Podcast Power

Enhanced Podcasts: A New Twist on an Old Tool
by Liz Kolb March/April 2009

In this article, Liz Kolb shares that an enhanced podcast simply means "a podcast with images and text". She discusses that this is a great educational tool to get children to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of what they have learned in class. It is fun and highly motivating and allows children to use their own creativity and add their own unique touch to their projects. Ms. Kolb talked about several curricular areas that podcasts could be effectively used in. In Language Arts, the possibilities are really endless. One idea is to have the students read a poem that they have written. They can add graphics and images to make their work personal. Kids can also create digital storybooks in much the same way, by narrating their own original work and adding sound effects, pictures etc. Science and Math are also areas where students can show their mastery of a concept such as a chemical reaction by going through the process step by step and illustrating this. Younger students can use enhanced podcasts to create their own counting or alpabet/letter sounds flashcards. Again, this is a fun project that lets the student show their creativity while showing the teacher their mastery of the classroom lessons.

I loved this idea of using and making podcasts in the classroom. I think that it would be effective all the way from young children to adult learners. I can see the kids really getting into the project, adding their own sound effects, costumes and props. I believe that the children will get as excited as the teacher does so I would make it a big deal to get my students enthused. I loved Ms. Kolb's idea of using podcasts as a sort of "classroom newsletter" on occasion to either email to parents or post on a school or class website. I will definitely use this idea in my future classroom, especially now that I am learning the skills in Education 422 to be able to build websites and blogs in which to post podcasts.

Creating Video Games to Teach Curriculum

Designing and Evaluating Educational Video Games by Len Annetta (Sept/Oct 2008)

Today, educating children can be a challenge. Children are exposed to so much hi-tech entertainment that merely reading information from a textbook can be dull and boring. Len Annetta has addressed this challenge by forming a group to come up with some fun solutions that add technology (specifically video games) to curriculum to offer students an exciting and engaging way to learn. The group HIFIVES stands for "Highly Interactive Fun Internet Virtual Environments in Science" (http//ced.ncsu.edu/hifives/). HIFIVES began with a four year National Science Grant. 13 North Carolina teachers have been trained in the use of adapting a video game in the likeness of the popular game Half Life 2. Using a simple drag and drop menu, teachers are able to use one of 15 predetermined settings such as the desert, tundra, moon etc. They are then able to plug in characters, plots and strategies. The beauty is first, that the technology is user friendly allowing easy access and ability to plug in your own specific ideas. More importantly, the flexibility of the technology allows for complete adaptation to each teacher's own curriculum area, unit, chapter or topic of study. An example of this is a video game a teacher designed for her students to analyze biological concepts. Using the specially designed video game, the students solve the murder of an Egyptian pharoah. They find the pharoah's tomb and analyze the shroud and mummified corpse. They test ancient blood samples, analyze DNA and look for clues to possible suspects. Since the original team of 13 teachers began, they now have an additional 50 teachers being trained in the game design process. As the educators bring this knowledge and technology to the classroom, they are anticipating getting students involved in the process by designing their own games out of the curriculum or using it as an alternate form of evaluation. Students may use the video game design and process to cover all of the knowledge they may have previously written in a research paper to show their instructor mastery of their subject.

This was an interesting idea to me. I understand fully the thrill and enticement of video games to our students as opposed to a dry lecture. I think that this is an exciting idea and hope that the HIFIVES originators will be able to find a way to make their new classroom video game system available and affordable to teachers and students everywhere. One note is that the author is now teaming with SAS, a developer of business intelligence and analytical software services, to infuse software into the games that can be used to assess the student's knowledge and understanding. For instance, text logs, recording of events and pop up boxes that can be responded to would record data, then put together and analyze it so the teacher would be able to see student progress and acheivement without having to tediously research, analyze and organize the data themselves. I will certainly be keeping an eye on this website and hoping that in the future I could adapt this to my students so that they can have this alternative method to effortlessly and enjoyably soak in their core curriculum.

Special Needs Students and Teachers Benefit from Technology

Making it Work-Using Technology in a Classroom for Young Children with Disabilities by Barbara Pratt

Barbara Pratt wrote an enlightening article about her experiences and use of technology at the Develpmental Learning Program (DLP) in Cape Cod. The DLP is a collaborative program offering educational and therapeutic services to young children with multiple disabilities. Ms. Pratt spoke of several software and adaptive technology devices that afforded her students many opportunities to gain in language development, socio-emotional, cognitive , and physical development. By using the software and technology, not only did the students advance in these areas, but they became more independent and collaborative with one another through their exploration, learning and play. One of the main programs used by Ms. Pratt and her students is called Boardmaker. Boardmaker is a picture system for young non-verbal children that allows them to use preassigned pictures and symbols to use for communication in a variety of ways. Teachers may label the classroom with these easy to print out symbols and pictures and/or give students communication boards or charts to show and therefore communicate what they would like, where they are going, or a certain activity they would like to participate in. Ms. Pratt also cited other various software or communication technology helps used in her class. Among them was CheapTalk and BigMack, both systems that can add recorded language to devices for children to communicate. Also noted were various early childhood reading and language software programs and suggestions for adapting them for children with limited communication skills. Ms. Pratt gave a wealth of information for adapting screens, making simple adaptations for touching instead of manipulating a mouse, and more. She also emphasized the ease in which many programs and computer aids have helped make her special education paperwork, staff schedules, parent newsletters and time management tasks much easier and more professional looking.

This article was very exciting to me. As I move forward in the Special Education Credentialing program, I see the use of computers very important in my future classroom. Most often in a special education classroom, students will be at varying skill levels and developmental stages. To have the technology and programs available to place a child with a program or device that will help them individually will be very helpful. I especially enjoyed the information and illustrations provided in the article about the pictures, symbols and uses of the Boardmaker program. I am going to look into the cost of this program and also check with my elementary school special education staff to see if it is available there. I will definitely want to revisit this article by Ms. Pratt in the future to see what available technology I can use from the analysis and information she gave.

Children Chat with Famous Author

Students Talk to a Favorite Author by Pamela Livingston

The students at Chestnut Hill Academy were given a wonderful opportunity to "meet" famous children's author Mary Pope Osborne of the Magic Treehouse series. They were provided this opportunity by using an online author chat forum found through Random House Children's Media group and Talk City (www.talkcity.com/educenter/features.htmpl). Teachers and technical staff arranged the experience by finding and registering for the event, preparing themselves and the children for the chat, then getting online the day of the event and participating. The article cited various tips the author had, having gone through the process and reflecting on all aspects and details afterward. For example, she gave technical information such as disenabling firewall protection and testing connections before the event. She also suggested having the children only ask questions that they would be unable to acquire without the author. For example, instead of asking the author how many books she has written, ask her what is her favorite of the books she has written. Ms. Livingston also suggested preparing the students for the somewhat confusing, crowded party atmosphere of the chat. All things considered, the chat turned out to be a very positive experience for all involved and the children got many of their questions answered and had a great time in the process.

I think that this idea is excellent and I would be very excited to use this in my classroom. Children learn by doing and experiencing. What better way to make their books' authors come to life than by having them get to meet! I would follow some of the suggestions that Ms. Livingston gave concerning preparations for the chat. I think it is wise to not tell students until all details are confirmed to avoid disappointment. This project would be especially powerful if you could read one or more of the authors books in your language arts unit and then build on this with various projects followed by the author chat as a grand finale. What a great way to let children see that authors are real people!

This article was found in Learning and Leading with Technology (L &L) NETS 4