PodPals:Using Podcasting and Peer Mentoring to

Enhance the Reading and Listening Skills of Elementary

School Students

A Professional Development Series

PodPals is a Professional Development Series designed to incorporate the technology of podcasting into the existing “reading buddy” program in the school. The eighth graders will be able to read and record a lasting product to help with their buddy’s reading and listening skills, while improving their own technological skills. This workshop will enable us to assist our students in achieving this goal.

SERIES AGENDAI. STORYTIME:

Reading Aloud to Students and How it Benefits them.

Wednesday May 6, 2009 3p.m. to 5p.m. Meets in the Library

II. PODCASTING:

Basics of Creating a Podcast

Wednesday May 13, 2009 3p.m. to 5p.m. Meets in Computer Room

III. STORYTIME 21st CENTURY STYLE:

Students and Teachers Collaborate in Small Groups to Create a Podcast.

Wednesday May 20, 2009 3p.m. to 5p.m. Meets in Computer Room

IV. OPEN BOOK:

Technical support will be available in the library and adjoining computer room on Wednesday afternoons from 3p.m. to 5p.m., through year end. Please stop in for Questions and Answers, Experimentation, or Creating Your Own Podcast.

STORYTIME

STORYTIME

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:1. Welcome and overview of series.

2. Benefits of Reading Aloud.

3. Tips for Reading Aloud.

4. Brainstorm other Methods and Ideas for Reading Aloud.

5. Reading Aloud is Beneficial to All Students including ESL/ELL Learners.

6. Book Suggestions for Reading Aloud Grades K-3.

7. Brainstorm other Book Suggestions for any Age Level.

BENEFITS OF READING ALOUD

Helps improve literacy skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening.

Children listen on a higher level than they read.

Enables students to experience literature that is above their own reading level.

Introduces students to different genres, writing styles, topics, authors, and characters.

Encourages students to think about the reading and participate in follow up conversations.

Can motivate students to read independently.

ADDED BENEFITS FOR ESL/ELL LEARNERS Listening to other readers increases understanding of vocabulary and language patterns.

Listening to a more fluent reader increases fluency and comprehension. This models what a fluent reader should sound like.

TIPS FOR READING ALOUDThe selection is important. Choose something that is

age and subject appropriate.

Read with expression.

Use inflection and change your voice.

Give different characters different voices.

Read at a pace that is not too fast or too slow.

Become familiar with the reading ahead of time. Select something you like, as well.

Choose a book conducive to reading aloud.

WHEN READING IN A CLASSROOM SETTING

Stop at appropriate intervals to allow for questions and look at illustrations.

Encourage students to ask questions when reading is completed.

Ask open ended questions about the reading.

BOOK SUGGESTIONSBook Suggestions for K-3 Reading Buddies:- A. Lincoln and Me by Louise Borden- The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle- Don’t Need Friends by Carolyn Crimi- Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin- Corduroy by Don Freeman- Where’s Your Smile Crocodile? by Claire Freedman- Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes- Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes- Owen by Kevin Henkes- The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell

- If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff

- The Scrubbly-Bubbly Car Wash by Irene O’Garden

- The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper

- Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathman

- Curious George by H.A. Rey

- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

- Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

- Knuffle Bunny: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems

HELPFUL WEBSITES http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr081.shtml

http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/reading/tips/tips003.shtml

http://www.mspmag.com/education/raisingreadersmay2008/102102.asp

http://planetesme.com/hints.html

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/02/07reading-aloud-to-kids-the-12-benefits-of-reading-books-out-loud-to-children-of-all-ages-htm

PODCASTING

PODCASTINGSCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

1. What is a Podcast?

2. How to Create a Podcast.

3. Other Reasons to Create a Podcast.

4. Questions and Answers.

5. Hands On. Experimentation and Practice.

WHAT IS A PODCAST

A podcast is a digital audio recording that can be shared with others.

A podcast can be created on the computer and then converted into an MP3 file.

The finished product can be played on the computer, transferred to an iPod or MP3 player, burned to CD, or uploaded to the web.

HOW TO CREATE A PODCAST

We will be using Audacity: A free software program that can be downloaded onto your computer.

- Audacity may be installed from a CD if internet access is not available.

Versions for Windows and Mac are available.

A microphone will also be necessary.

