Podcasts

I have to say that I had quite a difficult time trying to find things that I wanted to listen to. I subscribed to CNN for Kids to anything because I couldn't really find what I was looking for. I think podcasts could be quite useful, but I would have to spend much more time searching for things. I did like the CNN for Kids and Discovery Channel. The problem was that these were not just audio clips, but visual as well. I don't teach science or social studies, so I think these would be a challenge to work into my day. However, I love to do things with current events, and I think kids need to be connected to current times. I know that there is enough literature/language arts themes I could work with using these podcasts. They seemed very geared towards history and science. Though, I did find some podcasts about language. One I liked was Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. These were less than 10 minutes and discussed grammar issues. I think these could be used as extensions for lessons, however, I think these were above middle school students. There was quite a bit for ESL, which I think would be applicable to native speaking students. There were several vocabulary podcasts that I thought could be useful. I liked Fun English Lessons.

iTunes U was interesting and would be beneficial, but it was quite higher learning, not for middle school. If I could find the types of podcasts I want to use, I think podcasts would be fun to use in class. It could be something at the beginning of class to start with and grab attention. If my students had more access at home, I could record myself and put it out to be listened to at home, if students were absent.