This post contains some “off the top of my head thoughts” as I get ready to go to work in the morning…

First, let me say that the requirements of N.C.L.B. are likely to stifle innovation in the classroom. I have this great idea, but I can see it being impeded by a need to “focus on test scores.” Okay. End the disclaimer.

What if your classroom was a podcasting studio? The lessons would become projects, the projects–what goes into our next episode–writing–recording–editing–publishing–feedback, etc. In other words, if your classroom was a podcasting studio, your students would be publishing audio (and perhaps video) podcasts on a regular basis, they’d be getting feedback from the public (yes, it might just be their parents, but it’d also be their peers), and boy, you’d have plenty of content to be able to do evaluation and assessment.

What would it take? It would take a centers-based arrangement in the classroom… planning areas… learning areas (maybe an interactive whiteboard or two, some computers, tables, reading areas with a stock of books and reference materials), recording areas (with nice microphones and sound-absorbing foam), and a video staging area (blue screen?) with lights and a camera. Oh yeah, a creative teacher with a vision to make learning fun and to know the standards and implications for letting students publish online.

Why would it be a good idea? By publishing content into the “real world” of cyberspace, with an authentic audience impossible to find within the schools’ walls, the lessons would be life-long inspired. Feedback from the public at-large makes the context of the learning different, I think. It gives relevance to the lesson. I mean, project.

Who would listen? You never know who might listen. I know I won’t. I mean, with all the podcasts already out there, who has time to listen to a 5th grade classroom do podcasts. I’d listen perhaps for the ideas being used to make the podcasts, but I only have so many hours in the week I can devote to personal listening time. Yes, you might invite the mayor to listen, or the superintendent, and of course, the parents. But I think the real audience should be their peers… “Listen to what our group came up with on……. triangles… the history of Mexico… World War II…. our poetry….” These peers will learn from the content, too, of course. And they’d be invited to give feedback. Student podcasts become the new textbooks. And the relationships between these peer groups is important as a 21st century skill. The peers could be down the hall in another classroom, or in the same classroom. Or why not work with students in another school, or in another country.

Is it expensive? Not really. The hardware costs aren’t that high (a multimedia computer and a microphone), but you do need a spot to host and store your projects (podcasts). You can rent space on a yearly basis or buy your own server. Simple.

What might be standing in the way? Teachers who try this would need some support. They might want to try 3-4 projects before they go hog-wild and only do podcasts all the time. They’d need to plan ahead. Make those connections with other educators to create peer listening/feedback groups. Organize what types of podcasts students would produce.

So, it’s the classroom of the future is only podcasts, all the time?” No, I think everyone would burn-out on that, don’t you? Classroom time would also be spent in physical education classes, music, and art… but classroom reading and research time would be spent for working on the “next” project… reading, playing games, exploring outdoors–these activities are driven by the products/projects.

How is this scenario of a podcast/project based approach different from… other PBL/constructionist approaches? I am not sure it is too different. The emphasis here is on creating a multimedia delayed-time broadcast. The reason this type of project is so attractive is that it requires practice, it’s a performance, it calls for creativity, and it would have an audience, thus connecting the content creators with listeners. This contact with other learners is important and is sometimes missing in other PBL-type projects. Posting the projects on the Internet makes it easy for all parties to share their output.

At this time, I’m interested in getting your feedback on this idea. The idea again is… what if you could have a classroom (I picture grades 4-7 in my head, but that’s just me) where the entire year was focused on producing a series of podcast episodes? Students would work in groups to write, record, edit, and publish podcasts. They could work with students outside their classroom. They’d connect with these other students through social media online. What would be the benefits? Hurdles? What kind of teacher could do this? Might there be a better approach?

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 1st, 2007 at 7:42 am and is filed under Reflection. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.