I think that it is so important that we, as educators, read research articles. There is so much information that can be gained from reading articles that have been written by others and published. As teachers, we should be constantly learning, and one way we can continue to learn is by reading research articles. Reading articles is important because they allow us to gain new information and fresh insight. They can also cause us to change our point of view in some way.
I recently read an article that I found to be very interesting. This article was entitled, “Critical Literacy Isn’t Just for Books Anymore.” It was written by Vivian Vasquez and published in 2010 by the International Reading Association. I accessed this article through a popular database called WilsonWeb. This online database has over 1,000 journal articles. Many of these articles are even peer reviewed! The journal in which this article was originally published was The Reading Journal.
The main topic of the article was about how technology, podcasting specifically, can be used by elementary age students as tools for thinking about the world. Technology can also be used to communicate with others in ways that otherwise would not be possible. The article shared an example of a second grade teacher and her use of podcasting in her classroom. While there were many significant points made in the article, I want to mention five that stood out to me as significant. One point that stood out to me was about how curriculums should be built around students’ interests. Technology can provide interesting ways for students to communicate about the world. Another significant point is that students, through the use of technology, can connect to people beyond the physical school site. This allows them to hear the perspective of others. In addition to this connection, technology allows students the chance to gain knowledge they otherwise could not have gained. Also, the use of podcasting moves children beyond traditional ways of working with texts; for example, children’s literature. The last point that really stood out to me was about how podcasting teaches students that texts are socially constructed.
This article had a plethora of new information to me. I learned that students could use podcasting, as an entire class, to be engaged in deeper ways. They can also learn that texts are socially constructed. In addition to that, students can learn more about the world as they communicate with others using the technology. In summary, podcasting can be used by teachers and students, and students can learn things that otherwise would not have learned. This article made me think about the use of technology in my classroom. When I think of teachers, especially elementary school teachers, use of technology in the classroom, I often do not think of podcasting. I typically think of students using computers and other types of machines. While I had an understanding of what podcasting is, I did not really understand how students could use it in the classroom as a learning tool. It was refreshing for me to read this article and see how a second grade teacher used podcasting in her classroom. It was so neat to see how much these second grade students learned and benefitted from podcasting. They also enjoyed using podcasting in the classroom. I would consider this to be a win-win! Podcasts are just one of the many technologies that can be used to help students’ learning. Technology can be integrated in the classroom in so many wonderful ways! Podcasting is a technology that I will definitely consider using in my own classroom!
What about you? Have you used podcasting as a learning tool in your classroom? If you have, please share your experiences below!
Click here to read the article.
I recently read an article that I found to be very interesting. This article was entitled, “Critical Literacy Isn’t Just for Books Anymore.” It was written by Vivian Vasquez and published in 2010 by the International Reading Association. I accessed this article through a popular database called WilsonWeb. This online database has over 1,000 journal articles. Many of these articles are even peer reviewed! The journal in which this article was originally published was The Reading Journal.
The main topic of the article was about how technology, podcasting specifically, can be used by elementary age students as tools for thinking about the world. Technology can also be used to communicate with others in ways that otherwise would not be possible. The article shared an example of a second grade teacher and her use of podcasting in her classroom. While there were many significant points made in the article, I want to mention five that stood out to me as significant. One point that stood out to me was about how curriculums should be built around students’ interests. Technology can provide interesting ways for students to communicate about the world. Another significant point is that students, through the use of technology, can connect to people beyond the physical school site. This allows them to hear the perspective of others. In addition to this connection, technology allows students the chance to gain knowledge they otherwise could not have gained. Also, the use of podcasting moves children beyond traditional ways of working with texts; for example, children’s literature. The last point that really stood out to me was about how podcasting teaches students that texts are socially constructed.
This article had a plethora of new information to me. I learned that students could use podcasting, as an entire class, to be engaged in deeper ways. They can also learn that texts are socially constructed. In addition to that, students can learn more about the world as they communicate with others using the technology. In summary, podcasting can be used by teachers and students, and students can learn things that otherwise would not have learned. This article made me think about the use of technology in my classroom. When I think of teachers, especially elementary school teachers, use of technology in the classroom, I often do not think of podcasting. I typically think of students using computers and other types of machines. While I had an understanding of what podcasting is, I did not really understand how students could use it in the classroom as a learning tool. It was refreshing for me to read this article and see how a second grade teacher used podcasting in her classroom. It was so neat to see how much these second grade students learned and benefitted from podcasting. They also enjoyed using podcasting in the classroom. I would consider this to be a win-win! Podcasts are just one of the many technologies that can be used to help students’ learning. Technology can be integrated in the classroom in so many wonderful ways! Podcasting is a technology that I will definitely consider using in my own classroom!
What about you? Have you used podcasting as a learning tool in your classroom? If you have, please share your experiences below!
Click here to read the article.
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