Blog Assignment #4

I'll have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about Podcasting at first. I was wondering how exactly making a video would teach students anything valuable. Well, Langwitches did a great job answering that question for me! For one, I can see how it would be an excellent approach to learning a new language. Instead of just hearing foreign words read out loud, students get to practice voice expression which allows them to attach meaning behind the words so that they will better remember them later. Not only that, participating in the editing process gives them even more practice at recognizing words and comprehending how they fit together to make a complete thought. It's a learning process similar to reading, but they also learn to attach feelings and emotions behind it since they are the voices of the Podcast; something which isn't usually achieved by reading words off of a paper!

Another important role that a Podcast fulfills is giving the students an audience. While it may not seem significant, young children love to know that they're doing the right thing and that their achievements have been recognized. They love attention, and why not let them know that they're doing a good job? Young kids might not always understand the importance of learning to read and comprehend, so it's important to give them that extra motivation. It's also clearly implied that Podcasts emphasize repetition. Just think: they record their voices (sometimes multiple times if they don't like the way it sounds or if it doesn't have enough emotion), take part in the editing process and putting together all of the sentences in the correct order, and then listen to the finished product multiple times. I believe this adds more valuable skill to the learning process rather than just reading or listening to a book only once.

I will definitely use Podcasts in my classroom. What better way to incorporate interactive learning?! Some people are visual learners, while others benefit more from audio. This approach combines the two and adds hands-on experience. Learning by doing gives them the skills they need and motivation to try other new learning processes in the future. New knowledge can be fun, and it's much more likely to be remembered in the long run!