Yesterday in class I had an epiphany of sorts. This entire time I've been going through the course with the thought in the back of my mind that most all of the things we would be doing would be new to me and things that I would be unfamiliar with. After the unit we did on podcasting it finally hit me that I subscribe to a number of different podcasts, along with following a few different blogs. I didn't even make the connection between these things which I follow for fun and their potential usefulness in a classroom setting. If nothing else I found it comforting that perhaps I'm a little more tech savvy than I gave myself credit for.
That having been said I think that the podcasting medium might be the most useful thing that we've covered so far in this class. It's a great way to get a good amount of material across that isn't too difficult and leaves a lot of room for creativity on the part of my students. This is something where people who aren't really into podcasting would still be able to complete the assignment without much trouble but would still afford those who had out of the box ideas much more wiggle room for those with more creativity. Heck somebody could probably do something as original as a founding fathers mock radio call in show where they defend the Constitution. Either way I think that this has a great deal of potential and it's something that I'm very interested in exploring.
I definitely agree with you about the usefulness of the podcast medium. It is very easy to make and very accessible (mp3 players are quite cheap nowadays). The potential for education is enormous because it means that students and teachers can be creators and consumers of knowledge. And it makes reviewing knowledge very easy and, hopefully, fun.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea about the mock call-in show. Would all the participants be from the past? Or do you see them as defending the Constitution to present-day callers and listeners?
ReplyDeleteSean, the idea about calling in about the Constitution is genius. That is one of the most creative assignments I've ever come across. I'm going to steal that idea and use it as my own.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Kristin, I think it would be a lot more fun if the students had the ability to get into character. So for example, they were assigned a state, and they researched the signers from their respective state. Then they called in and either griped about the signing of the Constitution or agreed with the signing. They could even so far as to spitball on the idea of the New Jersey Plan or the Virginia plan. I truly think that's an extremely unique and great idea. Well done Sean...I mean Salmon.