In Season 1, Episode 9, we discussed Podcasts as Texts. Creating a culture in the classroom of student choice and differentiation can be tricky. We want to keep instruction motivating and fresh but we still need to ensure we are providing quality resources. Let’s begin by reminding ourselves that text is more than words on paper and we can take a multimodal approach to content and instruction to ensure choice and differentiation for our students.
Such can be done via PODCASTS (check out Listennotes.com, which is a podcast search engine).
Here are some teaching goals that podcasts can help us achieve:
From a Literary Standpoint
- Podcasts can be used in place of traditional text because they provide a way for students to listen to others’ voices and understand others’ perspectives and stories. Podcasts can cultivate their empathy towards others.
- Podcasts can increase listening comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, visualization, and critical reading skills, especially if the transcript is paired with the audio.
- Podcast transcripts can be modified into cloze passages to quickly assess students in a variety of ways while they are listening to a podcast and learning something as they listen. How fun to assess WHILE they learn and are engaged!
Delivering Content
- Students can listen to a podcast to increase prior knowledge
- While listening, students can still analyze content and work through summarizing content
- Students can also choose who they would like to listen to, thus increasing engagement
- And, students can collaborate after listening to different podcasts, possibly podcasts expressing differing points of view or different aspects of the same idea.
Authenticity
And for the sake of authenticity, podcasts are amazing!!!
- Students have expert voices at the click of a button: Historians, scientists, and mathematicians discussing the ways in which they LIVE out the skills and content that students are learning
- There are primary sources available!
- And native speakers podcasting about the culture and events of their country halfway across the world!
Embracing Text Modernity
That being said, we can use podcasts to embrace the modernity of the text and communication. These podcasters want responses and listeners. Students can express their views back by
- Writing a response in the comments section
- Tweeting at the author
- Subscribing & following someone they have come to appreciate.
More than anything, embrace the variety, the choices, the CHANGE. Try Something!
