Lesson ideas for Podcasts

Lesson Title: What podcasts interest you?

Type of Web 2.0 Tool: podcasts, blogging

SOL and Secondary Objectives Related to the Lesson: Students will show their ability to research, evaluate and determine accurate sources. Students will review, evaluate and post their ideas to their blog for the rest of their classmates to review. Using concise statements each student will also post a reply to two other students podcast choices and reviews.

Brief Description of Overall Lesson: Students will find on the Internet two podcasts from two different sources. One will be from a scientific source, (ie. online journal or newsource) and another from a non-scientific source. The student will review each podcast, noting similarities and differences. Student will attach a link to both podcast from their blog's and post the review of each blog with no more than 100 words per blog review. Students will also be asked to pick two other student podcast blog reviews, review each student's choice of blogs, read each review and post a reply to each blog commentary and podcast. Students will be evaluated for the quality of the podcasts chosen and the appropriateness of their responses to their fellow student podcast selections.

Lesson Title: Create you own podcast

Type of Web 2.0 Tool: Podcast creation

SOL and Secondary Objectives Related to the Lesson: Students will research the assigned topic and create a podcast. The podcast will enable the student to show their public speaking skills, editing and composing skills.

Brief Description of Overall Lesson: Students will write down a topic of choice for a podcast on piece of paper. The teacher will then collect the papers and put them in a bag. Students will then randomly draw out papers and pick the topic of the podcast to create. Students will utilize the skills that they have accumulated throughout the year to research and create their podcast. Students will create a 3 minute podcast. Students will be evaluated for creativity, conciseness and thorough research of the podcast.

General thoughts on Podcasts

Here's my assignment:

Part 4: Podcasts
It is easy to see how to incorporate podcasts into classrooms. We can incorporate others’ podcasts and produce our own. You’ll need Media Player, RealPlayer, or other audio software to run podcasts. Check out the podcasts below and then post your reflections in your blog: What did you find? What did you think? So what? Now what?

• Who would expect Grammar Girl to be a popular podcast site?! While you’re there, check out Mighty Mommy, Legal Lad, and Mr. Manners while you're there: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/
• Many universities have put lecture podcasts online. Check out one of these at Stanford University. You will need to download iTunes (free) first:http://itunes.stanford.edu/
• Check out these Virginia Minutes history podcasts, created by fourth graders in Tori Meleski’s class:http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/colvinrunes/crescasts.htm
• Check out a news broadcast about media on the PBS podcast site: http://www.podcastingnews.com/details/www.onthemedia.org/index.xml/view.htm
• Find a podcast on a topic of your choice. You might find something here, but feel free to look elsewhere:http://www.podcastingnews.com/forum/links_tophits.htm

Here on my general thoughts. I like podcasts and definitely see their addition to any school curriculum. Podcasts were also part of the curriculum for some of my first MAIS-ZAL classes. I find them to be easy to use and very helpful. I did not use them on the go, but actually accessed them through the public library because I didn't have a computer at the time. The preceding lists of podcasts vary in their effectiveness.

The first podcast example was very helpful especially if a student has questions on a subject out of classroom. There is a wide variety of topics that also could serve as refreshers courses for students returning from a long break.

The second podcast example also has a wide range of topics but I was distracted by the embedded advertising in the script. I also read faster than I listen and was way ahead of the lecture than what the lecturer was actually saying. I didn't enjoy these podcasts as much.

The podcasts from Standford were okay, again it seemed like advertising. They were well put together and had good picture quality, but not really inspiring. I didn't learn a lot. Overall not impressed.

Unfortunately the last examples of podcasts, links not working. No comment.

So after all that what podcasts to a I subscribe to...only one. It's from ITunes and it is weekly tips for my Mac, very useful and suits my needs. There is a lot of potential for podcasts and they offer a lot of flexibility for teaching and learning. One problem still lurking, not everyone has the technology or even understands how to use it, students included.

Lesson ideas for image blogs

Lesson Title: What's in your backyard?

