Since one of the subjects I will be teaching is Literature at the middle school level, I can think of a lot of uses involving podcasts in my classroom. I like using the wiki and I think that I can incorporate podcasts on my wiki to give students instructions for assignments. Also, I like the idea of having students use podcasts with a wiki or without a wiki to practice reading out loud with feeling and working on their expression. Middle school students are very often worried to read something out loud or in front of the class. The podcasts give them the opportunity to read out loud and work on expression and feeling, but they are still able to record over it so they can present their best possible reading.
Also, I will be teaching vocabulary, so podcasting would be beneficial to post something for the students that contains me reading the vocabulary words and their definitions so the students know the correct pronunciation. Sometimes the words are so new to the students they have no idea how to pronounce them.
I really like your ideas, especially because I find myself in the same situation as a Spanish teacher. Because Spanish is so "new" to them, they don't remember how to even pronounce the words when they get home to practice them, and the majority of the time, I can't expect parents to help because they can't. Again, because the language is so unfamiliar to them, they have a difficult time reading in front of others in the target language. I find that I have to correct them for every word too. Sometimes I find myself reading, instead of bearing with their reading. Having them review/practice podcasts at home would benefit their pronunciation and comfort level so that when I want them read in class it's not such an ordeal.
ReplyDeleteAngela,
ReplyDeleteI like the idea about students recording themselves reading individually. I used to teach 6th grade, and finding a way to encourage fluency in some students' reading was sometimes a challenge. I think this would be very helpful!
Angela,
ReplyDeletePractice is a good idea. I used to have a hard time giving speeches. I found that when I wrote them and practiced giving them, it wasn't so hard. The same thing happened with dancing. I had a hard time dancing in public, but when I made a habit of dancing at home, I would get lost in the experience and would loose my self-consciousness; this was then translated into public dancing because it opened a subjective space within myself that I had access to on the dance floor. I bet actors practice their lines in front of a mirror to work with their facial expressions, but the voice cannot be seen; it has to be heard in order to improve it. I love your idea!
Angela,
ReplyDeleteReally liked your ideas about vocabulary. It is important that students can hear the word and hear it.