In the article Podcasts in the Chemistry Teaching, Leite observed how podcasts can be used in chemistry education. Leite observed both teachers and students to write the article, and collected qualitative data through methods of case studies and surveys. The podcasts that were observed included some major chemical topics such as: density, solubility, acid-base, and energy. The study found that “ the Podcast is a powerful tool as a complement to traditional teaching resources, but we cannot consider as a substitute for them” (Leite, 2016, p. 344). In preparing podcasts, teachers and students are required to go through a process of selecting a topic, writing a script, production, and editing. In this process, the podcast producer needs to really think though the content, and the goals of the podcast. This process encourages interaction, motivation, and visualization of chemical situations. The end result is something that can be easily accessible via the internet and used by other teachers and students in the future. Leite also mentions that podcasts could be used as a research tool to introduce a new topic, or to revise current understandings.
As a high school chemistry teacher, I found this article to be very interesting. At first glance, I was not sure how I could use a podcast in my classroom. However, I know see several applications. The first way I could see using podcasts for my instruction is as an introductory resource. I can either create, or find, a podcast that my students could listen to and take notes on as a way to introduce a concept. This is something I could assign to my students as homework, and therefore opening up more time during the school day to focus on practice or experiments. I could also use a podcast to revise my student’s understanding. In chemistry, we often start with a big idea, and as we learn more, we start to revise and adapt our understanding to fit new information. I see podcasts fitting into this process in two ways. I could use a podcast to provide more information to my students to further their understanding. I could also provide my students with a podcast, and pose to them the question of what is inaccurate about this podcast? How can we change this podcast to fit our better understanding?.
Finally, I see that I could have my students creating podcasts. Making a podcast requires a lot of thought. Students would have to have an in depth understanding of the content they would be presenting in their podcast. This could be an excellent project at the end of a semester. Students could be assigned a topic to create a podcast for. In doing this, each student would become an expert on their topic. Once all of the podcasts have been made, they could be shared with all students, and a study guide has been born.
Leite, B. S. (2016). Podcasts in the Chemistry Teaching. Orbital: The Electronic Journal Of Chemistry, 8(6), 341-351. doi:10.17807/orbital.v0i0.898
No comments:
Post a Comment