Blog Post #4

Langwitches

First Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audiobooks
I think this is a great idea for young students because it gets them involved with computers and helps them practice speaking skills. Young students tend to enjoy hands on activities more than just book work, so working with a computer and recording themselves really get the kids working hard. As Langwitches blog said, the students would want to immediately re-record what they said if it didn't sound perfect to them. They knew how they were suppose to project their voice and allowing them to hear their recording trained them to perfect their speech.

Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting
I found it interesting that Langwitches said in order to understand the pronunciation of a word, you must hear it at least 70 times. Also, you must understand the word in sentences to fully understand how to pronounce the word. Recording and listening to yourself say words can give you a better understanding of how to say the word, especially if it is a different language than your primary. In this blog, I liked how the second grade teachers purposely had their students record clips out of order then put them in the correct order of a story one by one, using a Smart Board. Langwitches said, "This lesson was not about the tool or the genre; it was about writing a script, listening, comprehension, collaboration, speaking skills, and fluency in the target language." I like that this project wasn't about the tools that technology had to offer, but about the skills the students had in them.

Podcasting With First Grade
I found it interesting that that first grade students were eager to get their recording onto eBooks and iPods so that worldwide people could hear it. They were actually interested in having an audience. The teacher that posted this blog said that she was very pleased to see the students that were waiting their turn to record have interest in the student that was recorded at the present time. They all wanted to be involved with the entire podcast. These students also gained a new level of confidence in themselves because they were challenged to repeat lines and speak out loud. This project built lots of new skills in the classroom.