Podcasts are an excellent way for students to record information and broadcast it to their audience. Richardson describes podcasts as “the creation and distribution of amateur radio on the web” (Richardson 2010, p. 112). One of the benefits to using podcasts in the classroom, is that they are easy to make as well as consume.
An interesting podcast I looked at this week was from BookWink. Bookwink.com provides students with book summaries each day through video podcasts. Students and teachers can easily access the archives and search for books that interest them. Listening to this educational podcast can help students learn about books as well as model how to create their own book reviews.
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| Click on the image to watch a video podcast from bookwink.com |
Coleycasts is an excellent example of how students can create their own radio shows to broadcast on the web. It is updated each day by the students where they discuss what they are learning and can be assessed at anytime. Podcasts offer opportunities to introduce or reinforce information from the classroom, to remediate students who need additional instruction or access to content discussed in the classroom, or to feature content experts or guest speakers under the guidance of a teacher external to the actual school building” (Putnam & Kingsley 2009, p. 101).
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| Click on the image to go to choose a podcast |
Figg, C. & McCartney, R. (2010). Impacting academic achievement with student learners teaching digital storytelling to others: The ATTTCSE digital video project. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 10(1), 38-79.
“Using a framework such as The Model of Digital Storytelling (Figg, 2005) provided a scaffolded approach that introduced writing skills and concepts, providing student learners with opportunities to practice these skills within an engaging task” (Figg & McCartney 2010, p. 54). In Figg’s study, digital storytelling was found to motivate student learning as well as build self-esteem for the students.
The model of digital storytelling:
Digital storytelling in Plain English:
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Click on the link below to watch digital storytelling from a teacher's perspective.
Here’s a student’s example of a digital story:
Sarah, I love those "In Plain English" videos, direct and to the point. I also talked about the digital story telling model from Figg and McCartney as a powerful tool for students and how to build several literacy skills at once. Do you think that as more and more teachers allow students to take on the role of expert that our role as the teacher will continue to change over time???
ReplyDeleteSarah, I really like the bookwink video podcast! That could be a great classroom resource, especially for reluctant readers. It could expose students to new books or genres and grab their interest to get them reading. I also explored the Coleycasts that Richardson cited. The one that I posted to my blog is similar to bookwinks. It includes 8 students each reviewing a different book. I like that you have included the "In Plain English" videos throughout your blog. I also watched the digital storytelling in plain english on youtube after completing this weeks reading because I was still unsure about what digital stories really were! I think these videos could be helpful for students as well when introducing a new technology in the classroom. Do you think you will use podcasting/digital storytelling in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah! I loved Digital Story Telling In Plain English- I actually went and googled it right after I finished the reading and I think it's a better tool for learning new technologies than the book! There are so many ways to incorporate digitial stories into the classroom!
ReplyDeleteSarah, In your next posts I want you to address how you see these tools being used in your future classroom, and I want you to tell us more about the literacies they involve.
ReplyDeleteI was also thinking, in your previous post, you raise a good point about assessing students’ work using these tools. Perhaps this could be part of your final project—you could do research on how others are assessing students’ work AND you could design some rubrics of your own. The possibilities are endless.