Podcast Review 2

It was a bit overwhelming to search through iTunes, but I ended up finding some really interesting podcasts.

1. Storynory, Audio Stories for Kids: The Three Little Pigs

I would recommend this podcast for primary teachers. This podcast provides a dramatic reading of the classic story The Three Little Pigs. Though this podcast is not a video and does not provide visuals, I think that it would be a valuable learning tool in primary classrooms. There are many follow up activities that we could do as a class after listening to this podcast. One way this could be used is to have the students listen to the story and create illustrations for it as they listen. In addition, we could practice listening comprehension skills by having the class answer follow up questions about the story they heard. This podcast could also be an independent activity for a student. Listening to this podcast demonstrates fluency and voice intonations that would help any developing reader.

2. Dragonfly.TV. Podcast: Taste Test PBS Kids Go!

I would recommend this podcast for grades 1-4. This video podcast features real kids conducting science experiments. It was creative, fun to watch and this particular topic would be appropriate for when my first graders study the 5 Senses. I enjoyed this podcast because the students guided the entire experiment. This would be a great way to get a primary group of students motivated about science. The experiment was fun, safe and it could easily be recreated in the classroom.

3. Great Speeches in History form LearnOutLoud.com
I Have A Dream Martin Luther King Jr. Great Speeches in History

This podcast provides a link to famous speeches in history. This would be a great resource for a junior high or high school level history class. I selected Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech because he is part of our first grade social studies program. Though I would not play the entire speech for my students, it would be great for them to actually hear Dr. King speaking before a crowd. This podcast is only an audio feed and provides no video. However, I still think that it would be a very powerful experience for students to hear him speak. In addition to Dr. King, I also found a link to a speech given by John F. Kennedy. This link could be used in a 5th grade class as they study US Presidents.

4. Reading Rockets Meet the Author Series WETA
Author David Shannon

In this podcast students have the opportunity to listen to authors speak about their work. I listened to David Shannon speak because his books are very popular with my first grade students. This podcast was only about 7 minutes long so my first grade students would be able to sit and listen. The great part about this podcast is that he shares how he began writing, how he finds inspiration for a story and how he works through the writing process. I would use this podcast to help my writers to better understand the writing process. They would really be excited to hear an author that they love speak about books. In particular, he refers to his children’s stories No, David and A Bad Case of the Stripes. My students love both of these stories. I also found a link to the author Gail Gibbons. She is another author that creates wonderful non-fiction stories for young children. I would recommend this podcast for all grades because you can search through different levels of authors.

5. The Reading Workshop Dr. Frank Serafini
Implementing a Reading Workshop

I would recommend this podcast as a possible topic for professional development for elementary teachers. I listened to Dr. Serafini speak about the importance of using reading workshops in the classroom. He discussed the issue of teaching to the test verses allowing teachers to be more creative. The Podcast is a bit dry in delivery but he offers good advice about implementing a Reading Workshop. One important discussion point is the comparison of classroom management verses providing structure. He recommends developing a structured environment to help your students succeed.