Explanation and Rational of Podcast

In my experience as a teacher of first and third grades, I have seen that it is often difficult for children to objectively decide on a book that is suited well to their own reading ability. While the most obvious reason for this may be that children don’t yet possess the metacognitive skills to think objectively about their own learning, I feel there are other reasons as well.
One reason is that a child’s interest in topics often surpasses his or her ability to read about such topics, the result being that he or she wants to read about topics on which no books appropriate to his or her ability exist. This makes the child want to read books that are too difficult, but this will inevitably frustrate him or her.
Another reason I believe children try to read books that are too difficult is peer pressure. There is a stigma attached to reading books that may seem like “baby books.” “Chapter books” are reads that are coveted by all.
The purpose of my podcast is to teach students a tool that will help them objectively choose a “just right” book. I will talk about the “five finger rule” in which the student holds out one closed fist upon beginning a page in a book he or she likes. For each word the student attempts and has trouble reading, he or she will hold up one finger. The rules are that by the end of the page if the reader is holding up:

• No fingers or one finger; the book is too easy.
• Two or three fingers; the book is just right.
• Four or five fingers; the book is too hard.

At the end of the podcast I will reassure students that if a book is interesting but too difficult, they should not feel bad, but instead, try to read the book again in a few months.

Standard Choice and Description

I have chosen the following reading standard to focus on during the semester:

Students develop the proficiency, confidence and fluency in reading needed to meet the literacy demands of the 21st century.
As a result of education in Grades K-12, students will:
read a variety of literary, informational and persuasive texts with understanding and meaningfully analyze, interpret, evaluate and enjoy them

There are several reading response activities would help a diverse variety of learners meet or exceed the standard above. Below is a list of some projects a school librarian might give students as choices for students to demonstrate comprehension of the books they are reading. While I could go on and make this list much longer, I've limited the list to activities that could incorporate technology to some degree.

1. After completing a book (or at any point in a book, for that matter), draw a picture of the setting or one event with paper and pencil; or create an image of the setting using a computer program such as Paint or online at crayola.com Digi-Color, art.com or other online drawing tools. This activity would reach visual/spatial learners of any age/ability level, but especially elementary students.

2. After reading, with your group, choose one scene from the book to act out. Not everyone needs to act. You may choose to help create scenes and props that accurately show the scenes and important objects in the story. You may also choose to work on writing the script, or you can write a song and choreograph an accompanying dance. Make an audio recording of the song or make a music video featuring the song. Incorporate the video/audio recording into the performance. This activity would reach multiple learners of any age/ability level.

3. After reading a persuasive book or article, team up with a partner who agrees with the opposing view point. Film a debate between the two of you in which you both try to convince the audience that they should side with you. Post this video online. Set up a poll in which other students who view the debate can vote for which point they agree with. This activity would reach learners that have strong interpersonal skills in upper elementary through high school.

4. After reading a biography (or work of fiction told from first person point of view) write several blog or twitter posts from the point of view of the main character. Pay special attention to the character's feelings about important events. Click here to see author Philippa Gregory's character and historical figure Elizabeth Woodville's twitter posts.This activity would reach learners that have strong intrapersonal skills in upper elementary through high school.

Response to Podcasting Articles

Podcasting seems like a great way to reach the needs of many different types of learners, auditory, visual, perhaps even kinesthetic (if the students are the ones creating the podcast).
It’s certainly something I could imagine using in a school library. Imagine four third graders, who are advanced readers, just finishing reading The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman. They can divide the story into different important events and illustrate those events. Then they can scan the drawings and insert them into a slide show. Next they would record their own retellings of the story. They could present the final product to the whole class on an interactive white board.
One concern I have about podcasts is the practicality of it being uploaded to mp3 players or cell phones. Though some schools, like the Tidewater Community College featured in the USA Today article, receive grants in order to supply all students with an iPod, this is not the norm. Depriving a student of the experience due to lack of money (or other reasons their parents have chosen not to buy them iPods) would be shameful. From the standpoint of someone with an elementary background, I appreciate the possibilities that the articles are trying to illustrate, but I would be wary of this practice for now. Perhaps in ten years no one will be without an mp3 player, just as nearly no one is without a cell phone today.

Response to Teddy Bears Go Blogging

This article brought back memories of when my supervising teacher did a similar project when I was student teaching. We sent about twenty teddy bears out to different countries with instructions to send a postcard to us and to send the teddy bear on to a different country. This looks like another variation of this project. I think it is an important project for children to take part in at least once during their careers as students. It starts them on the road to becoming global citizens by teaching about different cultures and people.
It was impressive that the children requested to work on it at home! I also liked that kids could use the telephone to record audio for the blog. Not only does this help children who have trouble writing and typing, but it also solves the problem of where to find a microphone.
The idea of blogging in the classroom appeals to me, especially when I read that the parents began blogging as well. One thing that I always had trouble keeping up on when I was teaching was my classroom newsletter. With a blog I can imagine this teacher-parent connection working so much better.

Response to Digital Goonies Blog

After reviewing a few of the blogs on the list I decided to read more on the Digital Goonies page. I appreciated that the writers not only introduced dozens of resources on the web that I’ve never heard of, but they also gave ideas on practical classroom applications for a lot of them. (And I love their humor!)
One of the resources I like is Voki. I think having a cute bear or another cool-looking avatar talking about a topic would be much more engaging for students than having their teacher talk about it (sigh). As a Media Specialist, I imagine that one could create avatars that look like the characters from books. Let’s say that I created a Harry Potter-like avatar. I could then have Harry introduce himself to the students and give them a little summary of what his book is about and why he thinks they would enjoy reading it. On the other hand, the Digital Goonies warn against letting this become a high-tech dress-up session. Used correctly, by an educator, I think it could be a very effective teaching tool.
Another resource that stuck out to me was rubistar.4teachers.org. I can remember trying to create a rubric by hand because I didn’t have Microsoft Excel or anything better to help me create the boxes. (This was seven years ago.) I would draw the lines using a ruler; type, print, cut, and paste the words into each box; and make photo copies. If only I had this back then! When I get back into a school I will definitely use this. I think it could be especially useful for a Media Specialist who does not see all of the students often. Each time the Media Specialist meets a class she can focus on four or five different students to assess, and then fill out a rubric for each at the end of class. This would help give her a more complete picture of each child when report card time comes. The assessment wouldn’t be all from memory.
I’ve read blogs before (mostly those of friends) for the fun of it, but until today, I truly did not see how useful they could be. I will be looking at blogs differently now.

Test Post: Who Is Hiding on a Penny?

As Presidents' Day approaches, social studies activities abound. But you may ask yourself, "What kind of science activities can I teach my students that are related to Presidents' Day?" Here is one idea: Invite your students to use lemon juice-soaked cotton swabs to clean a penny. To add a little fun, tell them that they are detectives using a secret potion that helps to reveal clues. Give each child a magnifying glass (remember, they're detectives, right?). Encourage them to look for details on both sides of the penny. Guide children in recording their findings using drawings and/or words.