Pod Casts in the Classroom!

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Dan Schmit's Podcast

KidCast #48 A Picture is Worth 1000 Words
Dan Schmit
Summary: This Pod Cast was about kids looking for a meaning in photographs. They should be able to pull a story from the image and connect the abstract meaning with visual representation. Using their imagination and creativity coming up with a narrative to go along with the photograph should be fun! The teacher should pull together some photographs for groups or individual students and see if they can describe the picture in a word or a sentence. Then the students should come up with 20 questions about the photo. This way the teacher can learn what the students know about it, and what they want to know. The students describe the photograph which leads to a narrative. They can focus in on one element of the photo and describe it so the audience listening to the pod cast gets a better visual.
Is setting a page requirement necessary for students? Older students who have had more practice writing and editing may be able to get away with writing a short paper that fills the requirements, but teachers have found that if younger student’s work is often under developed. They want the students to cover every angle of their research and they don’t want thin evidence.


KidCast #3 Radio vs. Podcasting
Dan Schmit
Summary: The use of radio is compared to the use of podcasts. They both have their negatives and positives, but just focusing on the classroom, pod casts are you’re best bet. The radio is very limited and can only reach so many people. There are several stations that are national and reach everyone, but a single person can’t create their own radio show from home. A pod cast is not live, which means that people can listen to it over again, and when it is convenient for them. It is simple to use and create, and everyone can contribute. In schools, teachers need to be careful to choose pod cast appropriate and approved by their school district. Schmit thought it would be interesting to play certain pod casts for your class, like a fact about that day (“Today in History”). This fact will make the kids think, and they can look into it out side of the classroom, or the teacher can do a unit on it. Another helpful podcast is “The Supportive Classroom” and this gives tips to teachers. It introduces a concept and gives the teacher important daily information.



I think using Pod Casts in the classroom is a great idea. I listened to a couple made by kids and they sounded like they were having a blast! They are required to research the topic they are reporting on and because it is going public, they need to make sure the information is accurate. The kids can do all sorts of things when they are recording this pod cast and it doesn’t need to be ALL facts. One I listened to, students told jokes about the solar system. They included music and made their introduction dramatic with their voices. I think it’s important for teachers to get their students excited about the pod cast before they create it. If they are excited about the end result I think they will work harder. To include literacy in the classroom, require kids to write their own scripts for the pod cast. Kids need to do their own research; whether it be on the internet, or looking up books, they will need to use their reading skills.
The teacher could start of reading a book about the ocean, getting the kids thinking about what they already know about the subject. Then the kids could pick something in the ocean, like a plant or animal and write a sentence about it. They could create a pod cast about the ocean, describing what it holds. It would be difficult for kindergarteners to create their own pod cast, but I think with help from the teacher, it is very possible. Kids can listen to pod casts to learn what others have to say about George Washington or the ocean. There is so much information out in the internet and pod casts are a great way to learn accurate information. As long as you know what authors are reliable, you can learn how others dealt with a specific student, or learn lots of ideas to get your students interested in their new unit. If you need a fun game to play, or a practice lesson, I’m sure you could find something out there!