Time has not allowed me to really delve into the world of recording my own voice for a podcast. This is fine by me though, as I always think my voice sounds really strange when I hear it being played back. Despite my own issues though, I think there is very good value in podcasts within a classroom setting for a number of different reasons.
First of all, it is a great way for students to present. With a podcast (when I say podcast I mean videothread and webcast as well), you can attach pictures or video to make a good and relatively easy presentation. Also, podcasts can be stored on the net for free, and can be accessed anywhere. This allows students to work on their assignments from home, and makes it easy for parents to access and see their children’s work. It also creates a way for shy students to be able to present their work without the inevitable nervousness of public speaking.
Secondly, there is huge value in students hearing their own voice, especially if it is free flowing talk, not reading from a script. I’m not saying there isn’t value in hearing yourself speak while reading from a script, but it is not the same as speaking naturally because of the thinking process required. We look over our writing and are always changing and editing it, we never seem to edit our speaking though. We speak a lot in conversation and throughout our everyday activities, but we never analyze it. Many, many people, including myself, use the words “like” and “um” far too often, and just hearing myself speak could really inspire positive change in my speaking abilities. Speaking is one of the most important tools in our lives, and it strikes me as a bit strange that there is such little formal structure surrounding it.
Podcasts are also a way for students to learn from sources outside of the classroom. Linked below is the podcast for Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture. This may be a bit deep in some respects for a middle school classroom, but it is a very interesting listen. It is just one example of how I might include very good “guest lectures” into the classroom. There are more out there, and with a little bit of research and time, I hope I can find more that are well suited for a middle years classroom.
I like your idea of using it to help shy students work on their speech in private. Some students would probably respond really well to being able to perfect their technique before presenting.
ReplyDeleteI guess that's the basic strength of something like a podcast anyway. Tools like podcasts may not be useful to everyone, but you can bet they'll be useful to someone. The more tools you have in your toolbox the better.
We don't often teach the "art of the conversation" - and recording ourselves in free-flowing conversation, listening, and evaluating ourselves might be one way to work on that skill.
ReplyDeleteSomething about the recording aspect though allows for do-overs and perfecting which we don't often get in a live conversation. Allowing students room to re-do could strengthen their skills even more.
Thanks for your thoughts, David!