Media in the Classroom

Using podcasts in the classroom can be very beneficial for students learning.  With the vary styles of learning in the classroom, a teacher can use a podcast to assure they are meeting the needs of their learners.

As we know there are visual, audio, kinesthetic, and reading/writing learners. Podcasts really assist those who are more auditory. By listening to podcasts, those learners can listen and visual “see” by hearing what the speaker is saying cognitively. A lot of time, students are more visual because of the technology that’s out there, so they rarely listen to what’s being said. By implementing podcasts for those non-visual learners, we can stop and talk about what the speaker is saying by discussing the content mentioned. This helps those other leaners that may struggle with learning through listening.

Another advantage of using podcasts is that it allows students to work and listen at the same time. It may hard for some, but for those who find this way of learning beneficial, they can work on other assignments, take notes, tasks, homework or even draw while listening to the content. It changes up the learning in the classroom.

Implementing instructional technology and media can assist students with the content teachers want to teach. Say if you want to teach a topic of about the Fourth of July, you can show your students a video of what the signing of the Declaration of Independence may have looked like and then implement a podcast on what the document said. This would be a perfect way of using both media and differentiating learning styles for your students.

Last, instructional media is engaging and fun! Whether it’s videos or listening to an audiobook with sound effects or the reader reading aloud, it’s just a different way of learning other than learning through text. Technology and media is what students are used to (at home whether it’s phone, television or computer) and why not implement it in the classroom? It helps prepare them for the future whether it’s middle school, high school or even as adult learners.