WKBT La Crosse, WI-NewsChannel 8-Assignment Education-Podcasting

Assignment Education-Podcasting

Gone are the days of writing only a traditional report in this seventh grade classroom at Longfellow Middle School. These students from School on the Coulee now write podcasts.

"Podcasting is really all about reading, writing. listening and speaking," said 7th Grade Teacher Jeanne Halderson. "So, we have incorporated podcasting into our writing and grammar class."

Podcasting is a mix between a radio program and a magazine. You can subscribe to a podcast online and have it sent directly to your computer.

Seventh Grade Teacher Elizabeth Ramsay says students write a podcast based on a topic they've learned in one of their subjects.

"The purpose of our podcasts would be to teach our audience about what's happening in our classroom," said Ramsay.

"So, if we learned about mealworm metamorphasis, then someone would do a short podcast on mealworm metamorphasis," said Halderson.

This helps the student retain the information they've learned in class while also helping them perfect their writing and speaking skills, which some students feel have improved.

"I try and use words that will keep people interested because in our podcasts we don't want people to get bored," said Caroline Steuer

Once the podcast is written, using requirements expected from any seventh grade language arts teacher, the information is then voiced onto the computer and that's when the editing begins.

"The students use Garageband," said Halderson. "Garageband is a free program that comes on every Apple computer. The students use that to do all of their recording, and it's very similar to something that you would use in the professional world."

"I learned Garageband in two days," said seventh grader Addison Lucey, "and I started adding more an more complex music in the background."

The students use music, sound effects and still images to compliment their podcasts in an effort to please their world-wide audience.

"I have never seen students work as hard at their writing and enjoy it as much as I have this year," said Halderson.

"For them to be able to compete in the future with other students within our own nation or around the world," said Ramsay, "it is extremely important that they learn the technology."

A sentiment respected and appreciated by parents.

"How lucky are we to have these incredible teachers that find new innovative ways to engage these kids over and over again," said parent Anne Steuer.