Assignment 3: Oracy and Voice Recordings/Podcasts in the Classroom

I had never given much thought about using voice recordings or podcasts in my classroom until examples were given in class last week.  As I was listening to these examples, I became quite intrigued.  Ideas of my own were starting to form in how I could introduce my students to voice recordings and podcasts as well as incorporating them into my lesson plans.  In order to incorporate them into a lesson plan, I felt that I needed to define why I would introduce them to my students and once defined, how our (students and myself) creativity could run wild!

In my classroom, voice recordings/podcasts would be used...

• To allow students to work independently, in a small group, or in a large group.
• To enhance interaction between students and the school community.
• To build classroom unity.
• To connect parents/caregivers to what their children are learning in the classroom.
• To give students an opportunity to explore areas that they are interested in.
• To encourage students to use their creativity and imagination.
• To enable students to learn about technology by being exposed to various media.
• To explore which media might assist specific learners (i.e. ESL students).
• To inspire students to think "out of the box."
• To provide a sense of accomplishment when students view their finished voice recording/podcast.
• To have fun.

When I was typing my list of what I would use voice recording and podcasts for in my classroom, I realized that the possibilities are endless.  Two ideas did come to mind when thinking about how I could use voice recordings and podcasts in my classroom.

Voice Recording Grades 1-3:  I imagine doing a lesson plan where the class "stuffie" would be the main character in a book.  The class "stuffie" is a stuffed animal friend that goes home with a student each evening.  The animal friend would be in a special bag along with a journal.  For me, the animal friend would be a cute and plushy dog.  The journal would be for the students to write what the animal friend did with them and would be written as though the animal friend was writing.  It would also include a picture drawn by the student to represent what they were writing.  Once the entire class had a chance to take home the stuffie, I would create a book on a voice recording site such as VoiceThread.  Here, the class would have the opportunity to read their own page.  The title of the book would revolve around The Adventures of the Travelling Dog.  Each page of the journal would include an adventure that the students have written down. 

The idea of a class friend is not new to me.  When I taught pre-school, we (myself and the other pre-school teacher) had a Build-a-Bear named Danni.  Danni went home with a student in a special carrier along with a journal.  In my daughter's Kindergarten class, Billy Bear went home with a student in a plush bucket with a journal.  My daughter is currently in Grade 1 and Franklin goes home in a special backpack with a Franklin book (student's choice) and a diary that Franklin "writes" in.  I have included a picture below of Franklin's most recent adventure with my daughter.  Imagine if all of these adventures were put together to form an actual book!

 

It reads:

Dear Diary,

After school I went to the bank.  Then, I went to the pet store and saw kittens.  I had donuts.



Podcast Grades 4-6:  I would love to use this technology in a way that will bring peer groups and school communities together.  This would be done by choosing a specific topic and allowing the students to interview students in the school as well as staff concerning the "issue" at hand.  This podcast could later be played at a school assembly.  To go further, if students enjoyed podcasting, they would have the opportunity to choose a topic and create weekly/bi-weekly/monthly podcasts that focus on the given topic.  For example, if the students wanted to focus on school activities, they could provide information on what activities will be available during that given time. 

My VoiceThread:

I thought this would be the perfect time to try VoiceThread because if I enjoyed it, than it could be an activity that I introduce in my practicum.  I had a lot of fun creating my VoiceThread, but did have challenges with recording.  I find it is harder for me to read when being recorded.  But, overall, it was an excellent experience.  I will definitely be incorporating this into my classroom!

4 Little Stars: My first VoiceThread!

Links:

• The Cloudy Day Art Podcast Network - Poetry podcasts
• The Ultimate Podcast Collection - Collection of children related podcasts
• Learning in Hand - Information on podcasts in the classroom