I just finished listening to the latest episode of the Cult of Pedagogy podcast titled “Why You Should Bring Podcasts Into Your Classroom.” The episode featured a lively discussion among Jennifer Gonzalez, Lindsay Patterson, Monica Brady-Myerov, and Marshall Escamilla about the science of listening and the educational impact that listening to podcasts can have on students. In addition, the quartet shared several resources for finding quality kid podcasts that you can listen to with your students. The idea of students intently engaged without a screen is something that we thought was completely gone. The fact remains though that right now students need to engage without screens and listening to podcasts is a great way to do so.
Actually, this entire notion of introducing a kid to the process of podcast creation came to my mind because a few years ago, I worked with some third-grade students to create a school podcast. Each week, a group of students would share something that they learned. It was a great way to get students to consolidate their learning about a topic while creating, writing, editing, revising, producing, and a whole lot of other -ing words as well. Using a kid-friendly podcast tool like anchor.fm made it super easy for students to figure out while also producing a quality sounding product that students could share with parents and other community members. Not only was it a great way to show off what students were learning, but it was highly motivating, engaging, and a lot of fun for students to hear the finished product being listened to at home.
So, should students be listening to and consuming podcasts? Absolutely.
Should students also be creating their own podcasts and putting their voice out into the world? Another resounding yes.
Let’s balance consumption and creation. Let’s help students to see that their is value not only in listening to great podcasts but also in creating their own.
Rich
***Thanks to Jennifer, Lindsay, Monica, and Marshall for the inspiration this week!***