u.

Two Centennial High School students in Fort Collins work

together on a MacBook during a "Saving Our Stories"

podcasting project. 

In the spring of 2010, Rudy Bryan, Sara Erfurth, Natalie Laughlin, Adam Mackie, Meggan Mears, and Carson Warner formed a collaboration as a team of teacher researchers during E402 - Teaching Composition.*  

Dr. Cindy O'Donnell-Allen, Associate Professor of English and instructor of E402, assigned groups of Colorado State University students to practice teaching with digital technology and work to reach an underserved population at Centennial High School in Fort Collins, CO.

*The below document combines the writings of all group members mentioned above and is written in the style of the American Psychological Association for the purposes of the class assignment:

SOS Project: Linking Writing and Podcasting

Rationale

Understanding the Colorado Academic Standards for Oral Expression and Listening, allows one to understand that it is within language that our logical thinking develops. It is this faculty of logical thinking that allows for higher levels of thought such as reasoning and invention.  Thus, recording the stories of individuals is a means by which we can better understand each other’s minds, as well as our own, and develop superior writing traits in a medium other than traditional writing:  podcasting.

Troy Hicks claims podcasting – a commercialized word for audio streaming – Is a way for writers to deliver the intended effect of their writing, and the expressions the writer achieves in his/her writing are enhanced through auditory characteristics (2009).  It is for this reason that we begin our Calendar Assignment Sequence (CAS) by listening to examples of podcasts and, in doing so, facilitate student understanding of both form and content.  When students begin hearing examples of storytelling podcasts, we can help them “question the ways in which a text is being produced” (Hicks, 2009), thereby providing concrete examples of techniques they might later employ.  

In the next phase of the CAS, providing time for exploration of the podcast recording and editing equipment is essential to the cultivation of the relationship between the students and the iPod/software. Our mini-lesson references the mini-lessons Rebecca Bowers Sipe and Tracy Rosewarne use to teach aspects of “meaningful reading and writing” in Purposeful Writing (2006). We have taken into account that students are familiar with digital technology, but aim to build upon their techno-savvy knowledge by introducing them to the basics of GarageBand and how it works with an iPod. Then, by providing students the chance to try out the software on their own, we give them a sense of self-mastery. We also allow ourselves (the instructors) to take advantage of the multiple entry-points style of learning (Tomlinson, 1999).   What separates this academic podcasting from other forms of podcasting, though, is the research that is put into preparing the podcasts.  The students will have researched cultural and historical material significant to Fort Collins, CO, and will have used similar crafting techniques inherent to writing research papers.  This type of podcasting is a research paper with heavy emphasis on voice and keeping it personal.

Accordingly, the bulk of our group’s CAS is devoted to students’ actual recording and editing of stories. This time allotment is necessary for student creation of a finished piece—similar to how writers set aside time to create and polish their writing.  This finished piece will reflect personalized and culturally relevant ORAL stories that demonstrate higher-level logical thinking and reasoning.   Differentiation may also be necessary in this area of the assignment, as some students might prove more proficient than others.  In addition, variations of style and format could require different timeframes for development. 

The following is a list of the specific Standards our CAS addresses under the main heading of Oral Expression and Listening:

12th Grade  

1. Effective speaking in formal and informal settings requires appropriate use of methods and 

audience awareness 

2. Effective collaborative groups accomplish goals 

11th Grade 

1. Verbal and nonverbal cues impact the intent of communication 

10th Grade 

1. Content that is gathered carefully and organized well successfully influences an audience 

2. Effectively operating in small and large groups to accomplish a goal requires active listening 

9th Grade 

1. Oral presentations require effective preparation strategies

Calendar Assignment Sequence for Podcasting

Day 1

• Students listen to podcast examples as a class and then reflect for ten minutes through free writing

• The class then goes to the computer lab and the students are introduced to various online podcast collections of stories, which they are able to explore and listen to for the rest of the period

Day 2

• The instructor presents a mini-lesson on how to use the iPod Touch for podcasting purposes

• The students are then given an opportunity to practice using the iPod Touch. The instructor also presents a mini-lesson on using GarageBand for the purposes of editing podcasts, after which students are given time to explore GarageBand and practice editing podcasts

Day 3

• Listen to another StoryCorps podcast (or other podcast)

