STSD Curriculum & Technology Update

Regular updates and musings on curriculum and technology in the Salisbury Township School District in Allentown, PA.

Podcasting with Mrs. Prokesch @ SMS

Beth Prokesch from Salisbury Middle School shares here experience with podcasting. Be sure to click through on the link to listen to some of the fine examples!

Prokesch’s Podcasts can now be found on the middle school’s webpage thanks to the planning and hard work of the 7th grade students in Mrs. Prokesch’s English classes. After completing the lengthy study of different forms of poetry this past month, students were given the opportunity to present one of their exemplary poems to the world!  Students were wide-eyed with excitement and wonder when presented with the idea of a poetry podcast for an alternative assessment to end the unit.  This assignment incorporated many skills I’ve covered and reviewed throughout the year as well as the inclusion of academic literacy strategies and technology.  The students followed a grading rubric to help them polish their final podcast. They wrote a script introducing themselves, the poem and perhaps any literary devices they incorporated into the selection.  Throughout the script they were required to indicate in writing any pitch, speed and/or volume changes.  The day preceding the recording, students practiced their podcasts using headphones purchased for this type of project.  Students critiqued fellow students as well that day.  The process went smoothly with the appropriate preparation in place.  Students were shown by fellow students how to include music on their podcasts to help set the mood they had in mind.  In the end, students were excited to complete the extra work in preparation for their podcast; hearing their own poems and voices on the computer made them laugh at themselves and pay tribute to fellow podcast examples.  I will look forward to completing this assessment again with future English classes and units.