Podcasting: Consume and Produce

Definition: Podcasts are audio recordings posted to the internet that are available for others to listen to or download. Typically, they are produced in a series that are available for subscription, but you do not need to go that route if you want to get started in your classroom.

Integration: Podcasts can be a great technology integration tool to facilitate learning. Here are some ideas for how you can use podcasts for both consuming and producing content:

• Consume
• Staff--Listen to podcasts as professional development to improve teaching and learning.
• Students--Listen to podcasts as learning materials.
• Produce
• Staff--Create a teacher or classroom podcast for a professional learning network or for your classroom.
• Students--Create podcasts about curricular topics as a way to process and demonstrate learning.
• Classroom--Create a regular classroom podcast and rotate topics/assignments.

Creation Tools: These are some recommended tools for creating audio recordings.

1. Seesaw--Students can use the screen recording feature to show and tell their understanding of a topic. This might include narrating over an image or diagram and including annotations and labels. This keeps it simple, only requires an iPad and allows teachers to use a tool students already know how to use.

2. Schoology--Students can use the recording feature built into assignments or discussions. With this feature, there is no need for additional software, and they can use the camera/mic built into a Chromebook. Students cannot edit recordings, but they can pause and continue. This is simple but restricted to use in Schoology. If you post recordings in a discussion, other students can listen to them and respond which is more like a syndicated podcast.

3. Vocaroo--http://vocaroo.com/ This is very simple if you just want an audio file that you can export/download. It's a simple record, stop, export. There is no editing available, and recordings are only archived for a few months. No account is needed. Recordings can be uploaded to Schoology.

4. Soundtrap--https://www.soundtrap.com This one is not quite as simple, but it's much more powerful and still free. Students can collaborate on projects, add music from the gallery, record multiple tracks, edit, and export their audio. This is the best choice if editing or the addition of multiple tracks is required. Recordings can be uploaded to Schoology. Note: Students need to set up and account (and therefore, need to be 13 years old).

A Few Lists of Recommended Podcasts To Get You Started:

• 50 Educational Podcasts You Should Check Out - InformED

• 60 Podcasts You Should Check Out - Getting Smart

• Top Ranking Podcasts in Education at podbay.fm

• Best Education Podcasts | Edutopia

• 36 Educational Podcasts to Energize Your Teaching - Fusion Yearbooks

• 10 Podcasts That Will Make You Feel Smarter | Mental Floss

• Top 20 STEM Education Podcasts You Should Be Listening To Now!

Bonus Material:

• Sample Rubric for Assessing Student Podcasts (Feel free to simplify this.)

• Nuts and Bolts of Creating Podcasts

• How to Create Podcasts with Your Students

• Listening To Themselves: Podcasts Take Learning Beyond the Classroom

• Podcasting for Education

Google for more!

Image courtesy of Colleen AF Venable.

New Year's Resolution: Getting Organized in the 2017

Based on Google searches, getting organized is the second most popular New Year's resolution for 2017 (Source: NBC).

Here are some tips to help you get more organized this year:

Gmail

Use labels to organize your email messages (see video) and create filters to automatically label and archive emails based on rules you set (see video).

Calendar

Use Calendar Reminders to manage your "to do" items. Creating reminders is similar to creating events on the calendar. You can set a reminder for a certain date, but if you don't get it done, it will automatically carry forward to the next day until you mark it as done.  Click here for more details: video | print directions.

Google Drive

Use folders and naming conventions to keep your Drive organized (see video and step-by-step guide).

Google Keep

Use Google Keep in lieu of post-it-notes and checklists (see video). You can even share your notes and checklists with collaborators. Use the Google Keep App on your phone to stay organized on the go.

Happy Holidays!

It's always fun to tie learning activities in with big events on the calendar, and the winter holiday season is no exception. Here are some websites with digital learning activities and lesson plans for the holidays. Check them out!

• 12 Digital Days of Christmas
• 12 Days of Christmas Sites from Edutopia
• Interactive Sites for Education (Christmas)
• Multi-Cultural Holiday Celebrations from Education World
• Christmas Trivia, Questions, and Games
• Holiday Trivia Questions

Thank you for all the good work you do for our students. You really make a difference in their lives!

Have a wonderful holiday season! Enjoy time with friends and family!

New Seesaw Tools!

Last week Seesaw upgraded its App to include two new great tools:

Labels: You and your students can use this tool to add labels to drawings and pictures. You can even move these labels as you record yourself explaining your drawing and pictures.

Pointer: When recording, students can use this pointer to follow their finger as they point to things on their photo or drawing. For example, students can point to the words as they read their writing to you.

See this tutorial and this guide to learn more about how to use these new tools with your students.

Expanding Your Colors!

Are you bored with the limited options for font and object colors in Google Apps?

There are some simple but great extensions that help you pick colors from the web to customize your project's color palette.

1. ColorPick Eyedropper and Eye Dropper are both great options to grab colors from the web to use in your Google Docs and Slides. You don't need both; pick your favorite one to use! Click here for a 2 minute tutorial.

2. Palette Creator: Do you have a hard time picking colors that go together to form a color palette or theme for your project? Once you add this extension, you can right click on any image on the web to get suggested colors and codes. Click here for a 2 minute tutorial.

New Version of Google Sites

New Google Sites:

Google has rolled out a new version of its website creation tool--Google Sites. While additional features are still being developed, the new version already features a modern interface with drag and drop editing and responsive design that automatically reformats content to fit the device that is being used. This is great if users will be viewing your site on a tablet or phone.

Benefits to having students create their own web sites:

• increased student engagement.
• use of higher order thinking skills.
• authentic demonstration of learning. 
• student voice and choice.
• creation of a positive digital footprint.
• development of 21st century skills (communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking). 

Privacy settings:

You can choose to have your sites visible publically or just within your school's domain. Either way, this is a chance for your students to have a wider, authentic audience for their work.

Resources:

• Google help page for new sites
• 100 creative ideas for a website
• A short tutorial for using the new sites

Using Digital Timers in the Classroom

Using timers can help us and our students manage our time during the lesson and learning activities. They can also help gamify the learning activities to keep our students motivated. 

This article includes several great ideas for using timers to focus and motivate students of all ages:

HOW TO USE A TIMER IN THE CLASSROOM
http://eflmagazine.com/use-timer-classroom/

Here are some quick and fun options for digital timers:

Google Timer
Open Google and type timer plus the number of minutes in the search box.

YouTube
Search for and play a YouTube video that acts as a countdown clock.

Option: Insert Timer into Google Slides

      Play video within Slides

For Even More Timer Options . . . . 
http://www.online-stopwatch.com/classroom-timers/

 . . . and you can Google for even more options!

Digital Citizenship

Since it is election week, it is fitting to address the topic of citizenship and, in this case, digital citizenship.  

The qualities of being a good digital citizen are very much like the qualities of being a good citizen in general. 

This infographic and publication from ISTE does a great job comparing general citizenship to digital citizenship. The full publication provides deeper insight into each element.

In the spirit of election week, let's commit ourselves to helping our students to become better digital citizens!