Making podcasts to share your learning
I have read many posts on how students learn more when they teach others. And in our school that is done a lot. Students get assignments, find interesting questions, research, and present to the rest of the class. And this is a good way to learn, both for teachers and students. You can not be a teacher because learning has to come as a wish to learn, from the student, or the learner.
I’m thinking about the students producing a podcast for the weekly news, advice on how to write the perfect exam, and any other topic we cover during the year. Idealistically they can download these and use during the exams.
You need a phone (everyone has that) and a pc with editing software. Audacity is an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X. It is a great way to get started. Guidelines: If you’ve listened to podcasts before — take a minute to think about them. What keeps you listening? What bores you? Be sure to make it not too long, and interesting. To the point so to say. More info here. Source NPR.
If you need persuasion on why to do this in class look at some points here. And if the students want to perfect their work, have them watch the video below.
The true power of narrative podcasts lies in the effect that storytelling has on retention. Stories are the foundation of how we understand and remember information. They do this by triggering our emotions and tying information to the way we feel when we learn something new. By intertwining content with a story, learners are better equipped to recall information by recalling the way they felt when they learned the information. According to the London School of Business, learners retain facts at only a rate of about 5 – 10 percent. Tying these facts to images can help increase retention up to 25 percent. However, if facts and concepts are interwoven into stories, retention levels can reach as high as 65 – 75 percent. Narrative podcasts present an excellent opportunity to increase learner retention levels without much need for monetary investments or specialized skillsets.
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