Case Study: Podcasts

I have looked at three case studies on podcasts in classrooms. It was difficult to find case studies in an elementary classroom since most were based on undergraduate and graduate students.

The first case study I read was Podcasting in Middle School: A Case Study and Implications for Teacher Education. In this case study, they two middle school teachers designed podcast based projects for their 7th grade English course and their 8th-grade computer literacy course. The case study explained the process of the projects and the teacher expectations as well as the final outcome. In the 7th grade, English class students were to write a story and present it in podcast form. The teacher had students focus on other podcasts to understand how to engage an auditory learner, not just through the story but the sound effects and music. Then in groups, they adapted well-known stories and put their versions into podcasts. In the 8th grade, Computer Literacy class students were asked to make a podcast either teaching a skill or sharing an idea they had learned in their course. They needed to create a script and again make it engaging for the listener. Some things they pointed out when they concluded the project were:

• Students ability and need to understand the technology (Especially new students with no exposure to podcasts beforehand)
• Teachers ability for technology use. Both teachers were very tech-savvy, they agreed that teachers would need to feel confident in their tech skills to have a successful project
• Group sizes: the biggest complaint they received from students was, conflicts within the group for how the podcasts would be created and designed. Both teachers felt that in groups of two instead of four might have resolved some of those issues.
• Understanding copyright and fair use laws and sharing that knowledge with students before the creation process.

The next case study was What are more effective in English classrooms: textbooks or podcasts? This was tested in a university classroom where two professors use two of their classes and taught them with either just textbooks or just podcasts for the entire semester. I was most excited about this case study because since most materials have been switching to digital formats. Also as a language teacher, I wanted to see how podcasts affect the language learning process, if at all. I had read several articles about teachers who used podcasts for ELL students and found them effective, so I was very eager to see what this study found. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in their findings. Here is a quick overview:

• The students with podcast did score higher than the textbooks by not by much. There was only a tiny improvement among the classes with podcasts versus the classes with textbooks.
• The length of the study was four months and both professors felt that more time might have made a bigger impact.
• The classes met once a week for 90 minutes which they also believe factored into the disappointing results.
• They were required to give a standardized language test that limited what students were assessed on.

The final case study I looked at was Learner-generated podcasts: a useful approach to assessments? This study also conducted on university students looks at using technology, specifically podcasts, as a way to assess summatively students understand and progress. Before they began they surveyed the students to see their knowledge of podcasts and podcasting. Most were unfamiliar and anxious about using podcasts over traditional assessments, but after felt relieved to see how simple the podcast technology was. The findings were based on the actual student's podcasts and their reflections of the experience. Here are some highlights:

• The professors were surprised by the creativity of the podcasts and the variety of styles.
• Learners felt the experience was far better than having to repeat information on paper. They felt they grasped the topic better.
• There were challenges especially technological. Many students struggled with the creation and then were frustrated with the assessment.
• Professors felt the study needed to be completed on a larger scale to see more accurately what podcasts as assessments would do.

Reading through each of these was informational to a degree. It was hard sifting through a sea of university case studies to find ones that were more relatable. I think the three I selected each could provide more information for elementary classrooms but I wanted to hear from those teachers. I will definitely keep looking and post more as I find more studies. I can tell you that the more I research the podcasts the more I find ways to add them to my classroom. I’m eager to learn more and start the process of incorporating podcasts into my classes.