Blog Post 4

Eagles' Nest Radio & Class Blog
Creating a podcast is a clever way to get students involved in learning subjects that can be hard to understand. History is full of many facts that students are expected to memorize, and it can be difficult for children to remember all of these facts when taught by a teacher during a lecture. Lectures can be dry and dull for children to listen and learn from. A podcast is an exciting way to get the students eager to learn! Creating a podcast gives the students the chance to actively participate in the material they are learning about in class.

I am very impressed with the level of professionalism that the third graders display in their class podcast. The “All Roads Lead to Rome” podcast is well thought out and it shows. While listening to the podcast, I noticed that the students focus on speaking clearly and slowly so that the listeners will be able to understand all the information that is being presented. The children use inflection to show when they are excited and to grab the listener's attention. The third graders remind me that I need to focus on how I present my information while I am working on my group’s podcast. I need to make sure that my audience can understand what I am saying and that I present my information in a manner that captures my listener’s attention.


Joe Dale: The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

This video discusses the benefits of podcasting in an informative and easy-to-follow presentation. As future educators, it is important to find educational ways to incorporate technology into our classrooms. A Podcast is a tool that teachers can use to teach their students effectively. I liked how the video suggests that podcasts can be used to help keep students up to date on the information covered in class if a student happen to miss a day of school. Podcasts can keep the students from falling behind in their classes. In college, I have had teachers who have created podcasts for their students to watch. The recordings provided the students an opportunity to refer back to information that was covered during class. I would listen to the podcasts to help improve on the notes I took in class, adding any information I might have missed during the teacher's lecture. I know from personal experience that podcasts can be very beneficial when used in the classroom.


Langwitches
This is an exciting activity that helps a first grade class improve their reading skills! The teachers help the class create an audiobook by recording the student’s voices while they read from a script. This activity gives the student’s a chance to practice their reading skills. Each student is given a section of the script to read aloud while the teacher records what the student says. The students can hear what they sound like, focus on the areas that they need to improve on, and re-record their section again to fix any errors. It gives the students the chance to be creative with how they present their dialogue. When the recording is finished, the class can listen to the audio while following along with the written script. I love how each student is able to provide their own unique and individual contribution to the class project. The students must feel so proud and excited to hear their voices when the audiobook is completed.

I like how the teachers ask for the students to reflect on the podcasting experience when they are finished with the recordings. It is important to know if the students enjoyed the activity and if they have any likes or dislikes when it comes to podcasting. The children may also have suggestions on how to make the podcasting experience even better in the following years to come.