Podcasting

Podcasting is a tool that allows students (or yourself) to record an audio file of themselves. Unlike a cassette tape, podcasting saves into an mp3 type format and can be posted to the Internet, a wiki or blog, or emailed. This gives the recording a forum for being listened to, which is an exciting prospect for elementary students. You'll be hearing them say, "I'm famous!" once they hear themselves outsdie of the classroom! The key to a successful podcast is practice. The speaker needs to rehearse a few times, even possibly marking their paper for words that need to be emphasized. The idea is to not sound robotic or unnatural. **There are many clever ways to use podcasting as you bring written works to life. Below is an listing of educational benefits to your students:** * An opportunity to use their voice as a mechanism for persuasion. They can write a pursuasive arguement and inflect the tone necessary in making their point and speak with conviction * Public speaking forum on a research topic * Reading fluency can be practiced by recording and listening to phasing or to evoke emotion from characters or situations.

**Ideas for using podcasting in your classroom include:** * A response to children's literature * Read Hey Little Ant to your class. After listening to the exchange between a boy and an ant, the author leaves the ending unfinished and sets up the perfect opportunity for a position to be taken as to whether or not the ant gets squished. * Read Help Me, Mr. Mutt to your class. Afterwards, dissect the anatomy of the letter style and have students mimic the qualities and write their own letter to Mr. Mutt. * Integrate social studies with language arts! In discussing advertising in an economics unit, students can bundle their art of <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">persuasion, desciptive writing, and facts and opinions to "sell" their products as if they are on the radio. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">* Showcase poetry written by students. Upon completing a poetry unit, have students pick their favorite three poems and rehearse a <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">few times as they focus on the words that need to "pop." Record the chosen poems into a podcast.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**Tools for podcasting:** There are tons if you do an Internet search, however, these are the ones I have worked with. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">* Web 2.0 tools: Vocaroo, Yodio (which pairs images with your podcast), Voki (which had your podcast voiced through an avatar) <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">* Downloadable software: Audacity