Podcasts and Digital Stories

This was another fun and interesting week of articles to read and research on podcasts and digital stories. I am a fan of podcasts and I have found so many great Podcasts to listen to, especially in the morning when I am getting ready for the day. I have found that it helps me prepare my thoughts and then I have time throughout the day to ponder some of the topics or stories that I heard and reflect upon. My favorite podcast to listen to are Family Life Today  , Proverbs 31 Ministries and Focus on the Family. I would encourage anyone who is looking for inspiration to check these out!

I was excited to read that teachers are using podcasts in their classrooms and think what a neat and creative idea to change up the learning for students! According to the article, What Teens are Learning From ‘Serial’ and Other Podcasts,  a number of teachers are using podcasts to motivate their classrooms and address education requirements set by the Common Core state standards. In addition, having students listen to these podcasts is also an essential component of the new education mandates and audio is one of way to promote listening.  I also learned that students can listen two to three grade levels higher than they can read and would also help students that have English as the second language to benefit by hearing the spoken English and follow along with the transcript.  This also had me think of disadvantages that podcasts could bring into the classroom. It would be my worry as a teacher that students would not really listen and use this time as to mess around. I think that teachers would need to set clear expectations and boundaries for these types of assignments and activities.

In the article, Teacher’s Guide to Digital Storytelling is was stated that digital storytelling is the act of using computer-based tools like laptops, tablets and smartphones to tell a story. In addition, while using digital storytelling, students are  learning how to write and use the creative process that involves brainstorming ideas, unique voices, teamwork, listening skills and time management skills all the while using and creating a digital story.

There were so many great takeaways from this weeks articles and I found inspiration as a future teacher. I found the article Meaningful Stories: How Teens Connect with StoryCorps and Podcasts to be enlightening as it explained how students can share their own personal stories about life and what is important to them through the use of the this app called StoryCorps. What a fun and exciting way for students to share and record stories and do remember that their lives and stories matter.

It is encouraging to read and explore the many opportunities that are available for teachers to engage students and learning through podcasts and digital stories. I think that by bringing in these activities into the classroom, it will open the doors for students and it may find new possibilities for learning and growth.