How+To+Use+Podcasts+in+the+Classroom

=__Classroom Ideas__=


 * __Reading__**-I can not emphasize the power of using podcasts in reading. When teaching young children, you often deal with the fact that you have many non-readers. What a better way of allowing students hear good quality literature without the teacher or parent present. There are so many great podcasts that read good quality children's literature to the students. I have listed many of them in the section "Good Podcasts for Young Children". In addition, there are some families that are illiterate due to lack of education, ability, or language issues. Students can listen to podcasts at home. This will allow them to be "read to" even though those at home are unable to or don't read to their child.


 * __Fluency__**-When students first begin to read, a lot of emphasis is put on fluency and decoding. What a better way to let children hear themselves. This will allow them to focus on monitoring their reading. This is sometimes very difficult for beginnning readers because so much effort is put into trying to decode that they are not listening to themselves. But you might think that is just a voice recording and not a podcast. How can you make it a podcast? It can become a podcast if you have multiple recording over time with an RSS feed. Each child can have their own podcast. This will also be a great way for students and parents to track progress over time.


 * __Book Talks__**-Podcasting is a great resource to allow students to talk about what they are reading or their favorite books. What a great way to introduce the art of retelling! Not only are students working on retelling, they are also sparking the interest of others to read those books.


 * __Vocabulary__**-Vocabulary instruction is so critical for young learners. Podcasting could be a great resource for promoting vocabulary insturction. Students can create podcasts that incorporate the use of current vocabulary.


 * __Summarization__**-Using podcasts can be a great summarization tool. Students can summarize their learning in the form of a podcast instead of writing about their learning. What a great way for non-writers to record their learnings! This can be used with any subject area. Parents can subscribe to the podcast to get a better picture of what is going on in the classroom. This can be used for all subject areas. Students can also summarize their field trip experiences!

__**Math**__-You might want to know how you can use podcasts in math. One great way is to use it as a way to record steps in solving a problem. This would be great for slower learners who might not get it right away, absent students, or when students encounter problems from previous lesson that they have forgotten how to do.

__**Absent Students**__-Podcasts are a great way to share information with students who were absent in class. It is hard to send home missed work when students missed the instruction part of it.

__**Following Directions**__-We all have those students who have the hardest times following multistep directions or completing routine activities. ADHD students have a very difficult time achieving this. Having a podcast set up with opportunities to listen to the steps in routines, multistep directions, or directions to specific activities would be very beneficial to them.

__**Behavior Problems**__-We all have those students who have behavior problems. I also know that many of us have a time out place or thinking chair where students go to for a time out and reflect on what is happening. Why not have a podcast designated for behavior? It could review the rules, and have recordings on specific behavior problems. For example....if a student was having problems with hitting others, they could go listen to the podcast that deals with keeping your hands to yourself. You can even have students help create these podcasts.