Podcasting Futures...

Two of the podcasting classes started their recording today - and I must say, I'm happy with the outcomes so far. And even before the files finish saving I'm thinking of the ways to extend these students who have loved this idea so much and ways to use podcasting in my classes more extensively next year.

First of all, I'm now going to have each pair source a short piece of music through Creative Commons and use Audacity to put together a title soundbite for their podcasts (is there some technical term for this?)

And some of my big ideas for next year:

• A weekly podcast discussion of content and topics we're looking at in class each week. I'm thinking of this especially for my senior English and History (fingers crossed) classes. I'm hoping to use it as a discussion starter, a way to deliver the content and free up some face-to-face time for other things.
• Student podcasting assignments for feedback and review, but also to publishing.
• Development of games/flashcards for iPods to help students learn terminology.

I'm sure there's plenty more things for me to consider doing with podcasting next year - what have I overlooked?

Starting the Conversation

For the last few weeks I've been working with about half of our Year 8 classes on planning and creating their first ever podcasts. The teachers and I felt it would be a good time to start talking to the students about some safer online practices - even though they're working in a walled garden, and quite heavily protected, these are important discussions to have with students who are active on the "outside" anyway.

We kept it simple and spoke with them about not using names and having identifying details in their recordings. They've really enjoyed inventing their "podcast nicknames". We've got all kinds - BikerBoy186, Little Man, Nessie (as in the Loch Ness Monster), Sparkles, Chook, Smiles. And a sign they've gotten this very simple message from us - hubby reports he got in trouble for using their real names in his feedback comments on their wiki pages AND they've all changed the titles of their pages from their names to their nicknames.

I know this is no where near the complete induction to digital citizenship students need, but it's a step - and one that our school hasn't done before, so this is a small step, but an important one in moving towards starting conversations about cybersafety and self-protection on the internet.

Image by: publicenergy @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/75424716@N00/243387436

Podcast Possibilities

~ Image from zoomar's flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoomar/2265202595/ ~

Today I cam across a forum entry on Classroom2.0 entitled "Audacity and Oral Administration of Test". The post had been made by Julie sharing an idea she'd gotten from some recent PD.

Here's the big idea:

The plan is to record the test in audacity, download the test to an MP3 player to hand to the student and allow the student to control the pace of the test (repeating a question, pausing, etc).

Now, I'm just starting to delve into the area of podcasting. I've done a lot of video work and a lot of blogging, but somehow I skipped over the podcasting side of things. Then I got asked to do the Speaking and Listening component of the Year 8 English for this term for half the classes (the others are assigned a different teacher) and one of the middle school teacher's I'm working with suggested podcasts. I naturally jumped on board - a new tech toy to master...bring it on!

Actually, I've just spent a few hours editting the first contributions of two of my classes and uploading them within the walled garden, in the process figuring out Audacity as I went.

With the podcast project fresh in my mind and Jodie's fantastic idea I've just added a new thing to my to do list over the weekend - create a podcast of the terms for our current Year 10 English unit to help students prepare for their coming exam.

This is what I love about making connections with teachers from around the world - there's always a new idea to try, a new project to celebrate, a new application to play with, new possibilities. Love it.

Podcasting for Beginners

So, apart from the cyberdrama project which is off the scale for engagement and success I do have a new eLearning project in the works.

I work in our Middle School fours times a week - one lesson with four different Year 8 (12-13 year olds) classes. This term we're supplementing their English studies. Since the main INS unit for the 8s this term is a Science focus, their English work is focussing on Science Fiction.

Only being with them once a week means that whatever I do with the classes I work with has to be simple, related and work to enhance what they do with their regular teachers. So, after looking at the overall plan and a few email chts back and forth with my teachers this has evolved - I'll give the classes time for reading their SciFi novels - or reading aloud to them (or cheating and finding podcasts) and work with them to create their own podcasts reviewing a scifi movie, TV show or book.

Now, I've not done a lot of podcasting with classes before, but surely it can't be harder than what I'm doing with the Drama class...can it?

We're starting by looking at the video Podcasting in Plain English:

What else do I need to be aware of? Any tips, great resources that you know of?

Am I biting off more than I can chew...again?