology than a computer. Before listening to it, I was not so sure about the educational value of the podcast. Like others previously mentioned, I was worried about the time it would take to make one and thought that it would just take away from classtime. After listening to this podcast, I realized that podcasting is a good educational tool because it gives the students something to look forward too. The students are filled with a sense of accomplishment as they work together to create the final product. I think that creating it as a radio station with different sections works really well; it distinguishes it from just a basic recording of a summary of information.
ReplyDeleteI thought this podcast had some pretty interesting elements to it. Like some have said, it was a little lengthy and I lost some interest towards the end. I really liked how the idea of a podcast is so exciting for the students that it creates motivation for students to do a good job on it. Podcasting seems like such a great tool that enables students to be collaborative and gain team work skills. The pre-production (the note-taking, research, script writing) also emphasizes important skills as well. It's always been said that the best way to learn about something is to teach others and I think podcasting embodies that in a sense. Most importantly, I think podcasting would be a great tool for the class for review. Tony Vincent was saying how his students could listen to the podcasts over and over again which reiterates the content and really learn the curriculum.
ReplyDeleteI remember in class we watched a video about this, and the teacher spent a lot of his free time working on post-production. How much free time and time in general will educators have in organizing, creating, and executing these podcasts?
Regular podcasts provide a great opportunity for parents to keep up with what their children are learning.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like the podcasting is a great way for the students to learn, but does is the time it takes to teach and plan the technical aspects of a podcast worth the time lost in core subject study? It seems worth it to me but I wonder what the effect is on test scores.
-Aaron
This podcast was lengthy, but very interesting. I can definitely see myself using a podcast in the classroom in different ways. In one way, I will have kids collaborate and do something like the kids that we saw in the video last week did. Also, I would definitely record my class and post it online for either missing students or interested parents that want to know what is going on in the classroom at school. This way, parents can feel more informed with the subject material and progress of the children.
ReplyDeleteKirsten posed a good question about whether or not teachers would have enough time to organize, create, and execute these podcasts and I think that effective teachers would definitely put in the time to create these podcasts. The end of the school day shouldn't signify the end of the teacher's day and I think it is important for effective teachers to go above and beyond to help students learn.
Overall, podcasts can be a great way to learn for several different learning styles and I think it is an important use of technology in the classroom.
I think that podcasting is definitely a creative and affective way to teach students. It not only targets different styles of learning (from auditory to verbal repetition) but it also allows students to interact and play an important role in the learning process. They can play the teacher or the radio host. It is beneficial for reviewing topics and is an easy way for parents to keep up with their child's schoolwork. When kids have fun with learning they will approach school with a much more open attitude and will absorb more information.
ReplyDeleteIn order for podcasting to work, the teacher needs to make sure that it's an organized operation. The teacher interviewed in this podcast talked about having each student do a different segment. This will keep the work organized and won't have the students or the teacher get bogged down with having to do a ton of different topics.
Podcasting seems like a daunting task, but it's actually pretty simple once the teacher understands how to cut and edit the recordings. The outcome, though, is very impressive especially to parents who are used to having their kids do typical schoolwork that doesn't involve technology.
I definitely think that I'm going to incorporate podcasting in my classroom - whether it be with having the students record their own review segments, or recording important lessons and topics myself.
I really enjoyed the podcast and thought it was interesting when he was talking about how the students went into a unit with a different perspective when they knew they were going to doing a podcast about. He explained that throughout the unit, they were looking more interesting tidbits to include in the podcast. I think this really goes to show that when students are engaged in a classroom activity and enjoy it, they are more likely to really pay attention and learn something from it. By using a podcast to teach students rather than worksheets or other less engaging material, students get more from activities and are more likely to remember the material they are teaching other.
ReplyDeleteI also thought it was really interesting how he talked about how students learn the material better because they listen to the podcast over and over again. The fact that something like a podcast would encourage students to voluntarily listen to educational material over and over without assigning it as homework or directly testing them on them is really cool. Again, anything that will engage students and get them to learn while having fun should definitely be encouraged and used in the classroom.
