Having never done or even imagined doing a podcast, I was a nervous wreck when asked to complete my podcast assignment. Sure, I have heard of a podcast before. I watch a comedian on Youtube who speaks of his podcast often and of course ask that his subscriber also subscribe to his podcast. Through context clues, I concluded that a podcast was just another name for an online radio show. Thank goodness that my professor gave me a few suggestions of where to go to record one. Oh yes, it is much more than just turning on your computer's built in microphone and hitting the record button. I am an Android user and had to download an app called "Spreaker". You can check out my podcast assignment by clicking on "The Main Stage" tab of this site and scroll down. You will see "Podcast: Digital Storytelling".
I put a great deal of effort into this project. Figuring out the standard that I was going to use that would be appropriate for a student to do a podcast as an activity was a task in itself. Then changing into the role of the student and doing the assignment, I wrote what I was going to say based off the standard that I, the teacher, had chosen. Once I was able to figure out how to use the preset sound effects, adding music, and recording, I was all set to go. It took me all of 7 attempts until I finally got it right. Once I heard the finished product, I was quite pleased with myself.
For my digital story project, I have decided to do a claymation/stop animation video. Yes, I know...I wonder why I would choose to do such a time consuming project when I have little time too. Honestly, when I read some of the articles I was assigned to read, I became fascinated with the idea of creating an animation. That fascination grew when my professor showed us a video clip that some students had done to demonstrate science lab procedures and precautions. I thought to myself, I can do that. If you can't tel already, I love the creative aspect of things. Writing stories, poetry, and music, as well as, making and editing videos. This was obviously right up my alley. I am not quite finished yet, but when I do complete it and upload it I will definitely add it to this blog site.
The value of doing these tasks are priceless. I have learned so much that I can take with me into the classroom to make my lessons more exciting and engaging for my students. We are truly living in a digital world and it is ever evolving. As a teacher, you have to stay on top of the new innovations. Students will already come in the classroom knowing how to utilize a smartphone and things of that nature. You will be doing a great disservice if you are not ready to integrate these technologies in the classroom. My professor including this in the coursework, while at the time seemed like such a daunting task, I now understand and appreciate why I was required to do it. It makes me a better teacher and in turn I will have better students.
I plan on using both digital storytelling and podcasts in my classroom. I would like to teach early childhood, preferably 3rd, 4th, or 5th graders. Just as my professor taught me, I would pick a standard (or two or three, depending on how closely related the standards are) and determine the level of higher order thinking according to the Bloom's Taxonomy chart and then list the objective. From there if either the podcast or digital storytelling is an appropriate activity, then I will definitely use them. There are so many FREE, yes, FREE digital storytelling sites such as Storybird and Toondoo that will be so much fun for my students. I know, because when we used them in class I didn't want to stop and I am 31 years old. Imagine how a 7 or 8 year old will feel. If you need more resources regarding digital storytelling sites, then click on the "Additional Resources tab below. It will guide you to my Diigo account where you can find a few links that I have found to be very useful and informative.
I put a great deal of effort into this project. Figuring out the standard that I was going to use that would be appropriate for a student to do a podcast as an activity was a task in itself. Then changing into the role of the student and doing the assignment, I wrote what I was going to say based off the standard that I, the teacher, had chosen. Once I was able to figure out how to use the preset sound effects, adding music, and recording, I was all set to go. It took me all of 7 attempts until I finally got it right. Once I heard the finished product, I was quite pleased with myself.
For my digital story project, I have decided to do a claymation/stop animation video. Yes, I know...I wonder why I would choose to do such a time consuming project when I have little time too. Honestly, when I read some of the articles I was assigned to read, I became fascinated with the idea of creating an animation. That fascination grew when my professor showed us a video clip that some students had done to demonstrate science lab procedures and precautions. I thought to myself, I can do that. If you can't tel already, I love the creative aspect of things. Writing stories, poetry, and music, as well as, making and editing videos. This was obviously right up my alley. I am not quite finished yet, but when I do complete it and upload it I will definitely add it to this blog site.
The value of doing these tasks are priceless. I have learned so much that I can take with me into the classroom to make my lessons more exciting and engaging for my students. We are truly living in a digital world and it is ever evolving. As a teacher, you have to stay on top of the new innovations. Students will already come in the classroom knowing how to utilize a smartphone and things of that nature. You will be doing a great disservice if you are not ready to integrate these technologies in the classroom. My professor including this in the coursework, while at the time seemed like such a daunting task, I now understand and appreciate why I was required to do it. It makes me a better teacher and in turn I will have better students.
I plan on using both digital storytelling and podcasts in my classroom. I would like to teach early childhood, preferably 3rd, 4th, or 5th graders. Just as my professor taught me, I would pick a standard (or two or three, depending on how closely related the standards are) and determine the level of higher order thinking according to the Bloom's Taxonomy chart and then list the objective. From there if either the podcast or digital storytelling is an appropriate activity, then I will definitely use them. There are so many FREE, yes, FREE digital storytelling sites such as Storybird and Toondoo that will be so much fun for my students. I know, because when we used them in class I didn't want to stop and I am 31 years old. Imagine how a 7 or 8 year old will feel. If you need more resources regarding digital storytelling sites, then click on the "Additional Resources tab below. It will guide you to my Diigo account where you can find a few links that I have found to be very useful and informative.