I have heard about podcasts for quite some time now, but never actually delved into the world of podcasts to see what they were all about. Now that I've actually had the experience of actually creating one, I have to say that I think they are pretty cool. In my last few blogs, I know that I have mentioned that my struggle throughout grad school is finding ways to incorporate these new technologies withing a classroom of little ones who don't have a ton of independence. With podcasts, I know that I would have to do most of the work to actually save, edit, and create the podcast so they can be shared, but the overall creation of what is recorded on the podcast is absolutely something that my students could come up with themselves. I am starting to think of all the ways that I could have my students use podcasts because I know they would really enjoy them. We have created digital stories in our classroom in which the students record their voices along with pictures and they absolutely LOVE doing that so I can only imagine their excitement level during a project like this. Podcasts are easily shared so it would be such a great way for my students to demonstrate what they have learned, share information with others and communicate with their friends and families what they are working on in school. Since podcasts can be about anything, it would be so easy to use them across the curriculum. It would be a great activity to have the students listen to each other's podcasts and give feedback to each other. They can learn something from each other and practice giving constructive criticism to each other which is something that all kids can use practice with, even the little guys. I could see how creating podcasts could build my students confidence and self esteem and it would definitely be something they would be enthusiastic about no matter what the topic. If I know one thing, I know that my students are conceited (in a good way) in the fact that they love to hear or see themselves (OR both) talking so I can guarantee that this would keep their attention and they could learn a ton! They could even record their voices reading stories they write, stories we've read, or doing reader's theater. The possibilities are endless!
Such great ideas on ways to use podcasts with your little buddies! I think that whatever they create would not only be adorable, but looked at as a very impressive project by parents and administrators. It's another great way to incorporate technology in the classroom and to prove once again that no student is too young to appreciate and learn from all of the affordances that come with these great tools.
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