Krista's Tech Tidbits

Vocaroo for the Classroom, too!

March 4, 2010

How many times a day do you hear the words “integrate technology in the classroom”? A lot, I’m sure (those are my thoughts exactly). There are a TON (and when I say a TON, I really mean a TON) of ways to incorporate technology in the classroom but quite frankly, I think I can easily say it’s overwhelming. And sure, there are a lot of really great tools out there to use, but I think it’s easy to get overwhelemed and not know which one to pick.

On the SimpleK12 Blog, I like to write a lot about these ed-tech tools that are great for the classroom. There is one in particular I’ve been dying to talk more about: Vocaroo. For those of you who may or may not know what Vocaroo is, it is a simple and super easy way to record and create podcasts! In fact, it’s so simple that when you go to their site, there is only a “Click to Record” button. Simple, right? Once you’re done recording your podcast, you have two options:

1. Send to a friend – When selected, this option will prompt for your email address, and your friend’s email address… easy as that!
2. Post on the Internet – When selected, this option will give you the HTML Embedded code and a direct link to the podcast on Vocaroo

It doesn’t get much easier than this, folks!

So, you’re probably thinking at this point – How will I use podcasting in my classroom?

Well, I’m glad you asked. Keep in mind that almost any activity that involves a speaking presentation can probably be adapted to create a podcast or a podcast series but let’s get on to the more in-depth ideas!

• Have your students partake in interviews! You could have your students pair off to take turns in one being a reporter and one being a historical figure or maybe even just a character in a book! Additionally, students could also interview their family, friends, etc!
• Create a Word of the Day/Week! Teachers could record podcast series with the word, spelling, meaning, use in a sentence, and/or synonyms and antonyms. This would be a GREAT way to teach a new language or give the student the ability to have quick go-to study guides for upcoming vocabulary tests or quizzes.
• Create a class report! This idea will save you tons of time. Record a summary of class activities for the students on a weekly or monthly basis and distribute it easily to the parents! You could break it down further into groups if necessary.
• Have your students create mystery stories! This could relate to any subject matter. For example, if it was for Math, you could have students create mystery stories on how to solve word problems — just like they are detectives! Fun!
• Let your students explore! Maybe they’re studying a particular country or feature…let them tell you their adventures of their imaginary trips!

There are plenty of ideas for using and enhancing your classrooms with podcasting, so take advantage and get creative!

To learn more about SimpleK12, visit http://www.simplek12.com.

Entry Filed under: Web 2.0. Posted in  Web 2.0 .