Thing 22

I'm a lover of English and anything to do with reading, so it was fairly easy for me to find some podcasts that caught my attention. I used the Education Podcast Directory first and found a couple of podcasts to subscribe to. One of them is An Idiom A Day. I thought immediately that this is something I could play for the students first thing in the morning. It's a fresh thought to start the day and will get everyone's minds working. I also found a web site called StoryNory, which is full of podcasts. The link I provided is to the first chapter of Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. Once you click on the link, there is a side bar where you can search dozens of stories by any theme you choose. I am very excited about this discovery. One of my favorite things in the world is listening to a story. I remember being in elementary school and our teacher brought in a storyteller when I was in fifth grade. I'll never forget what a wonderful experience that was for me. Now with technology, I can easily do the same thing for my students. What a treat it would be to let them listen to a chapter of a book once a day or once a week. They could even vote to pick they story they wanted. I added both of these podcasts to my RSS feed so I can keep up with new stories and content that's been added. I also checked out the Learn Out Loud page to see what they offered. I found quite a few that I think would be beneficial for me to use once I start teaching. There was a Poem of the Day, a President of the Day, and many more. I will have no problem finding something fun and educational for my students and for myself.
I think another great option would be for me to make a podcast of the material we are getting ready to study. I could post it to my class website so both parents and students could have access. Also, I think the students would love working on making their own. We could turn it into a class project. Students could work in pairs or groups. Or we could even work on one as a class. No matter which one we do, I think the students will learn a great deal about using technology to enhance their learning.