Podcasts

Who knows what a podcast is?  Have you ever listened to a podcast?  Created one? 

If you've created one, go you!  :-)

Podcasts are actually a great way to get information to an audience.  I'll be honest and say that podcasts are not my favorite thing to make, but only because I think it's weird to listen to myself.  I do, however, see the value in using podcasts in an early childhood classroom.

Imagine that you're a kindergarten teacher.  You have twenty-ish children in your room and you're conducting center time.  During center time, you have four small groups completing literacy centers independently (i.e. bookmaking, following directions, math, etc.) and you have one of the groups in a guided reading circle.  Suddenly, the phone rings to let you know a child's lunch has been dropped off in the office, two children are fighting over blocks, and someone loses a tooth and can't find it on the tiled floor.  Oh, and remember that you don't have a full-time assistant in your room because there's no funding for that.  Better get moving! 

Wouldn't it be nice to have a quiet place in the room where children can go and listen to a story?  Wouldn't it be nice to have a quiet place in the room where YOU could go and listen to a story?  ;-)  (Haha.)

Doesn't that look like a nice one? 
(Note: That's not my classroom!)

Storytelling podcasts are great for children who need to hear fluency in a reader's voice.  They're also wonderful to give children as an independent activity after a little guidance and modeling.  You could have a podcast loaded onto your computer with a specific book related to the unit you're teaching.  This could be both valuable and meaningful to students.  Even some parents have jumped on board and started downloading podcasts from iTunes to put on their iPods for their children on long car trips.  People are being more and more creative when it comes to making podcasts and there are many out there that are engaging and educational (LeMoult, 2006). 

Here are some podcasts created based on children's books.  Some of these podcasts were actually created by children.  Imagine the possibilites!  :-) 

This link will take you to some poetry podcasts for kids...

Scholastic has a list of 10 Podcasts for Teachers and Kids.  Check them out! 

Try here or here or here!

Seriously, there are all kinds of podcasts out there.  You just have to do a little searching for what you're looking for.  The other option is to create your own podcasts.  Yep, we're back to that.  While there are many storytelling podcasts out there, you could also use a podcast to update parents, give tips or suggestions about how they can work with their children at home, or even visit the library. 

I've made four different podcasts.  Two were storytelling podcasts with discussion questions that parents could use with their children based on two of my favorite children's books ever:

and

The other two were a little more informative.  One was actually me talking about how parents should visit the library with their children and the other was a lovely rendition of some "Months of the Year" songs.  Fun times!  As I said, I think I sound ridiculous in all of them... but I'm sure my students will love them.  :-)

If you decide to make your own podcast, you'll need a program called Audacity (or something like it).  There may be other similar programs out there, but Audacity is the one I have on my computer.  It's actually easy to use once you start playing around with it.  Here's a link to a tutorial just in case you need it! 

Happy Podcasting!