Integrating Language Arts/Social Studies through Podcasting

I really enjoyed the podcast we heard from students on Famous Americans a couple of weeks ago. It made me think of how we could use podcasts to present our Famous Americans in 3rd grade. I think that using podcasts to present conversations or reports on Famous Americans would be great for using after the SOL tests. After the SOL tests we are always looking for fun and engaging activities to have the students complete. Using the Famous American podcast will incorporate Language Arts writing with the conversation/report, and the information of the Famous Americans falls under Social Studies. Does anyone have other ideas on how to integrate curriculum through podcasts?

Podcasting

After reading Chapter 8 of Richardson's book on Podcasting, it gave me an idea on how I could use podcasts in the classroom. I could see my students using podcasts in our Poetry Unit in Language Arts. This would be great for students to listen to their voices in an expressive tone. Many of my students tend to read aloud in a flat and mono-tone voice, and podcasts would be perfect for them to hear how they read aloud. It will make them aware that when they read aloud, they need to be more excited and expressive. I can see it now, "Poetry in Podcasts"

What are your thoughts about Podcasts in the classroom.

KWL Wiki

I was doing research about Wikis in the classroom, and found an interesting idea of using a Wiki as a KWL chart. At the start of the unit, you can have students post what they know and what they want to know/learn. Throughout the unit, students can post what they have learned and edit and evaluate some of their initial ideas. Has anyone actually used a Wiki as a KWL chart?

Wikipedia in the Elementary Classroom?

I have to admit that I was a little skeptical of Wikipedia, and the validity of its information. But after reading Chapter 4 in the Richardson book I gained some confidence in Wikipedia through his comment that said, "there are vastly more editors that want to make it (information) right than those that want to make it wrong." My major problems with Wikipedia deal with the readability level and the (accurate) inappropriate content for an elementary student. For example, a student was researching Maya Angelou for Black History Month, and Wikipedia shared information about her being sexually abused as a child. Now, I realize this information is factual, but it is definitely inappropriate for elementary students. I think Wikipedia is a great source for information, but teachers need to use great caution in editing what the students should and shouldn't read. What are your thoughts about using Wikipedia in the elementary classroom?

Great Teacher Blog Site

I was searching for blog uses in the classroom and came across a teacher that uses blogs extensively in his 5th grade classroom. I haven't researched the entire site, but I was extremely impressed with his use of blogs in the classroom. I especially like his idea of using blogs for a novel study of the book "Holes" I will do more research on his site, but it is definitely worth checking out. Listed below is the link.

http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/

This is my first time ever writing a blog. My experience with blogs mainly comes from television shows. On Sportscenter, I am constantly hearing about athletes (mainly Gilbert Arenas), sharing their thoughts and opinions about everything and anything. The other experience comes from the show How I Met Your Mother, when Barney yells "You're going in my blog" or he asks his friends "Haven't you read my blog today?" So, what are some our your experiences with blogs? I am looking forward to learning more about blogs, and specifically trying to find ways to implement them into my 3rd grade classroom.