More Podcasts!

I liked these podcasts better than the previous podcasts. Since these are available as video, I found it easier to stay focused on what topics.
The Edible Schoolyard is in California and is a garden that students cultivate while learning basic skills. Ecoliteracy is the main theme of this podcast. Ecoliteracy is using the environment to learn. This concept reminded me of the monks of the Middle Ages and how they knew so much about science and math. These students are also learning much about science and math through agriculture. Students were also having to apply the skills that are usually taught in the classroom and that application of skills reinforces the need for the skills. The teachers on the video were able to explain the water cycle, multiplication, and even social studies all while using the garden. They explained the water cycle using the dew that is on plants in the early morning. They taught multiplication and fractions as they made pumpkin pies from pumpkins they had grown. The students were told that the recipe called for one and a half cups of an ingredient and then asked what that would be if they doubled the recipe. Since the variety of pumpkin that they were about to cook was a French variety, they also were able to tie in social studies. The students in the podcast were middle school students. A garden of this sort not only teaches knowledge that is usually in a textbook but also pride, self-worth, and the fact that they are needed. All of the students were so proud of what they had accomplished and realized that they all had a job to do in the success of the garden. This concept of using a garden to teach skills also reminds me of a project that my fourth grade class did. We hatched chickens from "yard eggs" in an incubator in our classroom. We would break an egg every few weeks to be able to track the development of the chick. We learned about the development of animals and we also were able to get a real sense of time due to the fact that we had to wait a certain amount of time for the chicks to hatch. We, like the students in the video, also were able to gain some personal knowledge when some of the chicks died after hatching. We learned how to handle emotions and death. I truly believe that learning in such an environment is an ideal situation and one that leaves a lasting impression on a student.
The second podcast was also in video form.This video takes place on Heifer Ranch in Colorado. The students that visit this ranch take part in a Global Village experiment. The students are randomly assigned in groups to a country and then must live as people in that country live for twenty four hours. The students are given limited supplies and very primitive living conditions. No group is given all of the supplies that they will need. This forces the groups to barter and trade with each other for the necessities. These students are able to get a first hand account of what it is like to truly be hungry, to desperately need something that someone else has, and to be forced to beg for basic goods. Students said that they feel that they learned a lot during their experience but that they still may not have gotten the complete experience since they knew that the next day would be a normal day with food, running water, electricity, etc. This experience seems like a a good experience for some children but I just do not know that I would have enjoyed, as a middle school child, being in the wilderness for twenty four hours with limited supplies and having to beg to have my needs met. I don't know that I would particularly like this now or even being outside for twenty four hours with all of the supplies that I would need. This kids really stepped outside of their comfort zones and did well to think of the good that comes from empathy rather than sympathy.
I think that podcasts like this could be of use to me as a teacher since they involve other children. Children are nosy and love to know what other children are up to. Being able to see that children in other areas can learn in other ways could possibly prompt students to take a look at the world around them and see how they can learn from everyday objects. I am from a rural area and I know that if the children in my area could see that the daily tasks that many of them have to do have a practical application, they would not only enjoy their chores a bit better but also be reinforcing the skills that they learn in the classroom without even realizing it.
With the Global Village podcast, since it raises awareness for world events and needs, I think that other podcasts along the same lines would be beneficial when we do different canned food drives and other events to help the less fortunate. Many children simply do not understand the need to do charity work. Many schools and organizations will reward the class or group who does the most charity work or donates the most cans. Then, children will do whatever they can to outdo each other and win the award. I think that if children were able to see the reason why they do the charity work, then they would be more apt to participate in activities to help those in need when they are adults.
I also think that since these podcasts are in a video format, these would be more useful in a classroom than just audio podcasts. Since some children are visual learners, some are auditory learners, and others may have attention problems, a video with audio may meet the needs of the majority of the class. I found it hard to pay attention to the podcasts that were just audio and wished that they had some sort of video, graphic, or something to look at. I do like the fact that the podcasts deal with children and have interviews from children on them so that students can see that this relates to them.