 How can students get their voice heard, report school news, and promote learning using technology?
Subject(s)
Technology
Integration
Grade
Level(s)
Intended for grades 5-12
Standard(s)
Podcasting meets California NETS Technology Standard #4 as follows:
Technology
communications tools
Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact
with peers, experts, and other audiences.
Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information
and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
Summary
Podcasting is a new method of communication allowing anyone to create
audio files and post them to the Internet for others to download and listen
to at any time. These audio files can be downloaded to a personal computer
or handheld device such as an iPod.
Podcasting has rapidly
become a new medium for both commercial and home-grown talk shows on multiple
subjects. The relative ease of production and low costs associated with
the making of a Podcast has opened this new medium to the masses.
This lesson gives teachers an overview on starting a student-produced
Podcast at their school and in the classroom. The Podcast to be created
can take on multiple themes. Some teachers are using Podcasting an an
alternative to student produced newspapers and television shows. Others
are using the medium to reproduce lessons for absent students or for students
to present oral presentations of reports and assignments. There are multiple
possibilities for using the Podcasting medium. This lesson focuses on
producing a student-created Podcast as medium for student expression,
news, interviews, and related themes specific to the student's own school.
The desired
outcome is:
- Students learn
the technical skills needed to record a high-quality podcast.
- Students brainstorm,
and design the themes and content of their Podcast with teacher guidance.
- Students complete
pre-production, production, and post-production of their Podcast.
- Students ultimately
learn project management skills, Podcasting technical skills, and actively
use the Podcast as a medium for positive student expression.
Time
Allocation
Podcasts usually take 3-4 weeks to produce, so teachers should aim to
make one Podcast a month to start. Once students are more familiar with
the process, the number of Podcasts produced can increase as desired.
To make the most efficient use of time teachers should follow the below
process steps for creating the Podcast:
- Review computer
skills and software needed for production process.
- Define the purpose
of the Podcast.
- Organize students
to participate.
- Brainstorm potential
topics for the Podcast with students (Weekly classroom news broadcast,
document a field trip, share book reviews, etc.)
- Divide up topics
to pairs of students for content/script production.
- Produce rough scripts
with students.
- Practice recording
the content a few times (like a dress rehearsal).
- Record the Podcast
content
- Edit recording
in Garageband or other audio program.
- Post content to
Internet and RSS feed
- Advertise Podcast
availability to peers.
Technology
Use
Teachers will need to posses intermediate computer skills and should familiarize
themselves with the technical aspects of the production process before
trying to teach the skills to students. Teachers will be using the following
computer hardware and software:
- Macintosh computer
with built-in microphone or external handheld microphone with stand.
The computer must meet the system requirements of the software used
to record the Podcast.
- Apple Garageband
software (part of the iLife software suite)
- An RSS feed software
package such as Feeder ($29.95). This is to submit the web address of
your RSS feed to podcast directories, including iTunes, to tell the
world about the podcast!
- Web space on an Internet server for hosting the audio files.
- Apple iTunes for
subscribing to and downloading the Podcast.
This Unit Designed by :
Nathan Shelley
nathan_shelley@yahoo.com
School of the Epiphany
Archdiocese of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
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