Podcasts in the classroom help improve listening and speaking skills...

Our AZ College and Career Readiness Standards state that classrooms should "employ technology thoughtfully to enhance [student's] reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use." Some useful tools I have found to help bolster students' listening skills are podcasts.

Podcasts are audio tracks streamed over the internet. They can include music but most often they resemble something of a talk show. Vodcasts (video podcasts) also exist.

Podcasts offer the opportunity for students to listen and discuss on topics of history, literature, current events, art, and more.

Serial podcast, a spin-off of This American Life, hit the internet in fall of 2014 and created a classroom listening lesson sensation. Season One consists of 12 episodes, each revealing the facts in the case of Adnan Syed, high school senior accused of murdering his ex girlfriend.  This true life tale leaves students hanging on to every word, searching for clues, and arguing the evidence.  Teachers can create their own lessons or find plans online sites like Teachers Pay Teachers.  Here is a link to a teacher's blog as he reflects upon his experiences using Serial Podcast in the classroom.

More classroom friendly podcasts can be found at Listen Current.  Listen Current offers podcasts on current events, literature, science and history.  Each podcast comes with discussion questions and a Socrative quiz.

Using sites like SoundCloud and YouTube, students and teachers can create and share their own podcasts.  

Here are some specific ideas for integrating audio recording:
  • Students interview relatives about their life histories, and then combine the audio interview with family photos in a video project.
  • Students write a radio drama based on a historical event and record their show (complete with commercials).
  • Students learn about a different country by interviewing a recent traveler. They record the interview and then create a digital travel album.
  • Students create a faux advertising campaign to convince immigrants to settle the new American colonies.
  • Students use audio recording to interview sources for articles for a class newspaper.
  • Students write and record short stories and add music and sound effects.
  • Teacher records a tutorial that students listen to on their own
  • Present student writing through a class radio drama or a poetry slam.
  • Teacher records and broadcasts group discussions.
  • Teachers might record students reading a story as a fluency assessment, or as a foreign language pronunciation activity.
  • On a field trip, students use a device with a voice recorder to take notes and a digital camera to take photos. They then create a guided tour using WeVideo or Animoto.
Podcasts can be a useful and fun way to integrate technology education into your lessons.  Give it a try.  Be fearless, but I am here if you would like some advice.

Comments

  1. Kelli BradstreetOctober 26, 2015 at 7:32 AM

    Once students have a real audience, they see the relevance of an assignment and always manage to step it up. Kudos, Robin for this idea. I love it.

    ReplyDelete

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