Podcasts are digital media files which are downloaded through the Internet. Podcasts can be a useful tool in the classroom for delivering content. They also allow alternatives to reading in literature classes, can provide sound bytes of plays, poems, and novel, and can even relay news events from news sites such as CNN and NPR. NPR, for instance, now publishes most of their interviews on their website for users in this format so that you can listen to them anytime and anywhere.
As an addition to my WebQuest "Voices from the Holocaust" students are encouraged to listen to the Podcast on the blog as well. The podcast features the book "An Unbroken Chain" by Henry Ortelt, a Holocaust survivor.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
WebQuest
A WebQuest is a learning activity used by educators. During this activity learners read, analyze, and synthesize information using the World Wide Web.
I adapted the classroom based lesson "Voices from the Holocaust" to an interactive WebQuest, in which students explore the Holocaust through the novel, The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne. Teaching the Holocaust introduces students to the dangers of prejudice and promotes tolerance and compassion. Furthermore Holocaust education gives students an opportunity to understand their own feelings toward issues such as peer pressure, stereotyping, bullying, and discrimination. The character of Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas reflects this effectively and this novel is the main focus of our study.
You can find the link to this WebQuest in the Educational Links section in the top right corner of this blog.
I adapted the classroom based lesson "Voices from the Holocaust" to an interactive WebQuest, in which students explore the Holocaust through the novel, The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne. Teaching the Holocaust introduces students to the dangers of prejudice and promotes tolerance and compassion. Furthermore Holocaust education gives students an opportunity to understand their own feelings toward issues such as peer pressure, stereotyping, bullying, and discrimination. The character of Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas reflects this effectively and this novel is the main focus of our study.
You can find the link to this WebQuest in the Educational Links section in the top right corner of this blog.
YouTube
YouTube is streaming video website which allows users to post and share video clips. Unregistered users can watch videos, while registered users are permitted to upload an unlimited number of videos. YouTube is often criticized for its failure to regulate user content and adhere to copyright laws. Likewise, parents and educators should use caution when using YouTube, especially in the classroom. While the site contains useful information such as clips of famous speeches and performances, informational videos, and humorous content, it also contains material which may be offensive or inappropriate.
I chose to post on this blog Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise." Maya Angelou is one of the greatest living American poets and has received countless awards for her poetry and other written work. She wrote and delivered a poem, "On the Pulse of the Morning," at the inauguration for President Bill Clinton at his request.
I would use YouTube and Podcast technology to introduce new poets and their work, and allow students to hear poets read their own work. Beside YouTube, the web site Poets.org has many recordings of poets reading their selected works which could be used in the classroom to avoid inappropriate content on YouTube.
I chose to post on this blog Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise." Maya Angelou is one of the greatest living American poets and has received countless awards for her poetry and other written work. She wrote and delivered a poem, "On the Pulse of the Morning," at the inauguration for President Bill Clinton at his request.
I would use YouTube and Podcast technology to introduce new poets and their work, and allow students to hear poets read their own work. Beside YouTube, the web site Poets.org has many recordings of poets reading their selected works which could be used in the classroom to avoid inappropriate content on YouTube.
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The Poet's Corner
Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. She grew up in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. She is an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. She is best known for her autobiographical books: All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), The Heart of a Woman (1981), Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (1976), Gather Together in My Name (1974), and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), which was nominated for the National Book Award.
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