Podcasts in the Classroom

I read a neat article on how to use podcasts in the classroom. I listen to podcasts on my commute to work or especially while taking long road trips. Serial, season two, was one of my most favorite podcasts, which followed the popular story of Bowe Bergdahl, an America solider who walked off his post in Afghanistan, and was captured and held by the Taliban for five years. Listening to each podcast was like watching an episode of CSI. His story is amazing, intriguing, exciting and entertaining. Podcasts can be fun and very much part of our modern tech infused world. They are an evolving part of our 21st century entertainment world, and I hope more people come to follow them.

Additionally, podcasts are great learning and studying tools for students who learn best by listening. For example, I remember things best when I either see a visual demonstration or kinesthetically am doing something, taking a field trip, moving, etc. For learners who are great listeners, podcasts would be a fun way for them to study for a test or learn something new. I think podcasts would also be great for retelling a story, doing a book report, or even interviewing classmates (Oswald, 2017).

I looked through many different podcasts aimed at elementary aged children and sifted through to find the best ones. Examples of quality podcasts for elementary aged children are:

• Brains On! Science podcast for kids
• This podcast answers those simple, yet unexplained scientific questions that kids always ask their parents... "How does the internet work?" or "Why do we hiccup and yawn?", etc. 
• Stories Podcast 
• Retelling of G-rated stories that are appropriate for children. The stories range from the tale of Saint Valentine, to The Cat Who Caught the Moon, and fairytales like Snow White. 
• Dream Big Podcast 
• A great character-building podcasts, perfect for schools that have a (PSD or something) implemented into their school discipline program. This podcast teaches kids how to pursue their dreams, through interviews with famous athletes, artists, writers, entrepreneurs, scientists, you name it!
• Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel 
• A middle grades, serial mystery story in which listeners follow along to find a missing friend. This one is more of a fun "read" for children. Could be used outside of the classroom, almost as if a kid is reading this as a book for fun.   
• Story Pirates 
• This podcast takes children's stories and adapts them into sketch comedies and musical theatre. These stories are delightful, funny, light-hearted, and educational!! A great way to make story-telling a fun time for children, especially those struggling to read or learn English. 
• The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd 
  
• This podcast is great for students who are science nerds and great for boys as well. It follows the adventures of a brilliant scientist, Dr. Floyd. The podcast incorporates history into its fun and adventurous tales. 
• TEDTalks Kids and Family
• I love TEDTalks and believe they really help viewers or listeners learn new things. These family and kids TEDTalks are just as great. A listener can learn so much from one episode, anything from science to technology to literature or art. These inspiring, informative and mind-blowing talks are available through iTunes for free and could be used both inside and outside the classroom. 
• Lastly, as a class you could create your own podcast!!! What a fun idea and lesson plan. You could listen to a couple of podcasts as a class and then have students break off into groups to create their own based on their interests. This lesson would test their listening skills as well as improve their technology skills.  

I hope you all can check out some of the podcasts above at your convenience. I have started listening to some of them now on my commute because of this blog post and my research. Regardless of one's age, a listener can enjoy these podcasts and the exciting twist they take on learning through listening. Now, on to the not as fun part, but just as critically important... the scholarly reasoning behind why podcasts are helpful in the classroom.

As Ki Sung points out in her article, "Listening Isn't Cheating: How Audio Books Can Help Us Learn," "Listening is a critical component of Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts, as is reading....listening to the story can encourage students to read more" (Sung, 2016). While Sung is discussing audiobooks here, the same listening tools are used when listening to a podcast. When students listen to podcasts, they gain key listening skills that help them become more familiar with the language they speak. They will learn how certain words are pronounced, which will also help them with their speaking skills. While listening is not a substitute for reading, I believe it can be a great supplementary tool for use inside and outside the classroom.

Listening skills are key components to the Common Core Standards and can be improved through the use of podcasts in the classroom. When a student has to listen to something verse read it on paper, one must still go through the process of language processing (Willingham, 2016). He or she must process the words through their brain to figure out the meaning of the text and sentences. Therefore, through the use of podcasts, one is still improving the language processing skills that are needed when reading. Podcasts can be especially useful for students who prefer listening as a way of learning, and subsequently can improve their reading.

Additionally, another great use for podcasts in the classroom is for students who may have trouble reading or are learning English as a second language. As "Why Listening to Podcasts Helps Kids Improve Reading Skills," points out, "The combination of audio and text allowed for reading breaks and helped students learning English as a second language connect the text to the sounds" (MindShift, 2016). Students can use podcasts to read through a book the first time if he or she is struggling or prefers listening to it read aloud. Then they can go back and re-read it. They will have a more firm grasp of the book and words they could not read or struggled with because they had the podcast read it aloud to them. It would be nice to say that I would have all day to read aloud to each and every child but unfortunately as a teacher of 20+ students, we just do not have that time on our hands. Having podcasts available to students is a great asset to teachers and can save time in the classroom. Students will be able to learn more efficiently, while also increasing their listening and reading skills. What a great tool to use in the classroom!

References
Brains On [Online image]. Retrieved from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/144034449/brains-on-a-science-podcast-for-curious-kids-and-g

Girl with World [Online image]. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/podcasts/2005/07/slates_podcasting_guide.html

MindShift. (2016, March 18). Why Listening to Podcasts Helps Kids Improve Reading Skills. Retrieved February 07, 2017, from https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/03/18/why-listening-to-podcasts-helps-kids-improve-reading-skills/

Oswald, M. (2017, February 13). Podcasts and the Classroom. Retrieved February 06, 2017, from http://www.edudemic.com/podcasts-classroom/ utm_content=buffer0b318&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Podcast [Online image]. Retrieved from http://blogs.agu.org/geoedtrek/2015/03/18/women-stem-podcasts/

The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd [Online image]. Retrieved from http://www.mrgrant.com/projects/

Schiff, S. (2017, January 25). 15 Podcasts For Kids That Everyone Can Enjoy On The Commute To School. Retrieved February 06, 2017, from https://www.fatherly.com/activities/the-best-podcasts-for-kids/

Sung, K. (2016, August). Listening Isn't Cheating: How Audio Books Can Help Us Learn. Retrieved February 06, 2017, from https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/08/18/listening-isnt-cheating-how-audio-books-can-help-us-learn/

Willingham, D. (2016, July 24). Is Listening to an Audio book "Cheating?". Retrieved February 07, 2017, from http://www.danielwillingham.com/daniel-willingham-science-and-education-blog/is-listening-to-an-audio-book-cheating