Math Podcasting

Assessment and evaluation in the Math classroom has certainly changed over the years. Students are evaluated in four categories: Knowledge, Application, Thinking/Inquiry, and Communication. For me, Communication to be the most difficult category to assess and evaluate in my Math classes. I often find myself trying think of different and/or better ways of doing this, and podcasting seems to be an interesting option to add to the list.

I like the idea that students can focus on taking what they know about Math (vocabulary, strategies, skills and knowledge) to communicate these ideas effectively. This is often a challenge, even for the brightest students. I also like that it promotes overall communication skills as they "become attuned to their tone, intonation, speed of delivery, and expression..." (Fryer, p. 2).

At the end of Fryer's article, he asks, "Isn't it time you and your students started a classroom podcast?", I thought, "Yes, of course! .... Ok.... How?"

This is where I got "stuck" - how can I effectively integrate this technology into my Math classes. I wrote down a few things that came to mind, and right away I was thinking mostly about reflective activities. I listed some ideas below:

Group reflection assignment: Students talk about the unit. Discuss what they learned, liked, disliked. Discuss what they found interesting, things they would like to learn more about or do more of in class. OR they could summarize the unit as a review.

Individual response: Students choose from a list of questions provided by the teacher which to respond. They may respond in different formats such as a blog or a podcast.

I decided that I needed to hear/see some examples for inspiration. I was quickly and easily able to locate Math podcasts in iTunes. Overall, I found them interesting, but mostly because I love Math. The podcasts I happened to see had very useful visual aids, however the audio was very dry and monotone. I plan to continue my search, and I am optimistic that I will be able to find a great use for podcasts in my classroom.

Marcia

Source:
Fryer, Wesley A. Tools For Teks: Integrating Technology in the Classroom. Classroom Audio Podcasting.