Tech Tips Tuesday

Using Opinion App for Podcasting

Last week I was reminded of the value of recording and sharing audio. I decided to attempt podcasting again, but this time with my class and my son. Shelly Fryer has been using Opinion App for podcasting with her class and it sounded really good, so I downloaded the app and tested it out.

For my first attempt at school, I kept it simple and asked students about their thoughts on Book Week. I recorded on the playground in the morning before school, and then invited my own class to add their thoughts as I went through the roll. I dabbled with some Garage Band myself, and made a little introductory tune (which one of my students says sounds too sleepy)! Uncertain of my school's policy for uploading podcasts online, I exported the recording as a file and then was able to add this to our internal website. I'm not sure if anyone has listened to it yet, as it's hard to know whether parents access the website.

Yesterday we recorded another episode, this time about how students were feeling in the lead-up to our school musical. I thought that I would do another after the musical so that students can see how their feelings changed. We also added a sample of the students singing one of their songs.

Opinion App is free, with the option to unlock unlimited recording (currently for $5.99). The free version allows you to record for 10 minutes, and so far I haven't needed more than this.

Getting Started
When you begin, you need to create an account, decide on a podcast name and upload an image to represent the podcast. If you're doing this with students it is nice to get the students to create the image. If you are planning to import audio you've created elsewhere, for example an opening song, it may be helpful to have a Dropbox or Google Drive account. Once you've completed these steps, you're ready to begin recording.

Import

How it works
It is really simple to use, with only three main action buttons and a settings button.

To import an audio clip, select the middle button and find the location of the audio you wish to import. To navigate to Dropbox or Google Drive, select Other Apps/Locations/Dropbox or Google Drive. If you don't see what you need in your options, select More and then turn on the storage you would like to access. (You will probably need to have these Apps on your phone already.)

Record

To record, simply push the record button and once the little face comes up, start speaking. Press the record button again once you're done.

To edit a recording, tap on it and then select whether you want to delete it or trim it. I had one of my students record his full name and was able to use the snipping tool to edit out the unwanted part without making it sound stilted.

Play, edit or re-order recording.

To change the order of the recordings in your podcast, drag using the right side of the recording bar on the main page.

Share

To upload your podcast, select the "share square" and decide whether to post the episode or share it as a file. If you post the episode, you will be prompted to complete some additional information about the podcast and then it will be published online. Save the feed to direct people to it. If you would prefer to save it as a file, choose your preferred location from the available options.

For more information
If you want to create multiple podcasts or list your podcast on iTunes, the Opinion Podcasting website has more information in their FAQ.

Finishing The Way We Were

This week we finished our unit of work on "The Way We Were". While we've been learning some great stuff, it was starting to drag a little, and so, I organised the last few activities to tie up any loose ends.

To demonstrate what they had learnt about childhood in the past, I got my students to take turns pretending they were an old person who had come to tell the class about when they were a child. I wanted to see if they could remember a few things about the key topics we had covered. It might have worked better if we hadn't had such a muddled week. The kids presented points for most of the topics, and some did a REALLY great job, but generally they were tired and bored during the presentations.

We also made "Olden Days Photographs". Students drew pictures of things they'd learnt about during the unit of work. We did a coffee wash over these to make them look old, and then the kids went over the outlines with black texta or oil pastel.

Early in the week we planned a "Olden Days School Session". My class brainstormed things we'd learnt about school in the past and considered some ways we could make this work in our classroom. I later looked at a book about school in the past - in hindsight, it would have been great to have looked at this with the kids prior to the day.

Setting Up for Olden Days School
On the day I dressed in a long brown skirt with a white blouse and tied my hair back in a bun. I stuck up sheets of chart paper around the room to represent blackboards (one grandparent told us she used to have blackboards all around the walls). I put a crayon on each desk to represent chalk. I also put a little medicine cup on each desk to represent ink wells. I found some old readers (only from the 1980s) and put them out on the desks - one per child. I separated the desks and put them in rows. I borrowed a big brass bell from one of my teaching partners. I set up a 'fireplace' at the front of the room using a couple of red/orange scarves.

Playing "School"
When the normal school bell rang I met my class in the usual place and rang the brass bell. I used a very 'strict' sounding voice to get them standing straight in line. I told them to come in, put their bags on their hooks and stand behind their desks. I then played the British Anthem (as it was also our anthem in those days) on the Smart Board and modelled standing with my hand over my heart and singing. The kids quickly followed my lead and joined in with the words on the Smart Board. (I know, I realise the irony in using the Smart Board!)
I marked the roll and then instructed students to begin reading from their readers. I called on them one at a time to stand and read aloud from their book. We then had a spelling lesson. Students were called on to move to the 'blackboards' around the room and to write the word that I said. After we had practiced many of the spelling words, we had our usual spelling test. This was soon followed with dictation. As they wrote, students dipped their pencils in their 'ink wells'.
We then went outside to do breathing and stretching exercises. This was quite quick and straight-forward and then we played "Ring a Ring a Rosey". On return to class we had a singing lesson (singing Daisy, Daisy), did some Geography with a big map of Australia, and recited some Maths times tables as a group and some students individually.
By this point it was only 10:30 and I was completely exhausted! We still had half and hour until lunch, but I decided it was time to call it quits.

Discussing the Differences
While the class munched on their fruit break we looked at the book I'd found about school in the past and discussed some of the things we'd experienced during the simulation. We worked on a class Venn Diagram to compare school today with school in the past.
I was amazed by how much written work we were able to get through in the session, but I was also aware of where this system was falling short. During the simulation my class weren't discussing anything or sharing any ideas. They were simply parroting what they knew I wanted to hear. When I called on some students to read aloud they felt really self conscious and couldn't benefit from my support in a 'safe' environment.

And so, we've come to the end of the unit. I've taken down some of the displays and am looking forward to starting the next unit of work.