Giving Voice to Students Through "This I Believe" Podcasts

Overview

Featured Resources

From Theory to Practice

 

OVERVIEW

According to the National Public Radio website, the "This I Believe" series is "a national media project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values and beliefs that guide their daily lives." In this lesson, students participate by writing and recording their own essays. Students first complete a series of activities designed to get them thinking and writing about their experiences. They then write, read, and record their essays for a class blog. The final activity has students comment on each other’s work. Designed specifically for disabled students, the lesson also includes suggestions for use in inclusive classrooms.

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FEATURED RESOURCES

• The Top 10 Lessons I Learned From Charlie Brown: Students will find this handout inspiring and thought-provoking as they examine their own personal experiences to use in their essays.
  
  
• Creating, Editing, and Posting Podcasts handout: This helpful handout contains a detailed explanation of the steps to take to create a podcast.

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FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Kajder, S. (2004). Plugging in: What technology brings to the English/language arts classroom. Voices from the Middle. 11, 6-9.

There are many reasons for "extending ideas about literacy and for teaching with new technologies and mass media" including the "prevalence of electronic media and popular culture in students' lives," the importance of making home—school connections, and also simply the fact that these extensions can make both learning and teaching more fun and interesting.

 

Kajder, S. (2004). Enter here: Personal narrative and digital storytelling. English Journal. 93, 64-68.

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