Blog Post 5

Eagle Nest Radio & Class Blog
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This was a cute little classroom assignment by a small third grade class. They had fun putting together a neat podcast presentation on ancient Rome. The kids got to play radio news stars as they passed the action back and forth between several neat little segments detailing something interesting about Rome. This was a very creative way for a teacher to get kids excited about learning, using technology, and keeping parents informed on what's going on in the classroom. It did everything a teacher could want it to without losing an ounce of that ever-so-hard to keep fun factor.

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom
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This video outlines the many ways podcasting can be used to enhance the learning experience. It points out how leaving classroom assignments in public space allows parents to keep up with their children, how kids are very used to receiving information in this way and how it's not a strain for them to keep up with, and how kids can have easy access to their assignments when they miss class. It talks about how podcasting allows students to "role-play" which makes learning fun, easy, and most of all retain-able. It covered all the great things that podcasting can add to a classroom, and how, if done properly, it can be easy and effective.

Judy Scharf's Podcast Collection
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Judy has come up with a large collection of articles and podcasts detailing the uses for, the facts about, and how to create an effective podcast. She has more than a dozen posts with useful tools, examples, tips and guides on podcasting. I found the example podcasts especially helpful. They are great examples of children getting excited by podcasting. She also gives grading rubrics and assignment syllabi which are a great starting point for a teacher wanting to get started with projects just like this. It's a great collection and has everything a teacher needs to build her own podcasting assignment.

I think that all of these podcasts show that technology can help everyone to have fun and learn at the same time! :D