Andrew J. Carroll
Title: Pod Save the Classics: Using Podcasts in the Secondary Classroom
Podcasting has become the modern replacement for AM talk radio and they are much more versatile in their use and spread. In 2007, Jonathan Bergman and Aaron Sams from Woodland Park High School began creating videos for students who were absent. This concept of the flipped classroom has now blossomed into a range of materials for learners of all ages and types from Khan Academy to TED-Ed to MOOC classes to videos produced by teachers like LatinTutorial and Magister Craft - flipping the classroom is easier than ever before. Instead of spending my time as a secondary Latin teacher creating new content, I can draw from a wealth of classical experts to provide my students with multiple perspectives and topics, previously unattainable to my students. And podcasts continue to add diversity to this list. From Quomodo Dicitur to History of Rome, there are hours of material available for use with a Latin Class. I have used these materials to supplement my instruction, as a homework assignments to introduce new material to my students or as novel practice for them or even to expand my own knowledge and comfort within subject areas. Podcasts can also be necessary for the ill teacher in need of a quick substitute teacher plan or even a long-term subbing project. Not only does the full range of podcasts allow for many different perspectives it also means you will not run out of material. Students can move beyond consumption of podcasts to become producers of original content as a group of students or as a self-starting one needing differentiation. This creative process exposes the students to the research required when writing a script, along with the technical procedures needed to record and polish a podcast. These types of assignments, instead of fillers for Latin, should be seen as an interdisciplinary moments in the class and one that allows all students to showcase different talents. These are essential types of projects that are important for developing 21st-century skills within our students.