Unit 7 Reflection Blog

Writing for Non-Print Media Module 7 introduced the idea of audio production. According to Gura, a podcast is defined as an audio recording, usually part of a themed series that can be downloaded from a website to a media player, or listened to directly on a computer. Creating a podcast for educational purposes is beneficial for students. Gura also wrote, “Podcasts provide students an opportunity to use technology to apply them skillfully and authentically.” From both readings and our own podcast, which gave me first-hand experience, I can say they’re a great way to learn about a concept. I also think students would be really engaged in this type of project.

                Gura Chapter 18 addresses using podcasts in a foreign language classroom. Madame Smith had her students listen to various podcasts in class. She then recorded an interview with a French person and played it for the class. The students were trying to mimic certain words. After, they were able to create their own podcasts. All the projects dealt with a different topic. The podcasting assignment for Madame Smith’s class was a success.

                We were assigned to create a book review podcast. I learned so much from this project. Creating and scripting a podcast is a lot harder than it may seem. It took a lot of time to come up with exactly what we wanted to say, but it was fun to be more creative. My group decided to do our book review on Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. I liked this choice because it’s a sequel to the classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. One of our biggest challenges was trying to figure out how to talk about the plot and characters without being so formal. It also had to be concise, so we had to be selective with what information we included. It was somewhat difficult to not give away spoilers. We also thought it’d be interesting to interview one of the characters so we chose Jean Louise. I played her and had a lot of fun creating answers to her interview questions. It made me consider the character more than I normally would have. The podcast assignment definitely gave us a deeper understanding of the novel. In addition, we found a great recording app and had no trouble with the technology aspect. My group and I really enjoyed this project and it’s definitely a lesson I’d use in a classroom.