Ideas for Podcasts

I think the possibilities of subjects to talk about over podcasts are basically endless. I like the idea of using them to broadcast sports events. The college I attended did just that and even expanded to make live webcasts over the internet so even players who had parents in other states could watch their children’s sporting events. I’m not sure if this is applied yet at a high school level, but I think it is a worthwhile idea. Another idea is to broadcast a school play on a podcast. This would leave out a lot that is shown during a play, but it would be interesting if students could still listen in.

What I would like to do for my podcast is discuss a book. This applies directly to my field of teaching and you could use this podcast to send to all of your students. It could provide more of a “book club” type feel to it, and maybe I would only address the themes of the book or ask questions about it that the students would then have to think about and bring their responses to class the next day. It is another way for me to connect with my students outside of school.

Skype brings another interesting element because it allows for a conversation, for more than one person to provide their input. This allows for the possibilities to be even broader. This would definitely better allow for my book club idea because it would transform into more of a discussion. Rather than one person forming all the questions, both parties could address points that they are interested in.

My First imovie!

Here it is!

http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/embed/48376

Online Role-Play

Whew. I have never participated in an online role play before but I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. I participated as a student who believes that Google is making us stupid. It was really fun to pretend to be someone else and I was able to let my ideas flow more freely because I knew I was not sharing these opinions as a representation of myself, but rather, someone else. I argued as a student who thinks her friends are spending way too much time on the computer and I added research from articles written about this topic. I think the evidence helps support my ideas but what was really interesting to see was what everyone else in the role play had to say about them.

I really like the idea of this role play because it allows for debate which is not face-to-face. I get really nervous in those confrontational types of situations so this allowed me to feel much more comfortable with participating in the debate because it is a step back from that. My personal beliefs also altered a little as a result of this online role play. I don’t often think of this issue from the perspectives of others so it was interesting to see what the other participants had to say. For example, seeing what a Google conglomerate (Rich McMoneybags) would have to say in this situation was new to me because he would of course know everything there is to know about Google, while my character (a student) might not know all the different ways Google offers help and different tools that anyone can use.

I would definitely use a version of this in my future classroom. My favorite aspect of it is how well I think the students would engage in something like this just because it is not face-to-face. The freedom of playing a role also lets students state facts and opinions behind a sort of mask. All in all I’d say this was a very fun activity and I can’t wait to apply it in my classroom!

Wikis in the Classroom

I think the Wiki is a great tool to use in a classroom. It allows for many possibilities that a blog doesn’t afford for. Blogs are very individual, and don’t get me wrong, they’re a great place for expressing your opinions, but they just aren’t conducive to group work. I think a Wiki is great for people that are attempting to compile separate information into one place that everyone has access to. I never have used one before but now that I’ve been introduced I’m actually using one for one of my other classes. It’s hard to arrange a time that works well for everyone in my group to meet so a Wiki is exactly what we needed. It allows everyone to edit the page so that we can basically do group work from our own homes.

In terms of classroom use, there is so much collaborating going on in classrooms constantly and a Wiki allows for that collaboration to extend to after school while the students are at home. It even seems that students enjoy it and are engaged even outside of the classroom.

Here is my wiki: http://exploringcriticallenses.pbworks.com/

In one of my other classes we are exploring in depth the literary critical lenses. I decided to create a Wiki for this project because the class was spilt into groups and each group is responsible for analyzing one specific lens. Therefore, every group is really only knowledgeable for one lens. I thought by creating this Wiki I could get all the information on separate pages that everyone can get access to and even edit. I think this can transition very easily to a classroom of my own where I am teaching my own students about critical lenses.

One challenge that I see in collaborative writing assignments on Wikis is computer access. It is a great fear of mine that I will assign something that not all the students will be able to participate in at home!

Flickr Slide Show & VoiceThread

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43039514@N02/favorites/show/

The images I’ve chosen for my blog are pictures I found on Flickr through the creative commons. The images are all Jasper National Park located in Alberta, Canada. The natural beauty that can be found at this park is absolutely breathtaking and I think these pictures capture it well. I selected these pictures because they all capture the essence of the feeling that overwhelms you when you see this park in person. The greenery spans such large amounts of land and the mountains are enormous. Contemplating your place in the world is almost a requirement when visiting this park. These pictures capture the power that nature brings when it is all the eye can see. There are no signs that human life is even present in these pictures except for the two pictures I have chosen that include the train. These pictures are beautiful because they capture how small and insignificant the trains and their technology are in comparison with the clear blue lakes and massive mountains.

These pictures are all taken from the perspective of the ground, looking upward. This allows for the scenery to loom above the photographer and cause the viewer of these pictures to feel small. The effect of these pictures would be very different if the photographs were taken from the top of the mountain looking down. This is an interesting concept when thinking of how I’d like my students to use images or clips in their own writing. These kinds of pictures could easily supplement the point a student is attempting to get across in their writing. For example, if I was writing about this national park and how it made me feel as though I was ruler of the world, I might choose a picture taken from the top of the mountain and pointed downward to show that all of the scenery beneath the mountain looked small and unimportant. I think it would be a great idea to use this idea in my own teaching. I think it would also help students focus their writing and really reflect on what it is that they are trying to show.

My VoiceThread

http://voicethread.com/share/646668/