Podcast

I used a podcast for a second grade class, teaching them about the basic concepts of water and weather. The GLCE I used for this lesson is: Water- Water is a natural resource and is found under the ground, on the surface of the earth, and in the sky.  It exists in three states (liquid, solid, gas) and can go back and forth from one form to another.  Although water is the main component of my lesson, I also discuss weather in terms of humidity and how the sun is the main source of energy.  In order for students to understand weather however, they need to have enough knowledge about water and how it exists in three different states.

Because of complications, I had to upload my podcasts onto my google site.  Please click on the link to check out my podcasts!

Podcasts can be used for students to listen to if they were absent in class one day, or students can listen to the lesson again if they missed key concepts during class time.  They are a great resource to use for virtual assignments as well as for mini lesson plans.  Depending on the grade level, students could use them to express themselves and share their ideas, especially if they are uncomfortable discussing their opinion and thoughts in the classroom.  It is a great way for students to gather together as well, and they can learn how to communicate with one another through podcasting. 

Podcasts are also beneficial for teachers because it allows us to understand how we teach our students, and create learning communities that offer our students many opportunities to gain more knowledge through new technologies.  Podcasts are teaching tools that allow students to have a classroom outside of school and into their own homes.

I actually found this project to be very time consuming, confusing, and frustrating.  I have been working on it for hours, I finished the audio and video podcasting on my macbook using garage band.  This program is really easy to use, but the rest of the process to upload the podcast online is a difficult one.  I have it saved on iTunes, I subscribed to feed burner, but I have had no successes uploading the podcasts to my blog.  I am concerned having my students use this technology because of its complications, and I would also have to get more familiar with it in order to use it in my teaching.