Podcasts

One way to get our students more engaged in the classroom is through the use of Podcasts. While looking up some educational podcasts I came across a few ideas of how they could be beneficial and useful in the classroom (which wasn't hard to do considering there are tons of resources out there!). My first idea actually came from my sister; while I was googling ideas for the classroom she brought to my attention how nice it would be to teach a difficult concept (ex. a new math lesson) through a podcast, and later post it to your classroom website giving your students constant access to you as a resource. This would be fantastic for parents as well as they would be able to listen to the lesson and help their child with homework if they were having difficulty. Definitely something worth trying! Not to mention this would be fantastic for any age. While on the topic of having podcasts as resources for outside the classroom, it is definitely worth noting some of the other resources I found for students to use when struggling with a topic. A perfect example is Grammar Girl or The Public Speaker which are beneficial for many different ages. These types of podcasts offer quick tips on how to improve in a certain subject or topic area (such as english) when there is noone around to ask for help. I am not sure how new Podcasts are- but I definitely don't remember being able to benefit from these when I was in school! 

While I'm sure there are thousands of resources for students to use outside the classroom, it is also important to note how Podcasts can be useful in the classroom as well. We are well aware that the traditional ways of displaying information in the classroom are being replaced with more interactive and modern ways. Podcasts give students an additional method of displaying their information for projects and presentations, giving them the opportunity to individualize their schoolwork. A great example of this is a group of students from Charlotte High School, Michigan who entitled their work "This I Believe". Each student has a different podcast broadcasting a belief that is specific to each individual. Some students speak of being yourself, artwork, or even music. 

It is easy to see that whatever way students or teachers decide to use it, Podcasts can be a great resource for any classroom, and any age!