Podcasting in the Classroom

I was recently discussing with a teacher the power of incorporating podcasts into her junior high English classes. And this got me thinking...what can students be doing either before, in the midst of, and after they listen to a podcast? So here are some suggestions:

1. Today's Meet - This online backchannel discussion board can be utilized as students listen. Students can post interesting tid-bits, ask questions, respond to questions posed by the teacher or their peers. 
2. Poll Everywhere - With this data gathering tool, teachers can conduct brief surveys before and after listening to see how ideas may have changed from start to finish. Showing survey results can also be a great way to introduce discussion.
3. Google Forms - This tool could also be used as both a pre/post assessment.
4. Google Drawings - Students could be instructed to complete some sort of graphic organizer as they listen.
5. MindMup 2.0 - This is an additional app found in the "connect more apps" section after clicking on the red NEW button within your Google Drive. Students can build mind maps collaboratively as they listen or even better, afterwards.
6. Padlet - After students listen to a podcast, they can conduct additional research about the topic and find websites, videos, images, or other content and post it on a shared Padlet.
7. Plickers - If a teacher is looking for a way to assess student comprehension, using Plickers is an interactive way to gather data.
8. Blogging - If students have access to a blog, whether it be their own student blog or a classroom blog, they can write out their ideas and share them with a wider audience. The conversation continues when reader's post comments making the learning experience relevant. 
9. Twitter - If writing a full blown blog post isn't in your agenda, then consider having students use your class Twitter account to write out their big take-aways to a global audience. It's quick and requires students to be concise with their thinking.
10. AnswerGarden - Tweeting still too big of a task? Then try AnswerGarden. The teacher asks a question, students respond with a single word answer. The responses are then generated into a word cloud. Seeing which words are most popular (or not) can generate a wonderful class discussion. And then, when the teacher has a moment to breathe, the word cloud can be posted as part of a teacher-composed blog post. 

As with any new learning, students need to be able to hear or interact with the concepts multiple times. If the podcast is short enough, students should be given opportunities to listen at least twice. Each time, students can be asked to share what new learning has taken place.

Offering my BEST to you,

Bethany.

How have you used podcasts in your classroom? What benefits do you observe? How do you hold students accountable for what they are listening to?

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