My sixth graders just completed a short, 300-word essay that focused on the suburban town where they live and what issue they would address if they were elected a leader of the community. This was a new project for me and I brought in some local elected officials and the town administrator to talk about local government. Many of my students were quite oblivious to way that decisions that affect them — such as maintenance and creation of new recreational areas or funding for technology for schools — were actually made.
We almost always share out our final writing to the class and this time, I brought in my Blue Snowball microphone (high quality, USB connected) and set up my teacher chair and offered to record them reading their essays. Almost two-thirds of each class volunteered to the podcast, which amazed me. I guess they want their voices heard. The podcasts have been posted on our classroom weblog and are being shared with town officials and parents and school administrators.
Here are a few:
Peace (in fostering change and leadership),
Kevin
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November 22nd, 2007 at 9:36 am
Why not put them on a CD now, sort of like Rural Voices? Parents will love them!
November 23rd, 2007 at 5:16 pm
Great idea, Susan.
Why hadn’t I thought of that?
I might pull something together — this is actually the third podcast I have done with my students this year — for the holidays. Burn them on disc and hand them out.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Kevin