Say WHAT?!

So much of our conversation today is written. One problem with written communication is that it can be misinterpreted. Without hearing the speaker’s voice and seeing their body language, the reader is left to imply the speaker’s tone.

With remote learning, students spend less time engaged with their teacher, and most of the communication is done in writing. Not only can that communication be misinterpreted, but students miss out on the human connection with their teacher and classmates. Creating audio files allows the teacher and students to share information in their own voices, strengthening their relationships. The teacher and students feel more connected, and misinterpretation can be minimized.

Basic podcasting involves recording an audio file. These individual audio files have many classroom uses, especially for remote learning. In my classroom, I can see myself using basic podcasting to:

• Provide Feedback: Recording audio files to give students feedback on their work.
• Give Directions: Emergent and struggling readers benefit from adding audio files to go along with written directions.
• Exit Tickets: Students could record their responses to answer questions at the end of a lesson.
• Book Reviews: Students can record reviews of the books they read to be shared with their classmates.
• Sharing Writing Pieces: Students can record themselves reading their writing.

Course Reflections

Here are my responses to the four prompts:

Question 1:

What have been my most important takeaways from this course?

Question 2:

Where did I struggle the most and why? What did I learn from that experience?

Question 3:

What was my favorite module and why?

Question 4:

Describe two things I plan to do with the skills I learned in this course.

 

The Final Destination

A friend once said, “The joy is in the journey,” and she was absolutely right. Each stop along the way of my technology road trip brought me joy. I’m sorry to see the trip end, but am thankful for everything I learned along the way.