After Thoughts

I still didn't start my podcasting, but I have a 2 hour break between my next two classes, so I will be in here working on it. However, I did do my comprehension questions for the story. Since my partner is not here I did the questions by myself. The questions might be revised after I sit down with my partner and review them, depending on her input, but at least I got a head-start on them today.

Questions for Elizabeth, Larry, and Ed

Before the story...

1. Look at the cover page, which character do you think is Elizabeth? Which is Larry? and which is Ed? Why do you think that?

After the podcast...

2. What do you think Elizabeth's surprise for Larry is?

Once the students have read the entire story...

3. Why did Ed move in with Elizabeth and Larry? How would you feel if that happened to you? Where would you go?

4. The last sentence of the story says, "And there was a special place set aside in the swamp for all of its unusual creatures." Who were some of the "unusual creatures" we met within this story. What makes them unusual? Do you know of any other unusual creatures and where they live?

Afterthoughts...

5. Go back to the beginning of the story, the illustration on the first page shows Elizabeth and Larry relaxing in front of their home. What do you think life was like for Elizabeth and Larry before the story began?

Podcasting Day 3

Well, our podcasting of the story is supposed to be finished by Friday... my partner and I didn't even start our story yet and she's not here today. Oh and of course, we possibly picked the longest story ever. Today, I am going to start podcasting our book. We orginally planned to read the first part to the class and listen to a podcasting of the ending, but since my partner isn't here and it's due the next class, I think I am going to start podcasting the beginning. This way if we do not get a chance to finish podcasting the rest of the story, our ideas for the lesson plan will still work using the first part of the book.

After Thoughts

Podcasting Day 2... We didn't actually do any podcasting. However, we did divide up the book and figure what how exactly we are going to do it. Since Elizabeth, Larry, and Ed is a long children's book we are not going to podcast the entire story. For the lesson plan using the podcast, we will read the beginning of the story aloud to the class and ask their predictions about what they think is going to happen. Students will then do some sort of activity using their predictions. Afterwards, they will listen to a podcast of the rest of the story (which is the one Kathy and I will be creating). Our podcast is going to be a little on the long side, because the introduction part, which allows for predictions, is quite short. We are also going to divide the podcast into two "episodes." I know which pages I will be reading, so I have time to practice reading them and the next time I podcast it should be easier.

Day 2 Podcasting

Today is my second class on podcasting. I remember from the first class that basic podcasting itself is pretty simple. However, I personally had some trouble speaking into the microphone and how my voice sounded recorded. Today will be another practice day and hopefully it will get easier. Also, my copy of the book finally came in. It actually was a funny story because the package came addressed to my mom and she couldn't understand why a bookstore from the UK was sending her a used copy of a children's book. Finally, when I saw her that day and she was telling my brother the story, I explained that I had to order it because Barnes and Noble did not have any copies. We all laughed and in the end, I finally got my book. Now it's time to start working on that lesson plan. Lesson plan aside, today's class is about podcasting... let's see how it goes.

Class Cancelled :)

Teaching Language Arts was cancelled today because of the snow... thank you Prof Luongo!! I figured the rest of my classes would be cancelled as well, so I decided to sleep in a little bit and figured I'd work on my blog later. Well clearly that is not what happened, but it is almost 10 o'clock and I am just getting to blog now. Although, I got to sleep in a little bit today, my other classes were not cancelled and I got called into work. Needless to say, its been a long day. As you can see, I decided to play with my blog's layout a little bit. I'm not sure if I like it more or less than the circle layout. I'll live with it for a little bit and see what else I can do. I attempted to put a picture of myself on it, but I did not have much luck. Hopefully during class on Friday, some one will be about to help me out.

In regards to the story for my podcast, Elizabeth, Larry, and Ed, I am still waiting for a copy of it in the mail. I decided to get myself a copy of it, so both my partner and I would each have a copy for when we work individually. Well, no Barnes and Noble in the Tri-State area had a copy, so I opted to order it online. However, when I ordered it, close to two weeks ago, I did not realize it was being shipped from the UK. Hopefully it should be here soon, being that I have a lesson plan due next. Wish me luck...

Today's Class - After Thoughts

Today's class was interesting to say the least. I feel like I am going to have a difficult time with podcasting. The basic concept seems simple enough, but actually speaking into the microphone was just as difficult as I thought it was going to be. My voice cracks when I speak regularly, so talking into a microphone and having to listen to it, is not a fun experience. Maybe with practice, this will get easier, we will just have to wait and see. My partner also doesn't like hearing her own voice recorded, however I think she sounds great. Maybe I will be able to convince her to read our book and I can do sound effects or something :)

Our first podcast can be found at: http://kathyandkatie.podomatic.com/entry/2010-02-12T08_42_45-08_00

Today's Class - Predictions

My name's Katie Wilson and my partner is Kathy Bailno. Together we will be working on the children's story, Elizabeth,Larry, and Ed, by Marilyn Sadler. I don't really know much about podcasting, but hopefully by the end of today's class I will have a better idea. Today started off as a rough day. The "blizzard" of the past couple of days made getting to class more difficult than usual. Hopefully, this class and the rest of my classes will go better than my commute to school. Last semester, I took a Teaching Reading course and was briefly introduced to pod casting by a guest speaker. She showed us ways to use Ipods within the classroom, and podcasting was one of these ways. I hope to learn more about what a podcast actually is, how to make them myself, how to use previously created podcasts in the classroom, and ultimately how to use different kinds of technology to make the classroom a more hands on learning experience.

Book Choice

Book: Elizabeth, Larry, and Ed written by Marilyn Sadler
Partner: Kathy