Sunday, February 20, 2011

Blog Post #5

100 ways to use your iPod to learn and study

This list is wonderful. It lists apps you can download for learning languages, help you with studying for tests in every subject, it even lists websites for teachers who are looking for ways to incorporate iPods into their lesson plans. I imagine there are a million more ways to use an iPod for education. This list proves that technology is becoming a large part of our daily lives and that there are plenty of ways to incorporate it into learning. Technology doesn't have to be an annoying distraction and teachers can no longer say there is nothing about iPods or iPhones that can help students learn, because that is far from true.


The benefits of podcasting in the classroom

This post is helpful in that it gives great reasons for teachers to consider using
podcasts in the classroom. One benefit this particular podcast describes is that "it
promotes creativity and innovation" and it does. Podcasts allow student to create
videos or sound clips that help them and other students understand or study lessons
in interesting ways. Students know what's "cool" for their generation and what's not, so naturally they would know what would interest their fellow peers. Plus, they might be able to explain something in a way that others understand when the teacher can't.

This particular podcast has taught me that combining video, pictures, and music can
make a more interesting podcast. Simply having someone droning on isn't going to keep people's interest. Couple that with a boring video of the person sitting their talking to the camera doesn't help.

Eagles' Nest Radio

Children dressed as ancient Romans
This group of children are great to listen to. I enjoyed journeying through Rome learning about the architecture, Caesar, and gladiators. The background music was perfect too. The information they provided was very interesting.

I think that when you only have music and speech in a podcast you risk being boring. However, if you keep it simple and easy to understand, it shouldn't be a problem. Plus, if the music fits the topic, that helps a great deal. Again, these students did a wonderful job and I hope they keep it up.

3 comments:

  1. Chelsea,

    I also think podcasts are a great tool to use in the classroom because of all the uses and benefits. I think you made a great point by saying that podcasts promote creativity and innovation. Students definitely want to be involved with using technology, and they do know what their peers are interested in. I love seeing how creative students can be when they are given an opportunity to use technology and create something on their own. I constantly see young children blowing our minds away by the things they think of and learn produce on their own. Podcasts are a great way to allow students to work together, research their own topic of interest, and create something that can be used by others to learn. I cannot wait to use podcasts in my classroom!

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  2. I agree. Not to mention, if a teacher records the lecture everyday and posts them online so students can access them, the excuse "Well, I was sick that day"(or any like that one) can finally become more or less obsolete. Granted, there are going to be special cases, but you know what I mean. It'll make keeping up with assignments so much easier. And I'm like you, I'm excited about using podcasts in my classroom!

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  3. I agree with you that podcasts are an extremely important part of the classroom. There are so many ways to bring new information to students and this is one that I believe many students respond well to. In order to draw students attention you as a teacher have to use all the resources you can and podcasts are definitely a good resource.

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