This May Make You Smile
I have a great idea for podcasts. I have been stewing for weeks about learning how to do podcasts and teaching my kids how to do them. I've posted here and other places begging for the best instructions, videos or explanations. (You have been generous in helping--thanks)
Today a couple of my 6th grade girls had finished their research assignments and I was furiously helping others post assignments to our project website-- I turned and said to the girls -- "the computer guy downloaded Audacity, go figure out how to do podcasts---there is a new wireless mic in the blue box under the counter."
I went back to my work with other students--in less than 15 minutes I heard "We're done, Mrs. B. we've figured it out!!" I smiled at my co-teacher--and listened as the girls across the room were recording their first podcast and making plans our big project.
I would have spent hours stewing and fussing and making sure I knew every in and out before I plugged in the mic, they just went for it. What a joy!
Today a couple of my 6th grade girls had finished their research assignments and I was furiously helping others post assignments to our project website-- I turned and said to the girls -- "the computer guy downloaded Audacity, go figure out how to do podcasts---there is a new wireless mic in the blue box under the counter."
I went back to my work with other students--in less than 15 minutes I heard "We're done, Mrs. B. we've figured it out!!" I smiled at my co-teacher--and listened as the girls across the room were recording their first podcast and making plans our big project.
I would have spent hours stewing and fussing and making sure I knew every in and out before I plugged in the mic, they just went for it. What a joy!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Amber Coggin on
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Awesome! That is great they just went for it. I installed Audacity weeks ago but noone has used it yet. We only have one headset with a mic. I need to go ahead and order them ASAP.
I am about to embark on my first podcast adventure. We are doing a weekly news-type broadcast with the following segments: The Buzz (news), Lunch Menu, Buzz Word (new vocab word), Joke Time, and Poetry Reading/Book Talk (we are the bees, can you tell?) If you need any help let me know. Maybe we can help each other!?
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Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on
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We are working on a huge Titanic project (under construction) and students are going to podcast as if they were someone (passenger or crew) on the Titanic. Each kid is doing a biographical sketch on a person, couple, family, or group and will podcast that person. I think it'll be great.
PS Still deciding what do to with kids that are reporting on a victim.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on
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So, if someone decides to do Kate Hargadon, let me know! She was a victim, btw.
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Do you have any written documents? If so send them too me and we'll add her to our site.
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Permalink Reply by J Black on
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How awesome! I love moments like this -- I wish we could let all students have opportunities to figure something out like this and get that wonderful, warm satisfaction of "self-discovery"!
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Permalink Reply by Sylvia Martinez on
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This is SUCH a good illustration of how to empower students. You've done much more than just accomplish the task of getting a podcast done, you've allowed these students to take charge of their own learning.
What a joy is right!
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We had the same type of experience last year. We'd won a grant to do our CSI project and GPSs were part of the grant. Sent Russell and Andy outside and 10 minutes later they came back in and had figured out all of the capabilities of the GPSs we'd bought.
The reason we resorted to sending the boys out was the Garmin representative had stood us up twice and we were running out of time!
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Permalink Reply by Carolyn Foote on
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I agree Sylvia! WE had a similar experience yesterday with the new version of pbwiki 2.0. I was having trouble helping a whole class at once, and I knew there was a way to do a task more easily than what we were doing--so I told the students to work within their groups and find a solution, and within about 3 minutes a student had figured it out, so I was able to work with other students in the meantime, and he got all the kudos for finding the answer for us!
It's empowering for all of us when students can show what they know.
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Permalink Reply by Anne Mirtschin on
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Students never cease to amaze me either and I love it when we can learn together and again, when I simply become a facilitator and they, the mentors. We love using audacity and podcasting and some wonderful outcomes eventuate. Students have such wonderful creative abilities and this is a media that all can excell in.
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Permalink Reply by Sue Palmer on
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Hi Nancy!
Great story! I think sometimes it has something to do with being a "teacher" that we don't want to show it until we have "mastered it" ? I have a similar example, but with teachers. Yesterday I gave two presentations at a regional BOCES conference on tech for teachers. One was on podcasting. I had prepared the presentations on wikis so the teachers could work at their own pace. Most just jumped into BOTH Audacity and the free download of Camtasia Studio! I decided to stop talking and just walk around the room and answer questions. I realized that while I was telling them the detailed steps to make them...they were already doing so!
By the way-- I have set up a wiki on MasteryMaze with a section on podcasting, and BOTH presentations. Perhaps your students would like to ADD to them, or use them the next time THEY conduct some teacher training! :)
They get it -- Just JUMP IN!
Sue P
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Next week I'm going to put these "natives" to the big test. For their final project in our study of the Titanic I'm giving them an 8 1/2 X 11 piece of paper with this tiny note in the center. Then they are on their own, there are sixteen 6th graders in my Wed. gifted ed class and we shall see if they are up for the challenge.
Our Titanic website is under construction, but you can take a peek here.
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Permalink Reply by Kelley Irish on
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Nancy,
You amaze me as usual! I have used Photostory and Windows Movie Maker for the kids podcasts because I am hooked on pictures and video. Over this past week I finally downloaded Camstudio and played with it-It turned out to be a really easy to use program. Now I can capture the little kids Fluxtime studio animations. I am sure camtasia is much better but Cam studio is free-so it's for me.
I used to have a program called Hollywood High that create screen plays with animated characters. Unfortunately it didn't work wirh Win XP-
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