I've heard of the term podcasts, but I have never used them before. After reading about podcasts and completing this weeks activities I tried to search for podcasts just using google. I had a lot of difficulty finding a podcast which I would use as a learning tool in my classroom. I spent hours searching on the Internet and in itunes.... maybe it's just my bad google searching skills!! Although I did not find my own on google which I would use as a resource, I found other websites which gave me ideas about ways which I would use podcasts. I found the website http://podkids.com.au/rss which has students' podcasts which they had created. Some ways which this school used podcasts was for students to reflect upon their learning, explain their favourite activity and record school assembly performances. I found these ideas valuable and I would definitely use them in the classroom. They would be great to include into digital portfolios for parents to listen to their child's performance etc. I would definitely consider them for this purpose in my future classroom!
Although I couldn't find a podcast to use as a learning tool from google.. I was able to find a few in the Wiki for education from this weeks readings. I found a variety of fairy tale stories. This link (http://storynory.com/2007/03/18/rumpelstiltskin/) takes you to the fairy tale Rumplestiltskin on of my childhood favourites! This podcast could be used in different way and it is especially beneficial if the children are unable to read. For instance, this podcast is slightly different to the traditional Rumplestiltskin so children could compare and contrast between the two stories. It could also be used as entertainment, to help children learn to read (if they have the text in front of them), as a part of an activity such as a comprehension, reflection, analysis, or creating an alternative ending. Children could create a diorama, a story from another character's perspective, create a description of a character, write a letter to one of the character ............ the possibilities are endless!!!!!!
Analysis:
Uses for Education:
Podcasts could be beneficial for students with ASD as they can replay important information. I found many podcasts which teach language. Podcasts could be used to teach students lote. My last prac placement was in a prep class and they were learning Japanese, maybe a podcast could be used as a learning tool in a context similar to this. As most of the language podcasts were aimed at adult learners, teachers could design their own vodcast with pictures and the pronunciation of the word in the other language followed by a matching game where students match the word to the picture.
I believe podcasts are valuable for some activities. From an early childhood perspective I feel perhaps they wouldn't be beneficial for teaching new concepts. I found most podcasts which I came across whilst searching were designed for older learners. I believe if used correctly they can be a valuable learning tool, however, if used incorrectly they may become disengaging and not benefit students. Personally, I don't think I could learn from listening to just audio as I am a kinesthetic learner. I feel podcasts along with visuals (such as vodcasts, podcast & movie maker) would be more engaging for early years learners. If podcasts are solely used it may be limiting visual and kinesthetic learners. As a consequence, in my future teaching, I will use them cautiously and ensure they are used in correct contexts which are going to benefit learners.
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