However looking at podcasts, especially in the younger grades, it seems like it would be something that would be much more easily done in smaller classes. However, as class sizes continue to increase, how will this effect teachers’ ability to use podcasting in their classrooms and what can teachers do to overcome this challenge?
I have to admit that at first I was pretty skeptical about the idea of podcasting. While I could see why it would be exciting for students, it just seemed too time consuming and complicated of an activity. The interview with the creator of the Willowcast program really broadened my mind. While I still think it might be too time consuming for one class to be doing constant series of podcasts, I really like the idea of a technology specialist in the school putting it together so that classes are alternating when they are doing it. It seems like a really good way to energize the kids and get them excited about the subjects. It utilizes the idea of having the students being the teachers, and I am a really big supporter of this.
ReplyDeleteQUESTION: How do you make sure that the educational value of the project matches the time and energy students have to put into this sort of project?
Podcasts pretty much amaze me. Like most people, I had doubt about the time it takes and making it an efficient and positive classroom experience. But now, after completing an in-class project, I feel like podcasts CAN BE DONE. We spent an hour in class working out a final script, recording, finding music, and doing some editing work. Then we took the stuff home to put final touches on editing, and voila, 3 hours later, a podcast was born.
ReplyDeleteI think that if we want to incorporate podcasts into classrooms, we must remember it's up to us how fancy we want to make it. It can be something that takes hours to sophisticate, but I felt as if in the 3-odd hours we took to make a 7-minute podcast was sufficient to make a "professional-sounding" podcast, worthy of parent audiences.
Also, teachers can stress the importance of being prepared prior to class. Writing a script for homework prior to creating a podcast in class is a crucial step. Students who don't do this homework will miss out on all the fun of producing the podcast in class. Furthermore, writing the script allows students to synthesize information in normal everyday speech, not the daunting essay voice. I don't doubt the educational value of podcasts one bit; I see many opportunities for real learning and using a finished podcast as something that can be fairly assessed.
If in-class podcasts are too difficult to do during instructional time, a teacher who would be interested in podcasts in his/her school could start an elective class or after-school program. Podcasts, to me, are very much like literature circles in that they take up time but have great value. Even though we don't speak about literature circles in this class, I drew parallels with the concern for time. I read an article that suggested that literature circles can be done as an elective class if a teacher is willing to set that up in her school. I think the same goes for podcasts. It would be a shame not to provide kids with the opportunity to participate in making a podcast.
Podcasts definitely overwhelmed me at first, but after trying it, I think it seems like a good idea. Some challenges that teachers will face are all the extra time that is needed to put into these podcasts, kids being absent, kids not putting correct information on the podcast, or it simply being too complicated for kids to use. When problems occur with technology, it ends up taking much more time to complete an activity than it should, which is not helpful to the teachers OR students.
ReplyDeleteTechers could put step-by-step instruction at each computer station, so that kids will have less technological problems, and hopefully just more questions about content. Written directions usually guide children to rely more on themselves and less on the teacher.
If podcasts are not available in class, then there should be other availability in schools to be able to us them. For example, after school programs or specific technology classes would be a way for kids to have time to use podcasts. If teachers do not want to take up class time to make podcasts because they think that the technological issues will take too much time, then teachers need to get more efficient in the way they teach how to make a podcast.
I thought that the podcast project was a really fun experience, although it took awhile to get used to the recording software. We spent less than 2 hours to produce a successful podcast with music, transitions and our recordings!
ReplyDeleteIn order to successfully complete a project like this with students, I think students (an teachers) needs to have the necessary cooperation and patience which can be challenging. It took time for everyone to have their turn and record. It was also sometimes frustrating to keep messing up parts of the script and having to record the same thing over and over again. From my experience, the post-production was the hardest part, having to cut out the mistakes and figuring out how to put in the music and transitions.
I definitely think that all think that in order to make the process more efficient in class, it is important to make sure that a lot of preparation is done ahead of time like assigning topics, roles, and having students brainstorm ideas and write their scripts as part of homework so that the in class work is easier for everyone.
