Lesson+7

Lesson #7

Here is a podcast that I have created to introduce the students to podcasting and my expectations for this assignment! media type="file" key="Mrs. Meyer's Introduction to Podcasts.mp3"

My Podcasting Radio Show In this lesson we will research Earth that have received vast amounts of media attention over the last 2 years and create fake online radio shows that we tell the world about these Earth systems in order to better learn about how they affect not only the planet but our lives.

The Assignment: ﻿The students will spend time using the internet to research the different Earth systems that have caught headlines during the last two years. The must choose one specific story about an Earth system that was important in the media and create a set of two radio shows about the Earth system and how it has affected life for humans. The main points they will talk about in their radio show must be from articles they have found on the internet while doing their research. The podcasts are required to be at least 2 minutes long and cover two different aspects of the stories, one in each podcast. Students will post their podcast to the classroom website and turn in their articles that they used for information. The students will be graded on content and clarity of voice, and creativity. I want this to be fun, so enjoy pretending to be a popular internet radio star! I have included a one podcast using Vocaroo as an example of what I am looking for in a Radio show at the bottom of this lesson page. I will be using the Tsunami that occurred this month, and therefore no one in class may use the Tsunami. You must look for other Earth systems that have been in the news recently.

The Materials : You will need, a computer, the internet, access to the class website and password which is Learning, access to major news webpages, some paper for note taking, a printer, a slow and steady voice, access to Vocaroo and instructions from the class on using this technology, a critically thinking mind, and a Great Attitude to complete this lesson.

The Technological Aspects:  The students will be able to gain a better understanding of how to use the internet as a resource for reading materials and finding information. They will learn how to go to a website for instruction. The students will use how to use Vocaroo to create a podcast crafted like a radio talk show. The use of technology in this lesson will help students better understand how to create new forms of media in a growing world. This technology is better than in the past because we can now more away from the use of presentations on poster board and cassette tape recordings. This will also interest students more because this lesson represents a hands on real world application of learning.

My Evaluation of the Lesson After it has Been Completed : Thus far I think the students have enjoyed this project the most. It allowed them to learn about current events while using real world skills to create an exciting finished radio show. The students thought this was the hardest lesson to complete but they also enjoyed learning about how it works. I think that next time I do this lesson I might invest a little more time in teaching students to use a different podcasting program so they have more options than just Vocaroo.

My Concerns: I am concerned as for the students that might not have access to the internet at home. They might need more time in class to develop their research and put together their podcasts, than other students with access to computers at home. I am also concerned that students with speech impairments might not appreciate this assignment and could be made fun of. Next time I will create and alternative lesson plan so that students who have a hard time speaking can create a youtube video instead of the podcast.

Here is the podcast on the tsunami in Japan created as an example of what I am looking for in this project. Good luck and remember you must create at least two podcasts!

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