Podcasting in the classroom-powerpoint to the next level

Podcasting lesson plan
Classroom Activity:

What does it mean to be a Woodcreek Star?
Learning Objective: Fifth grade students will leave parting messages to students, parents and staff. Questions will be prepared for the fifth grade students on the following topics:

What does it mean to be a Woodcreek Star?
1. What are your future academic goals?
2. What have you enjoyed about Woodcreek Magnet School?
3. What advice do you have for future 5th Graders?
4. Special message to Principal
5. Special message to Parent(s)
6. Special message to Teachers

Describing the lesson
Students will select a question to answer by preparing a script to be read and recorded. Students may work in small groups, preparing their script, in keeping with not duplicating another’s’ message. Students will be given time to brainstorm and rehearse prior to the day of recording their message.
This project was a team effort with Mrs. Woods and Ms. Raymer the Fifth Grade teachers at Woodcreek Magnet School and myself. The teachers in their homeroom class formulated the writing project-questions and students were sent to me, the Special Education Teacher, to record students in small groups, one at a time.

The Purpose of the Podcast
This was a collaborative project because I had six, Special Education students, in the homerooms graduating from Woodcreek and this would be an end of the year project. I had access to a Mac computer with a built in camera which allowed me to record and edit students. This project became a PowerPoint project, yet now it could easily be a podcast for the school website.
The future use of this and other podcast at Woodcreek could be using the recording our morning announcements produced by the Principal and the student broadcasting team.