For the in-class time, it would definitely be helpful to have a workshop on how to use the software before starting the podcast process and also maybe a set of guidelines and reminders for the students to refer back to. I can see things getting complicated as well but it's all a part of the learning/collaboration experience.
If doing a podcast in class isn’t an option, you can create the same experience by doing all the preparation, research and writing, and having students present to the class, maybe even incorporate music into it as well, although it isn't as cool as a podcast. If there's a teacher that's dedicated to it, make an after school program or club that does it. My elementary school had a news program every morning where the 5-6th grade students were rotated into it and got to be the anchors, sound, camera person, etc and that was a lot of fun. Podcasting could be used similarly.
I thought that this project was very worthwhile, and I can see how students would be excited about creating their own podcast and researching a topic thoroughly in order to make that podcast interesting and successful. Setbacks for students include becoming too wrapped up in the details – like music and transitions. If I were to do this exercise in my class I would have the students research and write their own segments, but then I would deal with the technical parts of adding media and transitioning. However, in order for the students to practice using podcast and its editing technology, I would have them edit their own part – cutting out the portions where they made mistakes or adjusting the volume.
ReplyDeleteIf podcasts were not an option, students could film their own movies and practice editing that since it uses some of the basic skills of cutting and moving segments around. If this was also not a possibility, students could have their own unrecorded in-class radio show so they could feel the responsibility of being in charge of a topic as well as practice public speaking.
Like a lot of my classmates, I thought the podcast project was a lot of fun. I always imagined that podcasting was really hard to do, but it seems so easy. Some of the challenges our group experienced involved transitions and the small details like fading in and out with the music. However, with practice and patience, we figured it out! If I wanted to do this in my classroom, I would have my students do something similar to what our class did, except for the "workshop" part would probably take a little longer than 45 minutes. I think the key to success is how well the students prepare. They should write a script for homework, read it outloud to their group members once or twice, plan who is going to do the intro and outro and who will speak when, and finally, record individually. I feel like if you start recording too soon, things could go wrong very fast. Making a podcast seemed like it was easy enough for third graders to do.
ReplyDeleteI was talking to my sister, who is a third grade teacher just last night about our podcast assignments. Her school has three computers per classroom, and twenty kids. I told her they might be able to make one if they split up into groups and rotated stations--for example, one group could be doing the podcast at the computers, another group could be in the literacy center, and another doing spelling/word practice. Each group could be in a station for thity minutes, which should be enough time for students to at least record their parts on the computer for the podcast. Then they could save it and work on it the next day. If podcasting was not an option, students could still do all the preparation needed to make one, and instead of recording on a computer, they could just read it out loud to the class in their groups.
Like everyone else has been saying, I really enjoyed the process of creating the podcast. Going into class last week, I was pretty hesitant about the idea of creating a podcast, just because I really wasn't sure how everything would go. The process itself didn't take as long as I had expected, and I was amazed with the final product (I made my roommates listen to it!).
ReplyDeleteI still think that the greatest challenge is probably the time issue. The two hours we spent working on the podcast could easily at least double in a classroom with thirty kids, also assuming that younger children may not have as good of an understanding of the technology involved as we did. I think it may be a little difficult for younger students to learn the ins and outs of all the technology, and confusion about this will add to the time each podcast takes.
One thing teachers could do in order for the podcast process to be more efficient is to only have the students record their segments, and then teachers can cut and edit the recording, as well as add music, in their own time. If teachers wanted students to have more say over things like the music selection, they could have certain music that students must choose from, instead of open-ended options. Again, these ideas still require teachers to devote their own free time to this project, which may not be feasible for some of them.
If students are unable to do a podcast in the classroom, other options would be to start an after-school podcasting activity for interested students, and they can meet once every week or so. Also, teachers could offer podcasting as a project option, in which students have the choice to create a podcast if they want, as opposed to a poster or class presentation. In this case, teachers would have to provide students with all the information on podcasting, so students could work on their own.
Overall, I really like the idea of podcasting in the classroom, and I hope to one day try this in my own classroom, although there would definitely be some issues to work out beforehand.
