Thursday, October 15, 2009

Why I’m Happy To Be In Grade 4! Podcast

Grade 4 students have been working on the process of recording their first podcast the past couple weeks and we are finally done! Students were asked to think about why they were excited to be in grade 4. Their responses were creative and varied. Some thought about favourite subject areas, favourite school activities or what they were looking forward to throughout the year.

The recording application used for this podcast was Audacity. This 'easy-to-use' application is great for recording and editing audio files. Using a microphone and a laptop, small groups of students took turns recording their voice, listening to the quality of the recording and rerecording their audio file if necessary. After the recording process was completed, the audio file was uploaded into PodBeam. This free web tool converts the Audacity file into a podcast sharing format available for upload to the school blog.

Introduction to Podcasting

If podcasting is a new technology term for you, I recommend watching Podcasting in Plain English created by Lee LeFever at Common Craft. This video gives a simple explanation of podcasting whether you want to create your first podcast or you simply want to listen to podcasts. LeFever lists three reasons in the rising popularity of podcasts:
• Podcasting is a digital medium accessible for all computer users
• Podcasts are available through subscriptions making following favourites an easy task
• Podcasts are just not limited to listening on computers, there are numerous mobile gadgets that serve as portable listening devices (ie. iPods)

What influence and implications do podcasts have on education for students…for teachers?
• An exciting Web 2.0 format for engaging learners
• Provide differentiated instruction by adapting content in response to student learning profiles
• Supports verbal-linguistic learners
• Allows students and teachers the ability to have access to professionals and educational experts worldwide
• Facilitates professional development and distance learning for educators
• Asynchronous learning that allows listeners to review, replay and revisit information

Ms. Tonhauser