I think the Podcast would be a great tool for any age group. The important declarative knowledge that is often covered from direct instruction is not always taken in by students in a classroom environment. Such instruction could be recorded and made available to the class via a podcast. Other uses such as Vidcasts of desired responses for Physical Education or other KLA areas like setting up a bar graph in excel. In this podcast I recorded a poem for preps. This could be used to engage the learners or model reading. It also shows the students a sense of pleasure for literature (English).
Great poem Hamish!
ReplyDeleteYou speak the truth, a podcast is a great tool for any age group. I think your blog relates to what Marzano and Pickering meant when they suggested that teachers should use a variety of resources to engage students. This is most definitely one of those resources that we could use to 'mix it up' so to speak, for our students.
I agree with Cameron, GREAT poem. I too think this tool would be very engaging for students. I agree with you when you say that some students do not always take in the learning material. This would be a great strategy to vary the delivery of learning content to keep students focused in the classroom.
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ReplyDeleteHave been thinking about the potential uses of podcasts. Looking at the Davies (1991) article that outlines the importance of home-school relationships, I realised that podcasts are the ideal medium for home-school relations. During a school term teachers are expected to collaborate with parents in many different ways. Some of the key roles a teacher has regarding home-school connection are:
ReplyDeleteProvide parents with information.
Identify and explain how (and what KLA) parents can or need to help thier own child and the class as a whole.
Use communication to develop relationships.
Learn about the child and their needs/changes.
Use communication to understand parents view.
Set Goals for each learner and class as a whole
Get help for everyday classroom activities or for special occasions (excursion/sports).
Often parents are not always able to take the time to read through students work or even get updated on their child's learning or class activities. Teachers now have the chance to create podcasts/vidcasts for parents to view or listen to at home. Such opportunities are practical (and modern) alternatives to an after school meeting or class newsletter. Podcasts could also be used as updates to parents regarding classroom activities and learning. From a student perspective they could be used for setting homework activities or suggestions for those wanting/needing extension in certain areas.
For those interested you can find the information regarding the Davies article at http://www.jstor.org/pss/20404409