Blog Post 5

Please let me begin by saying that this week I have learned so much about podcasting.  I did not even know what a podcast was before this class.  Reading and listening to the list of assignments for this week’s blog post really gave me inspiration and confidence to make our group project.

Eagles' Nest Radio Podcast
by a Third Grade Classroom

The first podcast I listened to was from a third grade classroom.  It was radio podcasts by students, called “Eagles’ Nest Radio,” and it was unbelievably amazing.  These kids took what they were learning in their class and made it into four sectioned radio shows.  They were confident and showed a lot of expression in their voices.  It was interesting because they were professional about every subject.  You can tell that the class had a great time learning each subject because they were enthusiastic to share it with the world.

Their confidence gave me confidence to make a podcast.  I thought if these bright third grade students can make such a great radio podcast, then I can make a commercial podcast too!  After I started on our podcast, I began to wonder how long it took them to make theirs.  I could tell that these students had put a lot of time and effort into their podcast, but I had no idea how much of both it takes to make something as perfect as theirs were. 

My personal favorite podcast moment came from the shark podcast.  One of the students, Daisy, was reporting for the section Making Change.  She gave facts about how people kill sharks and how it is affecting the world.  She then left a comment to encourage other people to make a podcast of their own about why we shouldn’t kill sharks.  The announcer, Anna Catherine, then came back on the radio and stated “kids’ voices matter.”  Their statements stuck with me.  These kids did a fantastic job of making multiple podcasts and were urging others to do the same.  They were truly impressive. 

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom
by Joe Dale

In this podcast, the instructor is explaining the benefits of podcasting and uses examples featuring his students.  Mr. Dale starts off by explaining the new generation; he called the millennial generation, as people born after 1980 that have grown up with personal computers and other technology. 

I am part of this new generation, but I did not grow up with technology.  Mr. Dale points out that this generation needs a form of learning that is relevant to them.  I completely agree, which is why I need to learn as many helpful forms of technology as I can.

Regardless of your generation status, his message is important.  Mr. Dale brings up great reasons why and how to have your students use podcasting.  He briefly lists them after his podcast video.  His list includes:

• an effective way of interacting with students outside of the classroom
• a form of learning students of today are familiar with and therefore makes it relevant to them
• it allows for differentiation and project based learning
• students can access the higher order thinking skills in Bloom's taxonomy
• it promotes creativity and innovation
• it can offer distance learning opportunities for absent students
• the process of creating and uploading audio files is easy
• students can record role plays in character making their learning more memorable
• parents can see and hear what their children are doing at school

In the podcast he shows examples of these benefits and has guest speakers give their opinions as well.  One of the best reasons to use podcasting in the classroom is for students who are sick and are unable to come to class for long periods of time.  This is a great way to keep them up to date with the class material. 

Podcasting can also be beneficial to some students to use as a review, even if they did not miss class.  By doing this, students who may need more help on the subject matter can view it as many times as needed and they do not have to worry about what the class thinks or feeling that they are the ones who are holding up other students.  This gives everyone a fair chance to take their time and not feel pressured.

This podcast gave me a better understanding of how a podcast should work.  It should get the general message across through distance learning.  This is why our group chose to add students’ thoughts about EDM310 at the end of our commercial podcast.

Podcast Collection 

by Judy Scharf

I wish this would have been listed first on the blog post assignments.  Ms. Scharf explained what a podcast is, how to make a podcast, and how teachers can help students with podcasting. 

She starts with instructional videos, which are very helpful for people like me who have never made a podcast before.  Then moves on to how you can teach someone to make a podcast.  She even gives lesson plans and topics for your students.

This blog showed that Ms. Scharf is an expert at podcasting.  At first I was severely intimidated and didn’t want to read the whole blog.  After I pushed through the initial shock effect, I found that it was a great read.  I think I learned the most about how to effectively use podcasting in classrooms.

It is hard to pinpoint one particular thing that helped my group podcasting experience because it really was the entire blog.  I think the videos helped a bit, but her links Creating a Podcast and her students’ Exemplary Podcasts were the most helpful.  These laid out the how to and gave a demonstration of how to as well.

I didn’t know what to expect with our group podcasting.  I originally wasn’t too excited to work in a group based on the youtube videos I watched, but after reading these blogs I was thankful to have help and people to talk to about what we were doing.  Podcasting is a fun and creative way to express thoughts and opinions, but it is difficult when you are first starting out.  I look forward to making another podcast video soon.