Podcasting and Beyond!

Ah, the Podcast. What a thing! A tool which can be used for great things, or unspeakably evil things... Like talking about soccer. *shudder*

The idea of the Podcast as an educational force does indeed intrigue me. With my main focus being literature and writing, I can imagine great things with the tools at hand. I am picturing in my mind the old reading notes we were encouraged to make while we read new works in high school. We would write down an unfamiliar word or a phrase that stuck out, and in another column we would write down what we thought it might mean, or in the case of a difficult word, the dictionary definition. A podcast could act as a similar assignment. A student could take verbal notes of things they found interesting or confusing, similar to a scientist taking notes on a tape recorder as he works on a project. This could do so much more than simply helping them notice symbols in literature, though. It is a step towards helping them verbalize their interpretations of passages of literature free from the pressure of standing up in front of classmates fearing that they had gotten it "wrong." Perhaps once they get used to this, they may develop a desire to share with the class, and I could provide the option to allow them to either play some of their reflections in class to generate discussion or to allow their classmates access to listen on their own time. I will have to think about this more later...

I feel it would be irresponsible not to develop some sort of personal MP3 player policy prior to getting into the classroom. By the time I'm actually a full-time teacher the game may have changed drastically, but one must be prepared! This list is not entirely of my own conception, but more of a hybrid of my own ideas and those of some college professors and classmates. So, here goes.

1. No MP3 player should be in use while the teacher, a guest, or a student is presenting anything to the class. If a student is using a laptop or tablet to take notes, those notes MUST be emailed to the teacher at the end of the period or the student will be counted absent or be otherwise disciplined (more geared towards post-secondary education, but who knows?)

2. No MP3 player, tablet, laptop, or other device with access to internet or stored information should be used during testing of any kind unless express permission is given by the teacher. If a student is found to be using one of these tools, it should be considered cheating and the student should receive a failing grade on that test or assignment.

3. When working on any homework, paper, or other assignment for the class, the student may use an MP3 player or other device with music-playing capabilities, provided the volume is not loud enough to disturb other students. Students will receive one warning about volume level before they are asked to put the device away or remove their headphones.

4. If a student is using a laptop or other device to access information in order to work on an assignment, the progress made on said assignment should be emailed to the teacher at the end of the period to ensure the student was utilizing the device for proper school-related things. (Obviously up to the discretion of the teacher)

I think that is a pretty good place to start. I cannot account for all the wily ways students will try to get around these rules, so they will obviously need to be adapted over time to fit the needs of the class and/or district. Look at me, making all these policies! I'm on my way to becoming a professional student soul crusher already! Only kidding...