Podcasts Earn Straight A’s in the Classroom
By: Madison Haas- November 2014
“To become fully literate in today’s world, students MUST become proficient in the new literacies of 21st-century technologies” (Reinking & Hutchison, 2011).
Imagine you are back in elementary school, sitting quietly at your desk completing activities during literacy workshop. Now close your eyes. Focus on the specific strategies and concepts you remember putting into practice. Chances are, you recall using only paper materials. It was not very long ago when being literate meant you only needed to read, write, speak, and listen with proficiency. Instruction was limited to textbooks and worksheets only. Nowadays, more and more teachers are finding ways to integrate the use of technology into their classrooms. There have been many advances in technology that now provide children with an abundance of resources to have at their disposal, in order to help enhance their educational experience.
“It is undeniable that the rise in new technology has changed the way in which people communicate, therefore changing the way in which literacy is acquired” (Pignato, 2010).
The world is consumed by technology. Over the years, it has been flawlessly integrated into almost every aspect our everyday lives, without us even noticing it. The younger generation, however, was born into this technologically advanced world. They have never known life without it. A 2011 study found that almost 70% of K12 students have had experience with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for three or more years, whereas their classroom use is approximately 40% (Gu, Zhu & Guo, 2011).
It is extremely important for teachers to create connections between their students and the work they do. When children are able to relate to different subject matter, lessons become much more intriguing and meaningful. So much of their time is spent using technology and they embrace the opportunities they are given. These children are digital natives. Allowing them to use technology resources in the classroom opens up many windows of opportunities for them to enjoy and become more engaged in an activity that relates to their life or personal interests. “If teachers continue to ignore the importance that technology has in students’ lives, the gap between home and school life will continue to widen and students will come to feel that their culture is not valued in the school setting” (Pignato, 2010). Educators have a responsibility to effectively integrate new technologies into the curriculum, preparing students for the literary future they deserve. Technology is constantly changing and advancing at a very rapid pace and teachers must continue to modify their teaching methods to fit the needs of the students and remain up-to-date with their technological knowledge.
Integrating technology into language arts classrooms opens a new world of educational possibilities, both for students and educators.
A more recent form of technology that has begun to immerse itself in some classrooms is podcasts. The term ‘podcasting’ is essentially a combination of “iPod” and “Broadcasting”. Podcasts are defined as a digital media audio file made available on the Internet for downloading to a computer or portable media player. They are primarily used to record stories, share ideas, thoughts, presentations and projects. It can be difficult to integrate new forms of technology into a classroom, so it would make sense that teachers seldom feel prepared enough to attempt it. As mentioned in Stephanie Pignato’s (2010) article, “there are two important factors that influence a teacher’s willingness to integrate technology. Those factors include knowledge and experience with the technological devices (Yuen & Ma, 2008).” With podcasts however, information on how to use them as instructional tools has been available to educators since May 2005 when the Education Podcast Network (EPN) was started (Borgia, 2009). By taking advantage of the research and knowledge the EPN has provided, teachers have the ability to ‘add another tool to their toolbox’.
Podcasting is very practical for the classroom because it only requires a computer with Internet connection and a recording device. Because podcasts are downloaded to the computer or Internet, it is very easy to access the files at any time. For a generation so well versed in handling technology, downloading the files only requires basic technical knowledge and skills.
The real question is… How exactly do podcasts support literacy development in a classroom setting?
Students are given an assignment: Come up with a story, write it, and then record yourself telling the story as if you are the narrator adding as much voice to your writing as possible. In the students’ minds, they couldn’t possibly be any more thrilled. They see the assignment as something they “get” to do rather than “have” to do. Little do they know, this one assignment is going to help improve many of their literary strategies.
A teacher from down the hallway walks into the class during the literacy while the students are working on their podcast stories. Her attention is immediately directed towards a group of students near the back of the classroom. Shocked, she notices that this particular group of students is completely engaged in their activity and appear to genuinely be interested. But, why?
Creating podcast stories are new and exciting for children, especially when they have the ability to choose their own topic and create their own stories. The possibilities for podcasts are endless and therefore stimulate learning through creative means and open lines of communication. The idea that students may be able to share their podcasts online with other people increases their engagement and sense of collaboration and community, capturing authentic learning experiences (Pignato, 2010). When students create content for a larger audience (beyond the classroom walls); they have more interest and motivation to work harder to improve the quality of their work.
With the students writing their own stories and scripts for the podcast, they are reinforcing their writing and reading skills. This also improves their organizational skills because once they begin to record their story, they will quickly notice if the story is not in the correct order or if it does not make sense. The students are able to evaluate their own performance and writing when they can playback the podcast as many times as they would like.
By simply listening to themselves read their stories, they are able to find their own voice in their writing. This is a very important literary concept for students to understand in order to be a successful writer. Listening to their podcasts also helps them visualize their story more clearly. Visualizing is inferring in images (Harvey & Goudvis, 2007), thus the oral and auditory aspect of recorded voice performances could force this visual inferring (Vasinda & McLeod, 2011).
In conclusion, integrating podcasts into literacy enhances the educational experiences students receive. The more technological tools students are provided with, the more they will enjoy school and strive to reach their full potentials. Podcasts give a voice to students’ writings in a way no other technology tool can. Because of this, educators must utilize these tools to allow students to investigate and evaluate their own writing on a deeper level.
References
Borgia, L. (2009). ENHANCED VOCABULARY PODCASTS IMPLEMENTATION IN FIFTH GRADE CLASSROOMS. Reading Improvement, 46(4), 263–266.
Hutchison, A., & Reinking, D. (2011). Teachers’ Perceptions of IntegratingInformation and CommunicationTechnologies Into Literacy Instruction:A National Survey in the United States. Reading Research Quarterly, 46(4).
Lepi, K. (2013, October 7). The Complete Visual Guide To Technology For Children.
Pignato, S. (2010). The Benefits of Podcasting in the Literacy Classroom. Retrieved from http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=education_ETD_masters
Vasinda, S., & McLeod, J. (2011). Extending Readers Theatre: A Powerful and Purposeful Match with Podcasting. Reading Teacher, 64(7), 486–497.
Wetzel, D. (2010, August 10). Creative Ways to Use Podcasts in the Classroom. Retrieved from https://suite.io/david-r-wetzel/409t20x
Xiaoqing Gu1, x., Yuankun Zhu1, h., & Xiaofeng Guo1, g. (2013). Meeting the “Digital Natives”: Understanding the Acceptance of Technology in Classrooms. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 16(1), 392–402.
