e jury is still out, but some of the
pioneers of this model, such as 11th
grade student Lauren Russ, are already
on board.
“I have watched my science grade
rise a letter grade just because of the
way the podcasts have been helping me,” Russ said. “I think podcasts
should be done in all classes. I love
podcasts, and hopefully one day all
classes will have podcasts.”
Our students like being able to pause their instructor and rewind when
necessary. They can view the lessons at their leisure and can break them
up into smaller segments if needed.
Turning Chemistry Class Inside Out
During the second semester of the
2006–07 school year, we decided to
make video podcasts (vodcasts) of
our chemistry lessons. We acquired
so ware and hardware that allowed
us to record our lessons live and make
them available for later student use.
(See “Nuts and Bolts of Podcasting”
on page 24.)We fronted the money
ourselves and were later reimbursed
a er our science department chair
saw how vodcasting could revolutionize our classrooms. We soon realized
that if we prerecorded our lessons, we
could completely change the paradigm of classroom instruction.
Upon discussing the power of podcasting with some college students, we
received some interesting feedback.
e college students sang the praises of
p odcasting because they no longer had
t o attend class for a lecture. Instead,
t hey could listen to the content on their
o wn time. is made us evaluate the
v alue of class time and contact time
w ithourhighschoolstudents.
W e realized that our students most
n eed us to be physically present
w hen they are doing labs,
work-i ng out problems, and wrestling
w ith an assignment. Our physical
p resence is not necessary for the
p resentation of content, so we
d ecided to ip the way we teach.
M aterial that had traditionally
been presented in an in-class lecture
could be prerecorded, and the students
could watch the vodcast at home before class. Material that had traditionally been assigned as homework could
be completed in class with the bene t
of teacher assistance if needed.
We do not believe that this model
will eliminate the need for classroom
instruction. Instead, we hope that by
eliminating lectures, we can use class
time for more student-centered and
inquiry-based activities. (See Point/
Counterpoint on page 8.)
Checking Results
Over the summer of 2007, we restructured our classes to implement the
new vodcasting model. e model assumes that students have watched the
vodcasted lessons prior to coming to
class. Concerned that students would
not watch them, we devised a system
that allows us to check that they have
viewed and interacted with the content.
Under the vodcasting model, we
now have an additional 50–65 minutes per 90-minute class period to assist students with their understanding
of the content. We can now conduct
more hands-on learning activities.
(See “Class Time Before and A er
Vodcasting” on page 25.)
We nd ourselves actively walking around the classroom, engaging
students, checking for understanding, and augmenting the content with
higher-order questioning.
Prior to implementing our vodcasting model, we gave common assessments in our classes. Hoping to gather
some numerical data, we agreed to
use the same tests in 2007–08 as we
did the year before, and we compared
scores a er every unit. (See “Checking
the Results” on page 25.)
In addition, we wanted to compare
the relative academic abilities of our
students before and a er implementing vodcasted lectures. We compared
scores on the Colorado state exams,
which cover reading, writing, math,
and science. e average results were
lower for the 2007–08 group, most
likely because we decided to lower the
math prerequisite from enrollment in
algebra II to enrollment in geometry.
e average scores of our students
on identical science tests given before
and a er implementation of the model
were nearly the same. e data is preliminary, but it is still encouraging to
see that the new model is at least as
e ective as, if not more e ective than,
traditional instruction. We are meeting our goal of achieving comparable
test scores with a lower-level group of
students.
The college students sang the praises of podcasting because
they no longer had to attend class for a lecture. Instead,
they could listen to the content on their own time.
Anecdotal Evidence
Already we have noticed that our
students have a better grasp of the
content. Our students like being able
to pause their instructor and rewind
when necessary. ey can view the
lessons at their leisure and can break
them up into smaller segments if needed. ey appreciate having individualized attention from their instructor
when wrestling through a concept in
class that they don’t understand.
Russ admits that she sometimes
struggles with the content, but vodcasting gives her an edge she didn’t
have before. “I think it is the best idea
for teaching I’ve ever had in school. I
like being able to work at home in my
own way, at my own speed. I have always had trouble keeping up in class,
but being able to pause the teacher
and play a part over and over until
I get it has helped so much.”
