So, if there is one I have learned is that keeping parents informed is more important in elementary and middle school versus high school. There are many different methods one can choose to stay in contact, such as email, the Remind 101 app, newsletters, physical letters sent home, and via a website. A few semesters ago in one of my BSU classes, we were asked to create three podcasts, on anything we wanted as long as all three were related. So, I decided to create a newletter-style podcast. Many parents do not read all of the emails I send or even open the online newsletters. But I thought that if I could text them a no more than three-minute message they may listen. So the following links are the three podcasts I created. I actually used my newsletters I sent home with students.
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Jaci Prance: EDTECH Learning Log 
I have never thought to do a newsletter, through a podcast. What a great idea! I think this is great for busy parents, for example, parents could listen to your podcasts while making dinner. This way they do not have to find the time to sit down and read an email or rely on the child getting the newsletter from school and out of their backpack. I also really like how you provide information about what you have been doing in your class, this could provide a conversation starter for parents whose child responds with “nothing” when asked what they did at school.
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I completely agree because we all know in middle school students tend to “forget” to give parents the important info. LOL
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Such an amazing idea! I have never thought of this approach to parent communication before. I will definitely be trying this during my upcoming school year.
I also think there is a significant portion of our parent population who would listen to , versus read a classroom update. Now… just to get to the point where I like hearing my voice on recording.
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Ha! Yes, I hate the sound of my voice. I had to record several times to ensure I had the right inflection and stressed the important parts with my voice. It is a lot harder to create an audio only announcement than video. At least in a video, you can use facial expressions.
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What a fabulous idea! Your idea gave me the idea of having a school wide podcast channel to inform parents of all the things going on at our school.
I especially liked how you used it as a true newsletter where you introduce yourself, give any important updates and share what you have been learning about. So cool!
I noticed that this are the ones you created for last school year… Do you see yourself doing it again this year? Was it successful?
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Thank you!
I didn’t actually use the podcasts in my classroom, I created them for a BSU class. I did send an electronic version using Smore.com, and that is what I was basing my podcasts onI had planned on trying to implement for this up coming school year, however, I was let go. As of right now, I will not be teaching.
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Great idea, Jaci! Recording a voice message/podcast really caters to people’s short attention spans. I think listening to a message rather than reading one helps to better communicate the most important thoughts. Voice inflection and stress greatly assist with this process. As others have asked, do you receive any responses or have you noticed a greater success rate? Very cool!
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Hey Todd,
Thank you!
I have not actually tried it in my own classroom as of yet. I was planning on it but was let go from last teaching position. But if you try it please let me know your results!! =)
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Awesome thumping intro! Really like the fact that you have kept things sweet, short and under 4 minutes. Your personality really comes across which I think is great and helps to make it personal. Fun!
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Thanks Dan!
I really like how they came out. I hope to be able to actually put it to use one day. =)
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