Recording in a quiet place, or soundproofing, helps make a better podcast.

STEP I

Download Audacity 1.2.6 version from:

http://audacity.sourceforge.net

You will also need Lame_enc.dll from:

http://lame.buanzo.com.ar/

-This file is also listed as MP3 encoder under Optional Downloads on the

Audacity Home Page.

-This file allows Audacity to export MP3 files.

STEP II-Plug the microphone into the computer.

- Control Tool Bar

play record pause stop - audio control options

-Press the record button on the control panel.

-Record what you would like to say.You will get a screen that looks something like this:

- This is your voice Voice.

TIPS FOR RECORDING

- If you need to stop speaking, press the pause button. If you hit stop, another track will be created when you start speaking again. It is possible to align two tracks to flow continuously, if necessary.

- Tracks can be deleted by clicking the X next to the track name and be recorded again.

- Once you have a track with your voice on it, you may edit out any portions you are not happy with.

STEP IIIEDITING:

Envelope Tool Draw Tool

Selection Tool

Zoom Tool - Editing Tool Bar

Time Shift Tool Multi Tool

The two editing tools you will be most concerned with are the:

Selection Tool- selects areas of the track that you want to edit or listen to.

Time Shift Tool- allows track to be moved left and right.

Functions of Other Editing Tools:

Zoom Tool- zooms tracks in and out so voice inflections can be seen better.

Envelope Tool- changes volume over time.

Draw Tool- modifies individual samples.

Multi Tool- allows access of all tools at once.

STEP IV

ADDING SOUND EFFECTS AND/OR MUSIC:

- Sound effects may be created on your own, or existing sound effects may be imported from the internet.

- Music may also be imported from the internet.

- Two resources for this with fewer copyright restrictions are:

http://www.freesound.org for sound effects, and

http://www.ccmixter.org for music.

These sites are created by artists that allow for the use of their work, but it must be cited.

ADDING SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC:

- find music or sound effects you wish to use use.

- download it to your

computer.

- click on:

Project/Import Audio

- select a file from your

computer.

- it will be automatically

inserted into your

Audacity project.

STEP VFINE TUNING THE PROJECT:- Individual tracks can be listened to and edited by muting the

tracks you don’t want to listen to.

- Tracks may be moved with the timeshift tool, so that they start at different times.

- The volume may be adjusted on each track.

- A track may be looped by selecting, copying, and pasting it, next to the original track, again and again, for the desired length of time.

STEP VIEXPORT AS MP3:

- Make sure to Save as Project

first so you may edit in the future.

- Export as MP3.

- The first time you attempt to

export an Audacity project as

an MP3 file, you will have to tell audacity where this file is saved. This step only has to be done once.

CREATING SOUND EFFECTS- Potatoe Chips- leaves rustling

- Coconuts- horses running

- Hammering metal or wood

- Knocking on doors

- Shutting doors

WHY ELSE CREATE A PODCAST?

Walking Tours

Recording Interviews

Pronunciation Recordings

Recording Lectures

Allows for Playback so Students may Work at Their Own Pace

HELPFUL WEBSITES

- http://audacity.sourceforge.net/onlinehelp-1.2/reference.html

- http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/audacity-tutorial.html

- http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/podcasting-in-education.html

- http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/17-audacity-tutorial.htm

- http://poducateme.com/

- http://www.shawnwheeler.name/workshops/adventuresnpodcastingpresentation/

STORYTIME 21ST CENTURY STYLE

STORYTIME 21ST CENTURY STYLESCHEDULE OF EVENTS:- Introduce eighth grade students and teachers.

- Review program and workshop objectives.

- Work in pairs; student/teacher.

- Each pair will choose a storybook to work with.

- Practice using Audacity as teams and recording stories.

- Hands on help and Questions and Answers.

OPEN BOOK

OPEN BOOKStudents and teachers may feel free to drop into the computer

room on Wednesday afternoons from 3p.m. to 5p.m. for questions and answers, experimenting, and creating a podcast.

As a result of the workshop:

- Each student involved should have a recorded story for their reading buddy that they can present to them an a CD or download to an iPod or MP3 player for them to listen to.

- The teachers involved should be able to work with future students and help them record stories for future reading buddies.

- Each project will become part of a library collection of storybooks that students can listen to while reading along.