Thing #17: Podcast Previews

One of the advantages of being a recent college grad is that I'm already familiar with some of the more technologically advanced educational tools. The last 2 years of my college career were spent listening to podcasts each week, as well as making them (for journalistic purposes).

I was excited to find the Grammar Girl podcast on your list! I've been a subscriber to this one since its beginning. After taking my Vegas Vacation last week, I was behind on my Google reading and podcast listening (I've always listened to podcasts on iTunes), so I took this opportunity to catch up. I loved the podcast about Voice and Tone in writing, and I'm hoping to work that into my writing lessons next year.

In the past, I've used the Grammar Girl podcasts in class very little, simply because it's hard to get the kids' attention focused on something that's only auditory and not visual. However, I had a lot of success toward the end of the school year using the Lay vs. Lie podcast from her site. The students really understood the way she explained it, while they only got about half of my lesson.

I'm looking forward also to utilizing the Just One More Book blog to give my students another option for research when they're working on author reports. In the past, they've had a hard time finding good information on childrens' and young adults' authors.

Podcasts can be a great tool, you just have to find the right way to use them. I've found that using them in centers with headphones works best, simply because the students are already in a "focus on one thing" mindset. In a whole-class environment, there are too many distractions to get them to focus. As long as you alternate it with other stimuli (visual and tactile), you'll be good to go.