I can tell you over again how engaging the DIY Podcast tool is for students. But it is better that you hear it from a teacher who is currently using it. I can give you some of the technical information and an ideal-world view, but we all know that it doesn't always happen that way in the classroom. So in today's post I'm including comments from a fifth-grade teacher who has used DIY Podcast with students.
So from the front line, here are comments from Neme Alperstein, one of NASA's Office of the Chief Information Officer IT Summit's 2010 OCIO Excellence in Teaching award winners. The award recognizes K-12 educators for the innovative use of technology within their curriculum.
We have had great fun using DIY Podcast. Students used a combination of video clips and NASA photographs to create their own presentations and their "take" on what's cool and new at NASA. By making video and still images available to students online, the students can be the reporters communicating in "kid speak" what speaks to them. DIY is 21st-century learning engaging children in learning that is personalized and exciting. Science, writing, communication and technology skills, and interpretation and analysis are just some of the areas in which students hone their skills. Perhaps the best part of it all is the fun and excitement it brings to learning about space science and exploration.
Neme began her DIY Podcast adventures with her students after being involved in NASA and other opportunities that are open to all teachers and students.
We began with content from videoconferencing with NASA's Digital Learning Network. [We] expanded to a National Geographic/Earthwatch project studying monarch butterflies in Vietnam with a researcher from the U.S. skyping with students while she was in the field observing (and that led to student research and podcasting about their online findings) and [have] continued as students follow experiments on the International Space Station. As students create their own projects (most recently on robotics), video has become an essential means of expression reflecting learning.
You don't have to buy extra software to build podcasts. Both Mac and Windows machines have software already installed that you can use to begin building podcasts right away. As students become pro podcasters, they may want to ditch software with limited capabilities and begin using applications that will allow them to create studio-quality productions.
For the 2010-2011 school year, Neme has plans to improve their podcast productions.
We now have flip video camcorders so there will be many more video DIY Podcasts coming up this year. We now have a place to host the videos, which will allow us to create a library of student work!
If you are using or planning to use DIY Podcast, let us know your plans in the comment field. We are not able to post comments with URLs.
Our next road trip for the DIY Podcast is the International Society for Technology in Education's ISTE 2010 Conference. This year's conference, formerly known as NECC, will take place in Denver on June 27-30. We will offer two BYOL (Bring Your Own Laptop) sessions.
We will walk you through building a short podcast episode. NASA will also have a booth in the exhibit hall. Stop by and visit us in booth 2019. Conference registration is still open.
If you are attending the conference, submit a comment to let us know. Note that we cannot post your comment if it contains a URL or an email address.
DIY Podcast Home
Would your students like to ask an astronaut on the space station how Newton's Laws work? Would they like to ask questions to feature in their own podcast? NASA’s In-flight Education Downlink opportunities could make this possible. Your school or educational organization can submit a proposal to host an education downlink with crew members aboard the International Space Station. The format is similar to a videoconference, where students ask questions of astronauts and cosmonauts orbiting 220 miles above Earth and travelling 17,500 mph. Imagine your entire school watching the expedition crew answering your students’ questions live from the space station. To be considered, your school must submit a proposal to NASA. Note that a limited number of downlinks are planned for each expedition.
There is currently a call for proposals for an educational downlink during Expeditions 25 and 26. These downlinks are planned to take place between September 2010 and March 2011. The deadline to submit a proposal is May 31, 2010.
If your class is using the DIY Podcast topic modules, be sure to include this information in your proposal.
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