Type of Web 2.0 Tool: Image blog

SOL and Secondary Objectives Related to the Lesson: Students will utilize skills in observation, by picking interesting aspects of their backyard to photograph. Students will use their creativity, imagination and editing skills, by choosing only 3 photographs to upload and post. Student will compose short in length text describing each photograph and why it was chosen. This will also also students to express theirs views clearly and concisely.

Brief Description of Overall Lesson: Students will take a series of photographs of things in their backyard. They will pick three to post to a class set on Flickr, (teacher will have created a group account to which they all can post to). The students will add text to describe pictures and why they chose them. Students will be limited to 25 word to describe the picture and why.

Lesson Title: What's in other people's backyards?

Type of Web 2.0 Tool: Image blogs

SOL and Secondary Objectives Related to the Lesson: Study other students pictures and look for details. Students will utilize the software available through Flickr and add comments to pictures. Students will use editing, creativity skills to add comments to five other students pictures. Students will use a culmination of computer based skills to complete this assignment. Students will also vote via an email to the teacher who had the best backyard picture.

Brief Description of Overall Lesson: Students will log into the group classroom account on Flickr. Students will then scroll through each of the other students pictures and add a comment to five other student's backyard pictures. Students will use creativity and possibly a little research on other student's pictures to find out or label what items may be in a picture. After posting comments to pictures, including a roll over comment as well, students will email the teacher with one vote as to the best student backyard picture.

Image blogs

What did I find? What did I think? So what? Now what?

First things first this image is what I found after searching for awhile. It is part of an image blog entitles, "its a zoo out there". I first began searching just by "animal" or "zoo", but that was a little too broad. Then I tried searched by animal names like, "giraffe", "monkey", "lion" and "warthog", it didn't lead to much. Although when I searched for "lemur" it was full of pictures of Ring tail lemurs, but not enough of the other kinds of lemur I was looking for, so I picked this one. Why? Because it reminded of way back when I first started out as a keeper and was groomed by a monkey. I didn't solicit it but the monkey had timing and seemed to know exactly where I was most vulnerable when cleaning and in a compromising position. Needless to say it wasn't bad, I didn't have any stray hairs or dirt for the monkey to groom out, but he still tried.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/truus_en_zoo/3889003673/in/pool-its_a_zoo_out_there

So what what else I did find was pretty interesting. I am not a good photographer, I do have some interesting pictures, but not in to comparison with what is of Flickr. There are an almost overwhelming variety of images and image blogs and groups to review, but searching it incredibly easy. This site would definitely be easy and great asset to teachers to find images to use to help illustrate what may be hard to define in words. It is also a great tool to explore student creativity.

Lesson ideas for wikis

Lesson Title: Check the Facts

Type of Web 2.o Tool: Internet navigation

SOL and Secondary Objectives Related to the Lesson: Students will use critical thinking skills, examination and organizational skills to critique two wikis that have been assigned. This exercise will be an indicator of student's judgement to evaluate information and make a critical judgement.

Brief Description of Overall Lesson: Students will be assigned two wikis relating to subjects they are currently working on. Some students may be assigned the same wiki. Each student will write a summary about the wiki and then pick at least two of the references cited in each wiki and examine each reference. Students will look up two of the references and judge how relative the are to the corresponding wiki. The students will then summarize their critiques and post them on the classroom blog website.

Lesson Title: Create a fictional wiki

Type of Web 2.0 tool: Wiki

SOL and Secondary objectives Related to the Lesson: Creativity, Imagination and utilizing skills like organization and logic from previous lessons.

Brief Description of Overall Lesson: Students will be asked to create a ficitional wiki about either a place or an animal. Students will use their own creativity to create at least four sections of information about their chosen fictional animal or place. Students will be evaluated on original thought, content, creativity and organization. Students will follow a wiki format from pbworks. Students will link their wiki from their individual blogs.

Uses for Wikis in classrooms

Wikis have a lot of potential for classroom use. They are already in use when students use them as research tools. What they can also be used for is in the reference section. If it is complete it can serve as another useful to to gain more information about the topic of interest or even help refine the search.

Wikis can also serve as a test of what students know, how to organize their thoughts, information, research and show how well a student can deliver information in an organized well understood manner.

Wikis can also teach collaboration and team work for students. Multiple students working together on creating or even editing a wiki can help students learn to work together.