It's Good Stuff

My IEP revolves around using podcasting in the classroom. My vision was to teach a unit in US History on the Great Depression and and the New Deal using podcasting technology to enhance the experience of studying this crucial time period in history.

This was not a unit on podcasting. But through the rich material that already exists, podcasting can be used to liven the classroom and connect with the media that students are comfortable with. It really was not too difficult to find solid primary sources in podcasted form to air over the web for the class. Short commentaries and news stories of current events that connect the present with the past are available for use. Now, instead assigning students to read about the Firesides Chats of FDR, we can listen to the actual broadcasts, and discuss what was said and how they were used.

One of the most frustrating pieces of teaching is that when students are absent, it is the teacher that must work harder to catch the student up with the rest of the class. But by setting up a microphone, my lectures could be recorded and put on the web for students to access on their own. This releases the teacher from spending one on one time outside of class explaining material, or simply modifying the students expectations because they were not there for the instruction.

Lastly, podcasting is used in video, and I wanted to allow students the chance to podcast themselves. A common digital camera can be used to record presentations, and is easily uploaded to a teacher tube service for sharing. Here, the students practice presentation skills, learn about uploading to such services, and get to self critic their own performances.

Regrettably, I did not have the opportunity to use the lessons that I had worked so hard to prepare. My rural experience trip landed squarely when the class was to study the Great Depression and New Deal. Attempts were made to squeeze it in before the trip, but it just did not work out. Regardless, I have 6 excellent lessons waiting in the hopper to use in the future.

I learned quite a bit throughout this process. And the biggest thing is that podcasting is not scary. Young and old can do it. It is great for mixing up your curriculum and presenting current issues in the classroom. Publishing yourself and students is a bit more time consuming and takes more effort and infrastructure. But using the web to find great primary and secondary sources for students to listen to is not difficult to find. Unsure how to use the tech? Here's how I did it.

The online community that I have joined and have found most helpful has been the Alaska Teacher Placement website. It has been helpful for many reasons, the greatest of which is that it helped me land a job. I originally became a member as it was required to attend the job fair. But as the fair grew nearer, I tended to check the site more often. They listed all jobs that were posted, and it was a good resource for helping me narrow down the locations that I was interested in. I was able to apply to a couple jobs and make some contacts even before the fair. Additionally, the forum includes advice from current teachers, that was helpful when deciding my future.

Since accepting my position, the website has actually been an even bigger help than it was before. This is because it offers advice on teaching in small villages, and gives tips on shopping. The site has been a huge help in directing me as to how to shop for food and clothing before I arrive in the fall. I'll need winter, and recreational gear, but each location in the state requires relatively different supplies. How do you get fresh produce? The ATP website will let you know. And that is important when moving to an unusual place where your primary focus is on the job.

It is nice to read that some of the questions that people ask are ones that I would like to have answered. But many of the responses advise you to contact your school and District. Get to know them, and they will tell you what you need to do.

I have used the site more for gathering information than contributing. I have little advice to offer to new hires, as I am one of them. Perhaps next year, I will be the wise teacher from the Northwest encouraging and informing young MAT students dreaming of moving north.

For keeping up on what is going on in the world, I check in with the bbc everyday. This British site gives brief reports on important events from around the world. Its use of images, graphs, and maps is especially helpful when using the site to share current events with the World History class.

I also use Alaska Public Radio Network frequently to keep up with current events in the state. Its podcasting feature is especially helpful when sharing events with my Alaska History class. Each day, 8-10 new stories are posted in a 30 minute show. The news is relevant to my class, and interesting to students and teachers alike. Their stories cover Alaskan news from large to small communities all over the state.

The Alaska Digital Archives is a great resource for Alaska History as well. This site is filled with photos from Alaska's past which are easily searched. The images are great for sharing information with the class. Also, students use the site extensively themselves while compiling presentations on different topics.

Reading and writing is arguably the most important part of education. It is the skills acquired here that will translate into successful futures in college, professions, and life in general. Not to mention the high school qualifying exam. Therefore, if there is technology available which helps students learn to read, then it should be used.

At first, I was skeptical of this article and its 'teacher in a can' technologies. I assumed these computer programs were simply gimics and crutches used to entertain poor readers, and enablers for kids who lack the drive to learn to understand the written word. But the examples given in the article show that students actually become better readers and writers.

For example:

• READ 180 provides students with background knowledge to connect the student to the material
• Read & Write Gold will read a students writing back to them, allowing them to make editing changes
• Students have been able to overcome obstacles which frees them from failure that easily can hold a student back

In the end, the author explains how these programs are nothing more than tools. Quality instruction cannot be replaced with a computer program, but the program can be used to augment the teaching being done. It is a vehicle that can produce great results if used properly, but alone the assistive technology will not produce higher quality readers and writers.

It makes sense to me to use these new technologies. If it keeps a student interested, and advances their skills, then I believe that it can be a good tool for the classroom.

The other week in a staff meeting, a few teachers were expressing their displeasure with problems in class concerning ipods. Students with wires in their ears often seems like a constant struggle in the classroom. Use of such devises is prohibited in our school rules, but it seems like students often need a reminder. This is what leads to frustration.

Before the staff meeting discussion had concluded, our technology guy made sure to voice his opinion on the side of the digital music players. He explained that many Universities are now giving ipods to incoming freshmen, and Professors are using the technology in their classrooms. His point was that instead of viewing the technology as a distraction, maybe these things could be embraced and used as a positive. After all, ipods are not going away any time soon.

My Individual Educational Plan to use this technology in my classroom, and learn about podcasting to the point that I could help teach other staff members how they can incorporate these tools into their practice.

First, I would like to explore the web for lectures and video clips that could be downloaded and used as teaching tools in the classroom. I also plan to turn my own lectures and material into a podcast, putting it on the web for students to view who have been absent. Lastly, as a culminating activity, students themselves could podcast their own work on the web.

The resources are there, it is time to learn them, use them, and pass them on.

I was pleased to read this thesis that computers and technology are becoming a hindrance to education. Educating our students in the real world is like a breath of fresh air to me. I believe that interacting with each other and with the natural world will lead to a more fulfilling education and life than additional time spent with a computer. However, the point of the article is not that technology is bad, but only that it is being stressed too early in a child's education. The author reveals that young students need to interface with the real world and come to a deep understanding of it before gradually moving into the symbolic realm that technology exhibits.

I think that his thesis is idealistic, and here is why:

• If students do not learn about technology in school, they will learn about it at home. By this, I mean that a student might pick up bad habits in use of technology and will develop improper typing skills that will hinder a student in the future.
• In a machine dominated society, it is important for students to learn about concrete, real things outside of technology and what it symbolizes. But in this society, the jobs available cater to just that. Our world wants its workers to be interchangeable cogs in order to best complete the task. As teachers and parents, we should work against that, but as people entering the workforce, sometimes our ideals get pushed aside.

The idea of throwing enough computers at at job in order to complete the task has been employed in education. Because of this, we have developed a dependence on computers and a pressure to teach them earlier and earlier. However, with the advancements made in the technological field, I question if teaching computers at an early age actually puts a student at an advantage. I will always lobby for sending a kid outside to play and learn about its environment over the fun found on a machine. You have to remember that technology is a tool. If it can be used to assist in the learning, then it is positive, but by itself it will not compare to interacting with the real world and developing real world skills at any age.

View the rubric for my Digital Storytelling Project.