February - Podcasting: The New Research Paper?

 

Quote of the Month - February

The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.

- Dolly Parton

Is there an alternative to the research paper?

Ok, let me start by saying that I LOVE research papers.  I love coming up with a topic, a thesis idea, digging through sources to find supporting facts, and citing sources.  I love constructing the language to communicate my findings in an interesting way. I also love teaching kids how to complete research and write a paper.  It's just awesome.  However, the problem with research papers is that they are only for a singular audience.  The teacher who grades them.  And, that limits the amount of interest and dedication a student may have for completing them.  In this month's post, I propose an alternative for the research paper: the podcast.  A good podcast is constructed in a way that engages a wider audience and forces students to think about how best to present their information in an interesting way.

Where Do You Begin?

I would recommend starting by listening to a couple of podcasts if you don't already.  There are a variety of topics, and formats that are available.  Some of my favorites are centered around celebrity interviews and comedy.  I really love Armchair Expert, Smartless, Story Pirates and Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend.  Now, those may not be good examples for kids to listen to (except Story Pirates), but they can give you an idea about the basic format.  A recent blog post by Shannon McClintock Miller shared some cool resources for using Podcasts to listen to in the classroom.  She created Podcast listening choice boards arranged by grade level.  

Next, come up with a valid project idea that supports your curriculum with an interesting research topic.  For example, in math class, you could have kids create a conversation between two variables in an equation.  Or, in Science, you could have students explain a theory or an idea in the context of a mystery podcast.  And, in Social Studies, you could have a historical figure explain their point of view about an event.  After the topic is chosen this is where the traditional research process kicks in.  Students will need to form a thesis and support that thesis with evidence.  They will also need to outline their ideas.  Here's a graphic organizer I created years ago to help with outlining.  

Once their outlines are finished they will rehearse and record their podcast.  The single best resource I've found for audio recording and formating a podcast is Anchor.fm.  It makes recording and sharing very simple.  And, the graphic organizer I linked above follows their process.  It's a really simple process and one that teachers in all subjects have used before.  

Resources and Examples:

8 Student Made Podcasts That Made Us Smile - NPR 

Copyright Free Music - Ben Sound

Starting Your Podcast: A Guide for Students

Podcasting in the Classroom - Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything - This website is awesome!  I found some great ideas for podcasting from her.  There are even some pretty great rubrics.

Example Rubric