Communication: From "Fireside Chats" to Blogs
Image Credit: www.history.com
Image Credit: www.history.com
Image Credit: www.ukpodcasters.com
In the 1930's, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made it a priority to speak to the American public on a nightly basis. Across the nation, Americans gathered around their radio sets to listen to what FDR had to say. Listening to his "Fireside chats" was considered a "must," and people literally planned their evenings around the radio sessions. The broadcasts galvanized the nation and gave people hope. FDR was able to "sit and talk" with the average citizen on a nightly basis.
If FDR were alive today, he would be amazed at how much the world has changed. Innovations abound, from automobiles that reach speeds unheard of in the 30s to communication via the World Wide Web. If President Obama decided to have his own "Fireside chats" with today's citizens, then Americans would not have to plan to sit down at a certain time to listen to what he had to say. Because of technological advancements, President Obama could record his "chats" and Americans could listen to them whenever it was convenient for them to do so. This is the idea behind podcasting. The idea is simple: Record a digital audio file or video file for others to download from the Internet to any connected device at any time. Moreover, most podcasts are free, and listeners can literally pick and choose from thousands of different subject matters. Truly, this means of communication "bends time" to suit the needs of those who listen.
With all of this in mind, the possiblities for use of podcasting for classroom use are numerous. Students can create a ditigial / audio file and combine them to recount stories from the past. Teachers can create podcasts for use by absent students, thereby allowing them to keep from falling behind. The possible uses of podcasting in the classroom are truly endless. Truly, if FDR were alive today, he would marvel at how much has changed since his broadcasts so long ago.
Above is a scene from the popular television show "The Big Bang Theory". Sheldon, the main character, is recording another episode of his podcast, "Fun with Flags".
A quick overview of podcasting. The uses of podcasting are numerous, and it allows users to listen to the information whenever they want to, whereever they want to do so.
Image Credit: http://www.socialfresh.com/
Notice that half of podcast listeners are in the age group that is in grades 6-12.
Podcasting Redefined
According to an article from Edtechteacher.org, a podcast is "an audio story created to share ideas, presentations, or music." This site also suggests that "Typically podcasts are linked from a blog, so “podcasting” is often used to denote audioblogging" and that "Students can use podcasts to interview each other, tell stories, create newscasts, hold debates, or run radio shows. Schools can use podcasts to make announcements via their Web site or to record guest speakers and publish their presentations available online." Basically, a student or teacher records an mp3 file and uploads it to a hosting site of some sort. In this manner, people all over the world can listen to the podcast whenever and wherever they wish to do so. If a student misses a few days of class, for example, he can listen to the class podcast to get a sense of what has taken place during the time he has been absent. There are many other practical uses for podcasts, some of which can be seen further down this page.
Sites to Host a Podcast
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Soundcloud-Soundcloud offers free as well as paid plans, and they are pretty reasonably priced. The free version has certain limitations but the pro version will give you an idea who exactly has listened to your podcast, where are they from and other important stats.
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Podomatic-With a free account, you get 15 GB of bandwidth each month and 500 MB of storage overall, which should be enough for the casual monthly podcast. You can also create podcasts directly on the site
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Podbean-For casual podcast hosts who don’t have files that exceed 30 MB, this is a great option.
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Buzzsprout-This podcast host offers both free and paid accounts.
Some ways Podcasting be Used in the Classroom
Here are some specific ideas for integrating audio recording:
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Students interview relatives about their life histories, and then combine the audio interview with family photos in a video project.
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Students write a radio drama based on a historical event and record their show (complete with commercials).
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Students learn about a different country by interviewing a recent traveler. They record the interview and then create a digital travel album.
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Students create a faux advertising campaign to convince immigrants to settle the new American colonies.
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Students use audio recording to interview sources for articles for a class newspaper.
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Students write and record short stories and add music and sound effects.
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Teacher records a tutorial that students listen to on their own
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Present student writing through a class radio drama or a poetry slam.
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Teacher records and broadcasts group discussions.
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Teachers might record students reading a story as a fluency assessment, or as a foreign language pronunciation activity.
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On a field trip, students use an iPod with a voice recorder to take notes and a digital camera to take photos. They then create a guided tour in iMovie.
Click the link above to access my podcasts. The episodes are geared toward those who are new to the profession and those new to integrating technology into lessons.
Overview of this assignment
The purpose of this assignment was to demonstrate one way that teaching has been enhanced by technology. In specific, I was to create a podcast and relate ways that this medium could be used in the classroom.
I decided to compare the "Fireside Chats" given by FDR to podcasting to show just how much flexibility podcasting allows. I also decided to center my podcasts around advice to those entering the teaching profession. First year teachers have a difficult time with all that they have to do, and integrating technology into their lessons may be a bit overwhelming for them. My podcasts provide them with practical classroom management tips and demonstrate how easy it is to use this medium in the classroom.
One thing I wish I would have known how to do when creating my podcasts was how to incorporate music. I tried to download Audacity, per instructions, but Macbooks do not allow for just any web-created app to be downloaded. I tried to work around this, but I was not successful.
In the future, I will utilize podcasting in my classroom, and I will find a way to make Audacity function properly.