It’s hard to believe that these are only third graders. You also have to think, that if these kids are capable of learning this, then other people can learn as well. I think Podcasts like this are beyond brilliant, because you can make this information accessible to other students, not just the ones in your class. You are also making students learn and firing them up about the subject. Not only that, but in a way, the students are becoming the teacher. Sometimes it is easier to understand a topic when it is coming from the mouth of a peer and not your teacher. While listening to these Podcasts I noticed that sometimes the music can be a little too loud and distract from what is being said.
This video was really interesting to watch and it kind of makes me wonder why things like that haven’t been done before. For some classes it might be a little more difficult, for example math classes where students need to see things being done in front of them in order to fully grasp it. However, with English and History classes, these seem like excellent ways to get students excited about the subject itself. If they are interacting and researching topics for the Podcast, they will be learning without even realizing that they are doing so. I think that is the biggest benefit, is that it makes learning fun.
This was a really interesting website to explore and read everything Mrs. Scharf had to share. It’s clear that she is very adamant about using this technology in the classroom and I think everyone should be. I read through her list of suggested Podcast topics and I had to laugh. They were clearly geared towards the age group she teaches. She didn’t ask them to do something boring and mundane like other teachers would. Instead, she gave them an entire list of things to choose from and I think that is important. Podcasts don’t have to be boring; they can be fun and entertaining and that is the purpose of them.
Maegan,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching your Google Presentation and finding out about you. I lived in Houston for a while and I still go back from time to time because I have many family members who live there, including my only sister. I am also a Texas sports fan!
I also enjoyed viewing your sentence, but I did have a little trouble hearing you. You might want to check on that!??!!
In reference to your blog post, I was also very impressed with the third grade class and their podcast. I noticed that they were very professional and they seemed to be getting better with each and every new podcast. I couldn't believe all of the special effects they included in their podcast. You could definitely tell the children were learning a lot and really enjoying what they were doing! It truly was a perfect example of a great teacher making learning meaningful and interesting for the students.
By the way, welcome to elementary education! I hope you will enjoy your studies and, when you begin teaching, I hope you will make a big difference!
If a third grader can...
ReplyDeleteI hope these assignments helped you prepare for your podcast.