Podcast #134 - How I Use Note Packets in My 8th Grade American History Class

Hello. I've been trying to keep up with my e-mail from listeners and people who check out my classroom web page but I've been getting behind as of late. Today I thought I would try to answer one of my most frequently asked questions - How do you use your note packets in class with your students? I have been using something that I call "note packets" as one method of delivering my content to my students. These packets, and the notes we use with them, are available for download and I receive e-mail often from teachers using them in their own classroom. In this podcast I try to answer the most frequently asked questions about the note packets.

Link to download my unit note packets and the unit notes in PowerPoint form

Direct link to Podcast #134 - How I Use Note Packets in My 8th Grade American History Class - MP3 Audio File - 12:30 minutes

Podcast #120 - Teaching the Declaration of Independence as a Break Up Letter

Hello. Today's podcast describes one of the activities I use in class to teach about the Declaration of Independence. Students often don't really understand the purpose of the document and this activity usually helps. I act as if I have found a note on the floor of my class the day before after school and then I read it to the class. It is a break up letter and at the end the students are stunned to learn that it is from "the American Colonies". I have included the text of the letter that I use below and the podcast has a recording of what happens when I read the letter in class and the discussion that follows. The podcast also has some hints and suggestions if you would like to replicate this activity in your classroom. I'm sure someone out there does something similar but I have not been able to find it anywhere else. I really enjoy this activity and my students have fun with it as well.

Direct link to Podcast #120 - Teaching the Declaration of Independence as a Break Up Letter - MP3 File - 16:57 Minutes

If you have any comments or questions please leave a comment on the blog or send me an e-mail at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

You can subscribe directly to the Speaking of History podcast via i-Tunes here

Text of the letter that I read to my class this year:

I'm not sure how to start this letter but I feel we need to talk. I've been thinking about us a lot lately. Things used to be so great - it was like we were M.F.E.O. I mean everyone said it was perfect. I really thought we would be together forever but then things changed.

I feel like you started to take me for granted. You just started to do whatever you wanted and never even asked me about anything or how I felt.

I've been thinking about this for a while and I don't want to hurt you but I think it is time we broke up. I mean it's just not going to work. I need some time by myself to see what it is like on my own. I'm sorry things didn't work out but I do think YOU are the one to blame. Sorry but "US" is over.

The American Colonies

UPDATED - OCTOBER 30, 2008 - I took video of this activity using the Flip video camera and have added the video to show how the activity works in class.

Podcast #82 - Round Table Discussion with Park University Students on Using Technology in the Classroom

Hello. Today's podcast is a round table discussion I had a couple of weeks ago with my graduate students at Park University in Parkville, Missouri. I teach a graduate education course named "Technology for the Classroom". This spring I had 6 amazing students who did an awesome job of absorbing and incorporating the educational technology we discussed. None of them had created a blog or podcast before starting class and at the end of the 8 week class they had created blogs, wikis, podcasts, set up a Bloglines account and digital video projects. We celebrated on the final night by having a movie premiere night and showcasing their work. We finished the class with a round table discussion about using technology in the classroom and that is the basis of today's podcast.

I would like to the thank all the students in this year's class. We met each Thursday from 5:00 to 9:30 PM and I enjoyed each class - included the night we had to leave the building because of a bomb threat and had to teach the class in the underground - literally. I wish them all luck in the future and have confidence that they be courageous in implementing this new web 2.0 technology. I wanted to take a picture at our last class and then forgot about it until everyone was gone. They were a great group of students.

Direct link to Podcast #82 - Round Table Discussion with Park University Students on Using Technology in the Classroom - MP3 Format - 15:00 minutes

Podcast #80 - Students Cheating With i-Pods : Teachers Should Learn Lesson

Hello. Yesterday I noticed a story on CNN about students using i-Pods to cheat on tests in school and several schools have decided to ban i-Pods because of this situation. Clearly, cheating is not appropriate in any format but I think the greater story here is the fact that students are using this new technology and teachers should be adapting the delivery of content to take advantage of the popularity of MP3 players instead of banning them from schools.



Regular listeners to this podcast know that I have used "StudyCasts" - audio reviews for upcoming tests that I post on our classroom web page and make available through iTunes - for the past two years and it has been a powerful study tool for my students. Parents have embraced it and other teachers have incorporated it into their curriculum. Other examples in our district include special education teachers recording the instructions for tests and help with reading assignments using MP3 players.

Please read the article and listen to the podcast, then let me know what you think. Am I crazy to think MP3 players should be used in schools. In the podcast I discuss how our building allows students to have MP3 players in school. What is your school's policy about MP3 players in the classroom. Please leave a comment to this blog entry to join the discussion or e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct link to Podcast #80 - Students Cheating with i-Pods : Teachers Should Learn Lesson - MP3 format - 10:15 minutes

Podcast #80 Show Notes:

- CNN Story - Schools Say i-Pods Become Tools For Cheating