Blog B

The podcast assignment was a lot of fun. All my podcasts were of made by children and they all did such a good job!

My first podcast was from Willowdale Elementary School and it was done by 5th graders. It was done on 12/21/05 and the topic was Life in the Colonies. They set up the podcast with different sections. The first one was "Did you know?". Student #1 talked about the how easy it was to get the death penalty back then such as stealing a silver spoon, all the colonists loved corn and kids could not talk at the dinner table. Student #2 did "Vocabulary Theater" she gave a definition for a couple words and put the words into sentences. Student #3 said a couple riddles about the colonies. Student #4 did "Holiday Spotlight" she talked about St. Nicholas Day and how the colonists celebrated it because they didn't want to celebrate the British Christmas. Student #5 pretended to read from a newspaper that would have been written back then. Student #6 did jokes. Student #7 read a poem she wrote about how harsh the winters were for the colonists. Student #8 talked about a website he really liked to go to. You can play games, get history about the colonies, live life like they did, read diaries or make your own plantation. The last student, #9, said what he would change about the colonies if he could. This podcast was amazing and I really enjoyed listening to it. It kept my attention and all of the students did a really good job with each of their pieces. Whoever helped them publish it put a lot of great music in between the segments and really good special effects such as a echoing part in the end.

The next podcast I listened to was really short, it was recorded on 9/21/07. It was done in Mrs. Bradley's Kindergarten Class and it was the 7 days cheer. The whole class sang and sounded really good. This is a good one for the students to go home and listen to it with their parents. I could hear all the kids sing so maybe they could hear themselves.

The last podcast I listened to was another class from Willowdale Elementary only this one was a second grade class. These topics were very assorted and random but worked well together. The class set it up sort of like the 5th graders did. The first one was random "Did you know?" done by student #1. Student #2 did a website called www.nutritionexploration.org/kids and he said it was a really interesting website to learn about the food groups. Student #3 read a poem about cupid. Student #4 talked about what she would do differently in the school such as be able to chew gum, and talk on the phone. She also wished that candy was good for you. Student #5 and #6 did jokes and talked about the food pyramid. This podcast was a little unorganized with the topics but for 2nd graders they did a fantastic job! Again, there was a lot of music and good sound effects. Willowdale Elementary really knows how to do podcasts!

The Websites Are:
Willowdale Elementary
Mrs. Bradley's Class

I think that doing podcasts with students it such a great idea. The kids are doing a new/exciting activity and they also get to listen to it for years to come! I feel like students would feel important to be online and hearing their voice will make them feel happy. Podcasts are such a good idea for kids. Also, listening to podcasts in the classroom give students ideas for their own projects or just learning about a topic. Sometimes it is better for students to learn information from another their own age vs. a teacher. I have started working with a group of students on publishing a podcast of a play they are reading in my practicum. It is really fun and I can't wait to do it in my own classroom.

Podcasts help literacy in a couple ways. Students are reading off of paper/script when they do podcasts so they are getting oral reading help. For students who have a hard time reading in front of their whole class podcasts are a great way for them to practice because no one is watching them. For students listening to the podcasts and learning this helps with comprehension. Listening to podcasts is very different than reading a book but it is a good skill to have.

Ways to use podcasts in my practicum:
1.) Reading of a play, with a couple students each having a different part
2.) As a teacher, I could post a podcast online of a lesson I teach so parents could see what I was doing with their children
3.) Students working with inventors could pretend to be their inventor on a podcast and explain how they came up with their invention.
4.) Students could sing their songs they sing about different units so their parents can hear them. Mostly for younger students.
5.) Each student could pick a invention and make it better. They could explain it in a podcast.