New Tools: Blogs, Podcasts and Virtual Classrooms

I was searching for an article that related to using new tools in the classroom and found this article http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/03/technology/techspecial3/03ethan.html. The article was titled, New Tools: Blogs, Podcasts, and Virtual Classrooms. This article discusses a classroom that consistently uses podcasts in their classrooms. This class designed an online radio show in the form of a podcast to feature daily news, activities, and other related areas. The students who are involved in this production are third and fourth graders. The number one aspect that matters is, “Are the students motivated to do all the things to keep it running.” This was the key for this teacher because he was able to look over the project, and make sure everything was appropriate and accurate, but the students made all the effort to keep it running. The research these students put forth beside their daily work is incredible. The opportunity this teacher provided his students made not just an impact on the entire school, but the world of technology.

The way the teachers get their students to blog is to make the topic interesting to them. This will jump start the use of blogging worldwide. This opened the door for students to blog about several different subjects to get different view points on topics of concern. No matter what age students are their voice counts and using technology enhances their opportunity to make it heard. Technology is made to be interactive and the classroom needs to be designed around that. Overall, I thought this was an extremely good article about the new tools used in technology. I hope the world understands that students have the ability to contribute to what is going on, if they are given the chance. That chance starts with teachers, parents, and other students working together to make it happen as a whole. It takes hard work, dedication, focus and a lot of other tools to develop the classrooms these teachers made, but it’s only possible if you give it a try.