For some unknown reason, podcasts are out of my comfort zone; however, they shouldn’t be…isn’t it kind of like having radio on demand? I think the real reason for my hesitancy is that I am a visual learner. I do not enjoy listening without a visual component. I am poor at auditory processing and my hearing is below par, but that’s another story….
My initial exploration of podcasts began with the one minute “how-to”s. After listening to how to clean out a junk drawer, I decided that maybe I will be able to make one of these recordings.
I then moved on to meet Grammar Girl who provides tips on using proper grammar and punctuation. I wondered here, “Who is this gal and how do I know she is an expert?” Well, guess who’s coming to town? The AJC tells me this morning that I can meet Grammar Girl Wednesday at a local book store. I may go…then I would have the visual I need to listen to future podcasts!
After subscribing to “Authors on Tour”, I stumbled upon a quick and simple book talk about George Ella Lyon’s new book. George Ella and I went to college together nearly 40 years ago. Although I was delighted to see her name, the book talk was disappointing. It really IS quick and simple and gives very little information. http://www.nancykeane.com/booktalks/mp3/lyon_my.mp3
After listening to snatches of various book reviews, I found the Princeton Review Vocabulary Minute which I will be able to use with my students. Each podcast teaches four related vocabulary words in a one minute song. If my students enjoy this format, perhaps my musically gifted ones can write their own vocabulary songs.
Finally, I know that Claudia Baldowski did something with podcasts last year in her reading classes. I certainly plan to ask her about how she used podcasts in her curriculum. Perhaps I can learn to be comfortable with podcasting!