The idea of having your children make podcasts seems more complicated then it actually is. I think the greatest challenge though would be to keep your children focused. I think that all of the fancy things that can be done with podcasts, and that draw the kids attention in the first place, could also distract the children from the material that is the point of the project. When kids create powerpoints they can often spend more time fixing fonts and animations then creating content. I tutor a fourth grader. His teacher has him illustrate stories that he writes for class. If I do not keep him on task he will spend 10 minutes writing and 20 looking for pictures on the internet. The challenge is to keep the temptation to make a really cool podcast from interfering with the heart of the lesson, the script writing.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that the teacher could do ahead of time would be to download a few sound and music choices to the kids computers ahead of time. If the kids have choices more limited than the internet at large they will spend less time searching and choosing and more on content. With younger children the teacher should probably edit the pieces together and just have the kids record their pieces.
Kids don't have to record a podcast to get the experience. They could write the script and then perform, like they were recording a podcast, in front of the whole class. They could make their own sound effects behind the scenes too, with bells and whistles and such.
Like most people before me have stated, I actually found that making the podcast was much easier than I expected. The actual recording was simple and painless, the editing was a little more challenging and I understand why a teacher rather than a student would be in charge of that.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I found that the working with a group aspect of it was fun too. I think that a class full of students would get excited about collaborating to put the podcast together.
The only concern I would have, now that I have recoded one, is just the practicality of a class full of close to 30 students being able to get involved. I would probably do multiple podcasts over the course of the semester and have a group of maybe 5-10 students work on it at a time. After writing the script, the actual recording only takes a few minutes.
I really enjoyed making the podcast. It was fun and not too difficult. I was surprised by how "user-friendly" the program was. The editing was tricky at first but then I thought it was pretty easy. I liked it because it was really difficult to delete things so we didn't ever lose our work (and we saved a lot!). I think it would podcasting would work best in secondary classes. They have the attention span to do the whole thing and it would be easier on the teacher.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, at first I was overwhelmed by the idea of podcasting, the final result was actually easier than I had expected. I can see how it may be a challenge for elementary students, particularly with the recording and assembling. However If the teacher is knowledgable enough about putting the actual podcast together than it can be really fun! The teacher can make up for these difficulties ahead of time by making sure each student has their script ready ahead of time and assisting the students with gathering music and understanding the use of audacity. Another way to give students the experience of doing a podcast would be doing an inclass live show, where each student had something to say/contribute to the whole show. Overall the end result made the project really fun, I just hope it would still be do-able with elementary school kids!
ReplyDelete-Aisha
I really enjoyed doing a podcast today in class and seeing just how easy, and doable in a classroom setting, podcasts are. Once you learn the basic steps on Audacity, it really was not difficult at all to put together a podcast that ended up sounding good!
ReplyDeleteHowever doing the podcast was not without its challenges, several of which would be even more difficult in a classroom setting. First of all, the challenge of finding an appropriate space to record the podcast would be particularly difficult in a classroom, which is not at all conducive to recording. To help alleviate this, you could work to find a room in the school which would be quieter and easier for students to record their podcast. Also, our group dealt with the problem of not having speakers, and therefore, not being able to have both people in our group listen to the podcast at the same time. In particular, if you were just starting podcasting, you might not have enough speakers. Additionally, using speakers might be disruptive to students. Finally, I think a challenge teachers would have to worry about would be ensuring that students used sound effects and music wisely. Otherwise, you would have a podcast full of silly and inappropriate sound effects.
In order to make the podcasting process more efficient, teachers could ahead of time set up recording stations so that students do not have to mess with opening up and setting up these programs. Teachers could also give a list of pre-approved sound effects in order to help keep students on track and using appropriate resources. During the project, teachers could divide students into groups small enough to ensure that everyone is participating. They could also “float” around to help deal with technical issues and ensure students are on track. After the recording, teachers could be the ones to do the editing and make the finishing touches. With our podcast, we found that this took far longer than actually recording and writing the script. By doing some or all of the editing, especially in the younger grades, the teachers could have their students maximize the amount they learn from the project while making the process more efficient.
