Module 5 Blog Post: Podcasting, Visual Tools and Differentiation

The podcasts that I reviewed were App of the Week, Hawaii Travel Podcast, and TeacherCast. All
through iTunes U. The App of the Week podcast is now going to be one of my new favorite go-to for
Web 2.0 tools to incorporate in to my classroom toolbox. The layout of each episode is created by
Instructional Technology Specialists from Charlotte Mecklenburg School District. Each segment is visually
appealing to me as they are videos created with
people explaining the app while also having
screencast type examples in the background.
The segments include answers to all of my
questions in an easy to follow and
comprehensive manner. For example, I had
watched the Popplet podcast from January 2,
2013. I have been learning about Popplet and
wanted to see how what I knew compared to
the podcast and how informative it would be to
me as a teacher. The format took me from the
versions available to what it can do for you and
your students in the classroom and how it can
also be a resource for teachers and
administrators. They explain why they like it
and what it pairs well with. I thought this was
incredibly beneficial to me as a typical educator
who has limited time and wants to know the
major information about an app in as short a
time as possible, and especially before I invest my limited time planning lessons utilizing it. I also loved
the segment on Creative Commons, which explained how it can be used and the reasons for using it to
find copyright free images, videos and even music. They even show how to load a link to Creative
Commons on to your iPad home screen. With just the few segments I have viewed so far, I have gained
more information than I sometimes do in professional development sessions. With this format, I am able
to choose the specific episodes and apps I have interest in, can scroll through others I may not even be
aware of, and do this in a very short amount of time and at my own convenience.

The second podcast I watched was the Hawaii Travel Podcast. This was definitely for personal reasons.
However, with my true love of Hawaii, I can always find ways to incorporate Hawaiian information in to
my lessons. This includes all things Hawaiian, places to go, links to connect with and informative travel
tips. It reminds me of a Saturday Night live NPR impersonation, in some ways, with the podcasters
talking and discussing the issues at hand. I very much liked the episode on how to plan a trip and visit
four islands. Now, for me, the thought of seeing Hawaii by way of a cruise chip is mortifying as I want to
be on an island non-stop, and I would absolutely never do this. However, this did give some places to go
that were worthwhile and if you were limited on time. This is the case with east coast people who on
their final day are trying to cram last minute ideas in as most have a very late in the evening flight.
 I did agree with many of the places they mentioned and was
interested in hearing which restaurants they suggested in
the various towns. I also learned about some new places to
go for malasadas on Kauai and the Big Island. For people
who have never been before, or with limited time, this is a
wonderful way to hear some great suggestions, background
information, and in a format that works on your schedule.
There is no video, so you are just listening, which is perfect if going for walks or listening in your car.

I am excited about incorporating the podcast format in with my iTunes U course. I think this is an
amazing resource for students to have who may need remediation or who just want a head start on
what is coming up next. For my ESL students, this can give them the extra support they need when
trying to complete more text driven activities or if they need to hear directions again for a project and I
am not available. Students are able to delve deeper in to content knowledge through this format as it
gives them another source and opportunity to learn about additional subject matter within our content
or standards. If, perhaps, I am assigning a choice board, and a student wants to create their own option
with an event or person related to our standard, podcasts give them an opportunity to find more
information regarding their topic of interest and in a format that is immediately available and can be
accessed at any time.

The podcast I created for this module is titled “Putting the You in iTunes U”. I wanted to create a
podcast that would help teachers understand how creating their own iTunes U course could promote
personalized learning within their own classroom. I will be including, in future episodes, strategies for
incorporating voice and choice activities, how to use the gradebook feature, and two-way
communication. The link to the podcast is Putting the "You" in iTunes You. I was, at first, very
intimidated at the prospect of creating a podcast, and especially since I was not very familiar with the
format. However, and as stated in the module directions, this was not very difficult and especially as I
had used Podomatic. This tool was very self-explanatory and my audio was easily transferred in to an
mp3 format to upload. I definitely plan on creating more, and would like to with the series I started for
this blog.

Google Apps is something I am very interested in and seems to work well for me both personally and
professionally. When I saw that TeacherCast had an episode on using Learn How to Use Google App with
Your Students on your iPad, episode 138. As a teacher in a 1:1 school utilizing iPads with our students,
this seemed like a very exciting episode for me
to listen to and possibly learn some strategies
for utilizing this new tool within my classroom.
I very much liked the different options they
provided and now understand how I can
assign accounts within my drive for my
students that they would be able to sign in to.
However, for me, I still need the visual
component of a video along with this. As I had
stated earlier, I am just more of a visual learner and this format is something that I would need to pause
and replay many more times than if there was audio and visual at the same time.
The tools I chose to explore and work with for this module were Padlet and Google Draw. I had utilized
Padlet within my lessons before and have loved it. However, it had been a while since I have used it and
as I had wanted a tool to use with my students for
publishing their WWII artifacts, I happened to be on
it and noticed some new features I had not seen
before. I liked Padlet because I knew it was a tool I
could easily make visible to all of the students within
my five different classes and with just one shared
QR code or link. As I began exploring I noticed a
feature on it I had never seen before, called canvas.
This would allow my students to create
organizational charts in a collaborative manner and
almost reminded me of a Pinterest Board with all
the different options for uploading various types of media and information. In a few weeks, I will be
using this format to create a collaborate Padlet for students to create and link posts on events and
people that were influential in the

Modern Civil Rights Era in Georgia. The sample

I created for this is
https://padlet.com/lisaflicker/rpb6hc9wvi96. I
love that my students are not limited to only
one link they can make, but have options to
connect their post to multiple others. Students
are able to see the various connections and
relationships one event or person can have on
others. The posts can be varied to meet the
individual needs of all the different types of learners in my class. Students who do not feel as
comfortable standing in front of the class may be able to create their own iMovie or other type of video
response and connect it to their post. They can create a visual or graph. Endless possibilities to meet the
different learning needs in my classes.

