Podcasting with Primary Students-Response Blog #2

As I was driving across Pennsylvania this memorial day weekend, I started to read ahead in Blogs, Wiki's and Podcasts by Will Richardson and got to the chapter on podcasts, and started to get excited about all the applications for the classroom. Richardson wrote about using Garage Band, iPods and other software to create podcasts-most of which were Mac programs.  I have a Mac at home, and love the tools they offer to create podcasts, but what do I do in my Mac-less classroom?  I thought about bringing my Mac and iPod to school, but the thought of having a class full of 7 year olds grabbing at the equipment makes me a bit uneasy, to say the least.

One Mac-less suggestion that Richardson had was Audacity, a free open source audio recording software.  I have used Audacity before, and think it would be entirely too complicated for a 1st grader to use on a regular basis.  I can see using that for much more involved projects, but not if I want to do a something quick.

One such project that I got very excited about was adapted from an idea I got from a podcast entitled Podcasting in the Classroom.  This podcast spoke of a college class that created unofficial audio tour for the Museum of Modern Art.  Next year I am teaching dinosaurs, and wanted to have a class dinosaur museum.  I thought it would be so cool to podcast a tour of our museum for parents.  If they do come to the classroom, they could walk around with a copy of this podcast just as you would at a real museum.  If they could not make it to the museum, they could still access the tour from home!

However, I wanted to find a different podcasting tool that would be easier to use on a regular basis.  I did find what looks like a much simpler way to quickly record a podcast and create a URL that others can access.  It took all of 5 minutes to record and publish a very simple podcast through Odeo Studio.  I can see myself using this for everyday fluency recording.  These podcasts could be saved for easy access later through a URL.  These could be listened to by the students, parents, as well as myself.  Listening to yourself read is such a great learning tool, and finding a way to easily share that with others really excites me.

This idea of using a podcast for fluency goes along with an idea I read about in an article by Wes Fryer.  The article, Classroom Audio Podcasting, was a great overview of the the benefits of podcasting.  One that I really liked was that it provided a window into the classroom.  

Overall, I think I can overcome the fact that I can't use a Mac to create a podcast with my students.  I wish I could have a classroom full of Macs, but you can't always have what you want-you just need to learn how to work with what you've got.

Response Blog #1-Blogs in the Primary Classroom

Yesterday, my class went on a field trip to the aquarium.  When I sat down on the bus, a very nice parent started to make small talk, and asked how my grad classes were going. (Since I am a young teacher, the parents feel they are entitled to this kind of information).  I responded, and briefly spoke about what my graduate degree was going to be (Leadership in Technology Integration).  Much to my surprise, this particular parents got very excited.  She asked what kinds of things I was learning about, and she just seemed amazed at the things that students could do.  Her response was "So, these guys could actually write in a blog?  That would be incredible!"

This comment got me thinking.  I had the same question to Dr. Fritz on the first day of class.  How would you use blogs and other sorts of technology in a primary classroom?  At that point, I was determined to figure it out.  That led me to do a little research on the internet (using good search techniques of course) to find out how other teachers are using blogs in their primary classrooms.

I found many examples of blogs.  Many teachers use them primarily as a tool for parent/teacher communication.

One blog that I was particularly impressed was that of Mrs. Ross, a 2nd grade teacher from Jacksonville, Florida.  This site has everything!!  It has all kinds of homework help-pretty much anything a parent would need in order to help their child.  It also gives very detailed updates pretty much everyday.  I only wish that I could keep a blog this up-to-date!

I also found a really great article from the NY times.  I only wish I had found it a few days earlier!  The article had one section about a 2nd grade class that blogged their reflections from a field trip.  That would have been the perfect way to transition from the trip back to the classroom!  My students start every Monday off by writing in their journals.  I would love to expand that into blogging.  I could easily get each blog RSS'ed to my Google Reader and go through each entry pretty quickly, instead of flipping through each child's journal.

I also found a great podcast from the Apple Learning Exchange.  This podcast was dedicated completely to teaching 2nd grade writing through blogs.  I think the aspect that caught my attention the most from the podcast was idea that it motivated the students to write.  They wanted to write more because they could see it in print.  Presenter Paul Gates said that his students would come into the room and the first thing they would ask is if they could work on their writing blogs.  It would be amazing to get that kind of response about writing!!

This podcast also spoke about the importance of getting administrative support, which is a big issue that I am stuck on at this point.  All message boards and social networking sites are blocked through our schools filter.  So now, not only do I have to figure out exactly how to incorporate all of this wonderful technology, but I have to tackle the administration for permission.  Who said integrating technology would be easy!?! 

RSS and Social Bookmarking

During tonight's class, we discussed the uses of RSS and Social Bookmarking. During this class and checking the few Internet sources that Dr. Fritz provided, I found a really great resource that I want to try out. I found it by subscribing to one blog on my RSS and then going from there. It didn't require going from one site to the next, entering each individual web address. I see the RSS and Google Reading becoming an everyday visit. I can see myself making it a part of my post email check routine. This will allow me to easily visit professional sites and keep me up to date on the most current educational technology issues.

When it comes to Social Bookmarking, I see myself easing into it and using it as a professional development tool. I am a technology mentor at my school, and helped the group that I mentor put websites onto the desktops at school. The problem with this was that they had to enter these resources onto each desktop. We could easily create a Social Bookmarking account through del.icio.us and add content that we find.

I am excited to start exploring these tools and finding ways to use them in my classroom.

First Class Reflection

Tonight was the first meeting of Internet in the Classroom. I am honestly very excited about this class. I am looking forward to finding some great, PRACTICAL ways to implement the new Web 2.0 technologies in my classroom. I have always considered myself a tech savvy person. I easily pick up on new things, and find it pretty easy to use myself. Reflecting a bit, however, I find that I am not doing nearly enough to implement it in my classroom, and don't think I am the tech wizard I once thought I was. I hope to regain some of that swagger from this course. My main issue at this point is finding ways to adapt these new technologies to my primary classroom. I just need help!!