Pod Casting as an Assessment Tool Presented By Anne Baker Science Teacher Edgemont Campus

What is a Pod Cast? A pod cast is the process of creating and publishing a digital broadcast. Pod Casts can be created by anyone about anything. Pod casts can be enhanced (watching still pictures while listening to audio) Pod casts can be a Vod Cast, which is a video pod cast

How do we explain this to our students? A Podcast is like a radio show where you are listening to the people talk about a subject. A Podcast is like when you are watching TV and the picture goes out but you hear the sounds. Sometimes the best way to explain a podcast is to let them listen to one.

Some Podcasts to use to help explain a podcast to students Bobby Bucket An example of an adult created pod cast odle/mod/resource/vi ew.php?id=46 odle/mod/resource/vi ew.php?id=46 Web pages are in the handout Ace Kids An example of a student created pod cast odle/mod/resource/vi ew.php?id=44 odle/mod/resource/vi ew.php?id=44

Now I know what a podcast is Why would I use it in my classroom? Educational Benefits of Podcasting In addition to providing teachers with a new way to communicate course content, podcasting can benefit students because it is a hands-on activity. Podcasts are an excellent means to motivate students because they use devices that are part of the students’ experience to talk about and practice speaking skills for students to use the process of writing for students to work collaboratively Classroom Management Teachers use podcasts to distribute key points of lectures that students need to review. When students miss class, they can download the lecture their teacher has posted on iTunes or another Web site. Collaboration Students work together to produce a podcast. For example, students study a character in a novel and prepare a podcast about that character. Higher-Order Thinking Skills Students are assigned an argumentative research topic and then develop a podcast to present their position. This is and alternative to the traditional research paper. Student Portfolios

Now I know what a podcast is, How do I use it in the classroom Record your own lesson and up load it to the internet where your students can access it. Review podcasts online to use in your classroom as part of instruction. Use the concept of a podcast as a form of assessment for your students.

High Quality Pod Cast The topic is presented in an interesting and imaginative way The content is well structured and organized Sources for further information (websites and ) are included Effective use is made of the presenter, discussions and interviews Vocals are clear without background noise or popping Presenters are clearly heard above background music and effects Any audio effects are used to enhance the content and presentationaudio Smooth edits are evident in transitions between segments

Satisfactory Quality Podcast The topic is presented in an appropriate and relevant way The content is suitably structured and organized Further information (websites and ) is referred to Effective use is made of the presenter, discussions and interviews Vocals are audible and without distortion Presenters can be heard above background music and effects Audio editing means smooth transitions between segments Audio

Poor Quality Podcast The topic is presented in a tedious and uninteresting way The content is unstructured and disorganized No sources for further information (websites and ) are included Ineffective use is made of the presenter, discussions and interviews Vocals are inaudible or distorted Presenters cannot be heard above background music and effects Any audio effects detract from the content and presentationaudio Rough audio edits are evident in transitions between segmentsaudio

Step 1: Setting students up for success! Teach your students how to determine if a pod cast is of good quality for educational purposes. Use a rubric and let them score a few podcasts. (please find rubric 1 in your packet and get your writing utensil ready, we are going to try this.)

Your Turn! Lets listen to 2 podcasts and score them using a rubric. Make a note on the quality of the content and production of the podcasts. view.php?id=46 view.php?id=46 view.php?id=49 view.php?id=49

Discuss! With your shoulder buddy please discuss the following: Did you score both podcasts the same? If not, what differences of opinion did you have? What score do you think your students would give these podcasts? How many podcasts do you think you would need to share with your students to help them see the difference

Results Both podcasts were of high quality or satisfactory quality Bobby Bucket High Unicef Satisfactory

How do I grade my students? Use a rubric, a generic one is provided Let your students grade several podcasts using the same rubric you are going to use so they can experience for themselves how they are going to be graded

What? You don’t have Internet in the Classroom? No Problem! You can use the podcast idea without the podcast. Have students prepare their cast as if they were putting it online. Let them choose music for transitions (teacher approved of course) Have them podcast in the classroom, have a “microphone” for them and allow them to run their podcast for their classmates. Consider allowing students to work in teams. Ask them to create a plan for the podcast so students are accountable for their portion.

Yes! I can podcast if I only knew how to upload There is an article in the handout that has specific details about how to upload a podcast Here are the basics

Podcast Upload Basics One of the easiest ways to make a podcast is through podcast-making sites such as This site is free and allows students to host their podcasts on a server and present their ideas to the world. Very user friendly Another site for creating podcasts is audacity- free source for recording and editing podcasts Podbean.com is also really easy and free, this site has the option of paying for more options but the basic option is all a student needs. Lets peek at podbean.com

Resources used for this presentation Online Learning Studio: Podcasting Basics, Tutor: Dave Jobbings p?id=2 p?id=2 Teaching Today, How To Articles: Pod Casting Basics ticles/podcasting-basics