I used Google Draw to create a graphic organizer for dealing

with stress. I plan on using this tool with my LEAP group next
week as our theme this month is stress. LEAP time is held
during our Hawk 30 or homeroom time on Fridays and used
as a mentoring program in which groups of 10-12 students
work with the same teacher all year. I will be using this tool
for my LEAP students to brainstorm positive and constructive
ways to deal with their own stress. Positive Ways to Deal with
Stress is the link to the Google app sample I created. I am excited about using this app as most of the
students in my LEAP group are ESL learners and struggle with vocabulary and writing. A couple are newly
arrived in our country. With this app my students can easily include images or video and not have to just
rely on creating long text-filled responses. Lessoning their stress and frustration sometimes felt when
limited to only one format that students may not feel as strong in to show what they have learned.

I have been an educator for quite a long time and have to admit, this has been my most rewarding time
to teach in regard to having more successful skills and tools necessary to meet the diverse needs of all
my students. This has all been possible through technology integration within my lessons. Technology
integration helps ensures that I am able to give my own students the skills they need to learn the
information I am presenting while in turn giving my students the options for demonstrating their
knowledge and mastery of the standards in a format that works best for them. Furthermore, technology
tools and the internet have also been an excellent means for helping to develop my students’
understanding and respect for diversity.

Technology allows students to use a wide range of tools that benefits their own learning style, needs
and interests. Students are able to learn from one another through the use of these tools and mutual
respect is reinforced by the accomplishments and sharing of knowledge that these tools promote and
allow through their implementation. As stated in the article by Hobgood & Ormsby (2011), the
thoughtful integration of TPACK: Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge helps to align learning
goals and outcomes for student success. Many tools that can be implemented provide immediate
feedback to teachers. With this, flexible grouping can occur easily, allowing for a variety of students to
be able to work and collaborate with one another and based on where they are at that time and the
specific needs they have with the standards being addressed. Furthermore, students may also use Voice
Thread or other digital storytelling tools to share what they learn and in a format that may not seem as
threatening. This helps to promote a greater understanding of what students know and what to relay
and by sharing this knowledge in a platform that enables them to do so (2011).

As I have been able to explore new Web 2.0 tools within this course, I have found that tools allowing my
students to work collaboratively while also having access to search the internet for information in a
format that allows visuals and audios to be incorporated have worked best with my diverse learners.
These types of platforms and applications allow students with various learning styles, needs, and
preferences to work together as they create products that cater to their own specific needs. Some new
favorites that I have learned about and allow my students to do this are Google Apps for Education,
Padlet, Popplet, and Scribblar.

Specifically, the Harris (2012) article on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and helping the general
education teacher to meet the needs of these types of learners in their classrooms was incredible
beneficial to me. It made me think about the tools I need to utilize for this specific learner. All the more
relevant as I do have students that fall within this classification. Strategies suggested were utilizing visual
image schedules and tasks or breaking down tasks or chunking assignments. It was interesting to note,
though, that these strategies also work with many different types of learners as well. These strategies,
therefore, can help all types of learners to direct their own behaviors and to lessen stress with the
unknown by promoting consistency and an ability to see what is coming up (2012).

One of my favorite quotes from the Inclusion in the 21st-Century Classroom: Differentiating with
Technology article was that “a culturally inclusive classroom environment includes ready access to
materials that provide a rich and global perspective on the world and allows each person to feel valued
as a result of his or her background” (Hobgood & Ormsby, 2011). To me, this means that knowing who
your students are and allowing them to feel valued by including resources relative to their own
backgrounds and cultures helps to promote a more inclusive and safe environment that is also
conducive to learning for all. In a school, such as mine, that is beautifully diverse in its cultural make-up
as well as the types of learners we serve, I need to make sure to provide opportunity for my students to
share their own cultural stories, to help them to make connections to what we are learning, and to
understand that what they have to contribute is important.

There are several Web 2.0 tools that provide opportunities for students to work collaboratively with
students who may be different from themselves, whether they are within the four walls of their school
or in another country. The sharing of ideas to create new products and plans is a higher order thinking
skill that will only grow in importance in the future. Students will need to know how to relate and
collaborate with all types of people if they are going to be successful in our rapidly changing global
society. Web 2.0 tools, like Popplet, Google Drive Apps, Skype, and ePals provide enriching
environments and opportunities for students to collaborate and learn from one another.

Harris, A. (2012). Visual Supports for Students with Autism. New Horizons for Learning, 10(2). Retrieved
from http://jhepp.library.jhu.edu/ojs/index.php/newhorizons/article/view/77

Hobgood, B., & Ormsby, L. (n.d.). Inclusion in the 21st-century classroom:

Differentiating with technology. Retrieved March 3, 2018, from Learn NC
website: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/every-learner/6776