There are so many ways to make use of podcasts in the classroom! As a classroom teacher, we have at our hands podcasts that we can subscribe to for our class which give students the ability to listen “online radio shows” focusing on different content areas such as science and social studies, as well as literacy, music, and art. The use of such resources can greatly enhance student learning, because it allows students to take their learning outside of the classroom in order listen and see other individual sharing their work and knowledge.
Not only this, but, as teachers, we also have the ability to help students create podcasts to be published beyond the classroom or school walls. The use of podcasts allow students to publish their voice in a variety of situations – whether that is the collaborative work of a group of students performing a readers theatre, scientific observations during a science investigation, or the reading of a familiar book to practice reading with prosody. A podcast, in particular, can allow student to publish their work that can (potentially) be viewed by a world-wide audience! This has a significant impact on motivation and the work that students will produce (Creative Common License; Temple, Ogle, Crawford, & Freppon, 2011).
The internet is a fantastic resource for general guidelines for creating podcasts in the classroom as well as creative new ideas as well. For example, creating podcasts of literary circles to be made available online for other students in the classroom to listen to or for later use as a means of comparison when discussing another book by the same author enhances learning greatly (Ideas for Podcasting in the Classroom). The use of podcasts also connects parents, guardians, and other family members with the classroom and their child – the are able to hear their child’s voice and link that with the activities and learning that they are doing in the classroom.
References:
Creative Commons License. Learning in Hand. Retrieved from http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/
Ideas for Podcasting in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://fcit.usf.edu/podcasts/
Temple, C., Ogle, D., Crawford, A., & Freppon, P. (2011). All children read: Teaching for literacy in today's diverse classroom. Boson, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Below are three different podcasts that I found while perusing the many educational options online. I found these to be some of my favorites that I wanted to share:
This website offers a variety of video podcasts that focus on biomes around the world. Students have the ability to learn about different biomes through video podcasts, which include oral narration, illustrations, and video. The podcasts are fast-paced and kid friendly. The wild classroom seemed to be geared towards upper elementary and middle school students.
National Public Radio’s Classics for Kids: http://www.classicsforkids.com/
This podcast introduces classical music to students through the use of music (of course!), the stories behind the selected composer, and through themes (such as Halloween classical music). This is a fun and lively podcast that will aid students understanding and appreciation of classical music by using the stories behind the music.
Harper Collins Children’s Podcast: http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/kids/gamesandcontests/features/podcast/
This podcast allows students to “meet the author” of a favorite book. The focus of the podcasts involves the author speaking about their lives as an author and a particular book. Authors really focus on their reading and writing life as young children, as well as the process that they take in order to write the book they are introducing. Because each podcast focuses on a particular book and author, as a teacher I can select particular podcasts based on the grade level that I am teaching and the interest of my students. For example, there is an obvious range of authors who write realistic fiction, fantasy, sports etc. In general, however, this books presented gears itself more towards an intermediate and middle school audience.