• Discuss as a class the contents and form of podcast

• Review yesterday’s mini-lesson and “how-to” instructions of using equipment in groups

• Give students time to conduct interviews with community members (remind students to take the picture of their interview subject with the digital camera to include with audio file)

Day 4

• Provide however much time necessary to complete the recording of interviews

• Begin importing audio files onto laptops and into GarageBand

• Students will be prompted to review the recording and edit their podcasts down to 2 – 3 minutes (i.e. splitting, deleting, and merging audio highlights from the longer recording)

Day 5

• Give however much time necessary to complete the editing of podcasts in GarageBand

• Prompt groups to export files to disk and create a folder that includes the audio file of the polished podcast and the corresponding digital photograph of the community member

• (They will then be ready to publish on an online platform)

Mini-Lesson on Using iPod 

Touches to Podcast Digital Stories

Podcast Digital Stories! 

Now that you’ve gotten the chance to learn a little about how podcasting works and what goes into it, it’s time to put that knowledge to use!

Each of you will work with your partners to put together your own podcasts. You will be expected to put to use some of the skills we’ve covered, such as recording using an iPod Touch, transferring the recordings, and editing the material on GarageBand. It’s important to not only learn how to use what we learn, but also how to apply what we learn. Therefore, we will be using digital technology along with other speaking skills.

For your podcast you will get with your partner and you will be conducting an interview. Each of you will be taking turns being the interviewer and interviewed.

• You will be putting together or able to use questions provided on the Interview Questions handout.

• Topics must be of appropriate material. The main idea is to come up with a memory of an important event in your life. 

• The person interviewing will share their questions with the person they’re interviewing before they actually begin the interview. It’s only fair for the person to know what to expect. Each person, while being interviewed, will be able to use their notes on that memory to help while being recorded by their partner.

Keep in mind that both individuals in each group will be expected to participate in every step of the creating of the podcast. Remember that just because one person may excel in one area of the process does not mean that they’ll be doing all of it!

Don’t worry! We will be helping each other formulate interview questions and will work in collaboration with any technical difficulties that might occur along the way. 

Also: Each of you will be required to turn in a reflection sheet regarding this assignment, including your feelings and thoughts about the digital technology being integrated into assignments. 

This will be a graded group assignment worth 55 points of your grade. At the end of the project your group will be expected to turn in:

• Podcast interview from each member of the group that clearly shows equal work from everyone in the group. Everyone will have been the interviewer and the one being interviewed.

• Reflections (one from each group member) that touch on any feelings about the assignment as a whole, especially on the integration of the podcasting technology you used to create it. These reflections should be approximately one, typed, double-spaced page.

Note: This is an adaptation of the assignments presented in Troy Hicks’ book The Digital Writing Workshop (2010).

Possible Interview Questions

Use these interview questions for your interview with your partner. Use them as they are or use them to generate your own ideas! These questions are a guiding tool to work through the interview with your partner.

What was the happiest moment of your life? The saddest? 

Who was the most important person in your life? Can you tell me about him or her? 

Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did they teach you? 

Who has been the kindest person to you in your life? 

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life? 

What is your earliest memory? 

Are there any words of wisdom you’d like to pass along?  If so, what?

What was a moment in your life that made you proud? 

Can you describe it?

What is your first memory?

What is your best memory?

What has been your greatest loss in life?

What would you ask _____ if _____ were here today? 

What do you miss most about _____? 

How do you think _____ would want to be remembered? 

What were the biggest obstacles you overcame in your life? 

What about _____ makes you smile? 

What did _____ look like?

Did you have any favorite jokes _____ used to tell? What were they?

Do you have any traditions you honor? Explain.

Group Podcasting Grading Sheet

Content (35 points)

______/ 10: The podcast is within the time limits of 2 – 3 minutes.

______/ 20: The content is clear, concise, and detailed. It addresses appropriate issues and free of media grammar errors. The recording gives insights into the interviewed person’s life.

______/ 5: Developed material shows groups unique style and voice.

Technology (10 points)

______/ 10: Group was able to use and apply digital technology of podcasting to the best of their abilities.  They were able to record and transfer their material. The final project shows evidence of editing.

Reflections (10 points)

______/ 10: Reflection was turned in and shows that the student put thought into their answers about the material and assignment. Reflection meets length requirements.

Total (55 points)

________/ 55 points

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Teacher Work Sample