Podcasting Case Study 10

1) In order to prepare your class for podcasting it is important to use a easy accessable media. A program that everyone is familiar with and knows how to use. Before introducing podcasting to the class you may go over the program with which the class will watch you videos in the future. 2) Potential Benefits: Including Podcasting in your classroom can be a alternative to the common lecture. Students in athlete clubs for example can watch a lecture during a busride to their next game instead of missing the entire lecture. Information from teachers "all over the world" is accessable and can be used in the classroom and curriculum. j Watching podcasts is another way of learning (visual learning and auditorial learning). It offers a different way to present information, a maybe more attractive way to students in the 21st century. Teachers can have a longer hands-on time in class. Students can watch the lecture at home and during class have discussions or projects relating to the watched video. Recorded lectures can easily be viewed by substitute teachers and give them a opportunity to get prepared for their lesson in that particular class without totally going in a different direction than the actual teacher of that class. It is important to keep in mind that podcasting is NOT a replacement of class/lecture. Teacher/Student time together is very important in my opinion and cannot be replaced by simply watching a video. 3) Students must watch the casts and should be tested on the content. If they fail to watch the videos they will fail the class or will have to stay longer in school. Just like other homework it is the students interest to succeed in the class and know what is going on and needed in the class. Time management, self responsibility and other skills can be enforced. 4)I think that students still need to be in class and attend lectures. I would onlyn use Podcasts to review material for a upcoming exam, extra homework or simply a chance to review today's lecture again and take more notes. In class attendance and interaction with peers and the teacher cannot be replaced by just watching the lecture at home.

Podcast

Conceptual Analysis "Digital Storytelling"

First of all: My Digital Story was about my move from Germany to the United States. I showed images from both countries (Montana in particluare since I live here now) and listed a couple interesting facts about each photograph. Also, I included in my presentation a little slide in which a airplaine flies from Germany to the US. This gives viewers a better geographical understanding of the two places that are described in the movie.

By using a project similiar to this in a class room, I would try to promote a couple of laearning objectives such as:
Having students brainstorm about ideas on what they can do their project on (in groups or individual) I hope to improve their critical thinking (where can I do appropriate research and get information, what is appropriate for this subject and age group), practical thinking (what could be interesting to my peers, what is a good/fun/informative movie) and creative thinking (have many ideas, informtive movie, funny movie, persuasive movie, cartoon, music etc) skills.
While working with students and creating the actual iMovie I hope to improve their performance skills (able to setup, operate and produce a iMovie and other programs used during project).
In addition, I whish for students to become interdisciplinary leaners (connecting ideas, disicplines, contexts) in the group that they are working in or individal. Sometimes great ideas come during a project and my goal is for students to be able to logically include their additinal information in the already given movie. When working in groups this could promote interpersonal relationships with their peers. When working individually it could promote Self-Authorship (taking responsiblity in a good end result, overall product).
Moreover, students will learn about other cultures and places in the earth which gives them a better multicultural understanding and hopefully open mind to other cultures, religions, ethics etc.

Some of the realative advantages of creating a digital story about yourself (and presenting it later) are that students can choose what their topic is going to be about. They can build upon their strenghts and interests and may achieve a better result in the end because of this. After working with certain programs while creating their digital story (iMovie, Google, SpiderScribe for brainstorming etc etc) students will improve/renew their skills (what should you be able to to after class), knowledge (what should you know after class) and attitude (how do you think about this after class) about these programs. It the teacher decides to let students work in small groups they will learn how to be a valuable memeber in a group and interpersonal relationships among peers can be strenghtend.
Additionally, my goal would be to improve students overall "Applying skills" (operate system, demonstrate thoughts, choose topic, illustrate images etc), "Evaluating skills" (criticize peers, argue with peers) when looking at their peers work and "Creating skills" (combine information and images in movie, create intersing movie, formulate intorduction etc.)