Blog Assignment 5

Eagle Nest Radio & Class Blog-
This is an amazing blog which features several class projects and individual projects made by third grade students! Their blog can be found at http://blog.woodward.edu/ps_edmison/?cat=103.Some of these projects include audio podcasts with topics about history and science. The audio podcasts usually involved three or four students discussing different aspects of a subject and a host who guided the discussion. For example, one podcast was about ancient Rome. The children talked about Roman architecture, gladiators and famous Romans who made a significant impact on history such as Julius Caesar. The audio also included great background music and sound effects! There are also videos made by individual students with drawings and audio. In these videos, the children illustrate topics that they have learned about in class and give commentary on them.
I was very impressed with the work of the students in this class and their teacher. I think that this is a very innovative way to get students excited about history. It’s incredible that third graders can accomplish so much with the help of their teacher! These videos and audio podcasts do not only benefit the students that make them. I think that many children would enjoy listening to these podcasts and learning from students their own age. I also think it’s a great way to get parents interested in what their children are learning in school. I would love to implement these kinds of projects in my future classroom because I think it would make learning fun for the students!
Langwitches Blog
This is a great website featuring blogs and podcasts written by Sylvia Tolsiano. This blogs has many great ideas that teachers can implement in their classroom. The great thing about this blog is that these ideas have already been tested in a classroom setting and Ms. Tolsiano posts the results of the projects in videos she takes of her students. The students seem very excited about the projects that they are participating in. The projects incorporate a variety of subjects and challenge the students to use many different skills. The blogs include topics that involve a variety of grade levels, so there are ideas for all teachers! This website can be found at http://langwitches.org/blog/category/podcasting/.
One project that was featured on this page was “The Flat Stanley Podcast” created by a second grade class. Their project was inspired by a book they read called “Flat Stanley” which is about a boy that was flattened in a billboard accident and begins travelling around the world in letters. First, the students sent their own Flat Stanleys in letters to family members and they received letters back. Then the students researched different places that they could send Flat Stanley and wrote a short story about a Flat Stanley adventure. Then, the students created a podcast about all that they had done and learned. I think that this was a great project because it involved many skills such as reading, writing, researching, and geography. Then the students reviewed all they had learned by creating a podcast which they could share with their families and friends. What an amazing idea!
The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom
This is a vodcast (podcast with video) that discusses the benefits of allowing students to create podcasts in class which can be found at http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/2009/04/the-benefits-of-podcasting-in-the-classroom.html. It also mentions some benefits of teachers creating podcasts of their lessons. I had heard many of these benefits mentioned before, but they mentioned two reasons that really stood out for me. The first reason that they gave which I found particularly interesting is that if teachers record their lectures on podcasts, students who are sick can listen to their teachers lesson so that they will not get behind. This is a great idea, especially if a student has an extended illness which prevents them from coming to school. Another interesting idea that was mentioned this vodcast was a project that a teacher in this video had implemented in his own classroom. The teacher recorded his students reading portions of a novel that they were assigned to read for class. Then he put this podcast on iTunes so that the students could download it onto their computers or iPods. The students seemed really excited about this project and one girl even said that she and her family enjoyed listening to the podcasts together. Podcasts can be useful in so many ways that I had never thought of before!
Education Podcasting Network
This is a website that is full of podcasts posted by educators which offer ideas for other teachers. The website offers a plethora of podcasts about a huge variety of subjects. All of these podcasts are organized by topic and grade level so that teachers can easily navigate the website to find the information that they are looking for. I listened to one of the podcasts that was posted on this website called Hartbeat Radio Episode #19. This podcast featured students talking about composers such as Beethoven and Mozart. I think this is a wonderful resource. It's great that teachers are posting podcasts made by themselves and their students so that their hard work can benefit others! You can view the Education Podcasting Network for yourself at http://epnweb.org/index.php?openpod=16