If doing an in-class podcast is not possible, teachers could also work to set up an afterschool program were students would make their own podcast. Students could pick their topics and do regularly podcasts about things they are interested in. These podcasts could then, if possible, be incorporated into classroom units. Doing an afterschool “podcast” club would give students an opportunity to learn to make podcasts while learning about a subject they are interested in.
I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed doing the podcast. It wasn't that I thought it would be awful, but I didn't realize how fun it could be and how relatively easy it is. Based on my experience with our class podcast project I perceive the greatest challenge to be the technology itself. This project requires access to microphones and headsets. Each school varies how much money they can give for technology, but I know my high school did not have either of these things. Also, the program would require the students to know basic editing skills themselves before they began. So, in addition to the time required to do the podcast, I would have to teach an additional lesson on how to use the equipment. Also, this would have to be a project done during the school day since I wouldn't be able to count on each student having access to this at home.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, I could save time in class by doing the editing myself, also helping with the confusion. However, that would definitely require a big commitment on my part. Ahead of time and during the project I can give my students sample podcasts done by other schools to show them exactly what it is they are going to be doing.
You could also make the podcasts extra credit, but then as a teacher you would need to be willing to stay after school or go in during study halls to help and monitor the use of the equipment. You could also make it optional parts of certain projects that way the students interested in doing it would know that extra effort and work would be required of them. I also like the idea above of making it a club or extracurricular. You could easily tack this on to part a of a journalism class, since many the idea of "talk show" or "broadcast" is part of journalism.
Overall I like the idea of podcasting because it incorporates collaboration and a tangible product. One issue I perceive in doing a podcast assignment is the time it may actually take to complete the assignment. I know when I was doing the project I found I had to read the piece multiple times to get a "clean read" with minimal mistakes. I consider myself a strong audible reader so I imagine a student would also have trouble. A way to get around this problem would be to have the students chunk large readings up so they don't have to always read the whole thing to edit, rather they can just read parts. I don't really see too many problems as for as accessibility of the materials needed for this task. All you need is a microphone and and a computer. Another problem I forsee is decreasing ambient background noise. A classroom full of middle schoolers all trying to record is a recipe for having random shouts in the background. I would try to find another room for students to go to where they could go if they were ready to record.
ReplyDeleteSome of the things I would do ahead of time would be to make sure the editing program is set on each computer so that all the kids have to do is hit record. Another would be to compile a list of songs for them to download so they aren't spending a lot of time debating on what songs they want or trying to find it to download.
I would offer it as an enrichment assignment or as a differentiated product students could produce as the result of a task we did in class. For example, if i was doing an assignment on US presidents I would allow students options of how to present their president. One of them could be a podcast.
I am so glad that we created a podcast in class last week because it really changed my mind on the subject. While I was a fan of the idea in theory because it's educational value, I was definitely critical of it because it seemed like it would take SO much time in school that it would not be practical. I was surprised at how easy it was to create the podcast and how quickly it could be done. I also started thinking about how great of a tool it would be because it the finished product would really excite the students and inspire them to work harder!
ReplyDelete1. Challenges to podcasting: I think that, while it is easier than I expected, it would be a challenge to get students (depending of the age) to complete the editing of the podcast. The more independent the students are on this project, the more beneficial it would be; however, I could foresee difficulty in trying to get them to use Audacity and complete this process.
2. To make this process more efficient, I would make sure students had been exposed to podcasts so they were in understanding of what they should be creating. They also should have a topic, script, and music/sounds picked out before they touch the computer to ensure that they are efficient with their time. Depending on the age, the teacher may have to do the editing him/herself for practical purposes. If they are old enough to do this alone, the teacher should spend time before the class starts explaining audacity. The teacher should also have ready a method of turning in this podcast (website, etc) to make sure this runs smoothly and doesn't take away from working time.
3. If podcasting is out of the question, you could give a project that has different options for the final project and include the podcast as one of the options. To do this, the teacher MUST ensure that the student has the ability to access the technology within the school in case this is needed.