Ep 90 // Using Podcasts in the Elementary Classroom
Inside This Week’s Episode: Podcasts aren’t just for adults! In fact - podcasts can be a powerful tool for the elementary classroom. Not sure how to implement them in to your every day instruction? Tune in for some great tips and ideas for how to use podcast for students!
Podcasts are the *NEW* Listening Center…
… (& so.much.more)
I can still remember. It was 2006 and it was my first year of teaching. One of my friend’s mom wanted to help out a first year teacher (me) by sponsoring my classroom. She asked what I needed and I told her that I desperately wanted a listening center for my classroom.
Being the new teacher, I got last pick on supplies. All the good stuff was taken and the only thing that resembled a listening center was a super old tape player.
Imagine my complete delight when I got a beautiful new (blue) listening center that could play cassette tapes AND CD’s. It came with 6 headphones and an adapter to plug all 6 in at the same time.
It.was.glorious.
The listening center got a LOT of use over the years. I went to the library often to borrow books on tape and I even began recording my own.
Fast forward 15+ years later.
Listening centers are about to get a major upgrade!
Enter: podcasts!
Have you considered using podcasts in your classroom for your students? They aren’t just for adults anymore. In fact, with over 2 MILLION active podcasts, there is no shortage on podcasts for everyone - including kids!
There are so many ways that podcasts can enhance student learning and in this week’s episode, we’ll begin to just scratch the surface!
Ready to Give Podcasts a try in your classroom?
Here’s a Snapshot:
There are over 2 million podcasts! That means that there is likely a podcast that your students will love, so —it’s time to start using podcasts with our students.
There are many different styles and formats of podcasts to choose from such as interview styles, short series, solo-shows, narrative story telling, and so much more. AND listening to the podcast of your choice is easy. Whether you listen on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or even on the podcast’s website, its simple to find a way for your students to listen to any podcast from nearly any digital device.
There are so many different ways to implement podcasts into your classroom:
use as listening centers
in place of a traditional read-aloud
listen to podcasts as part of a choice board
use podcasts to improve note-taking skills
you can even have students create their own podcasts around a variety of topics such as…
a student podcast show featuring book reviews or book trailers
create your own audio books
a school or community news show
a show centered around interviewing classmates or other school staff
Creating a podcast doesn’t have to be hard. There are several simple and free tools that allow you to easily have your students create their own podcasts without any fancy software or equipment. I’ll share some of my favorites in the episode.
Links & Resources Mentioned in the Episode
RESOURCES FOR MAKING YOUR OWN PODCAST:
PODCASTS FOR KIDS:
Best Podcasts for Kids of All Ages
19 Great Learning Podcasts for the Classroom
Grab my FREE Kid Podcast Recording Sheet below:
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