Adventures in Podcasting - Research, Grades 6-7
An Exploration of Research and Podcasting
8 class sessions, 1.5 hours per class (12 hours of instruction)
October 2 - November 20
Thursdays, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. PST
Course Description:
Is there something you know a lot about that you want to be able to share with the world? Or something you have always wanted to learn more about? This course is all about taking a deep-dive into a topic that students are interested in and providing them with the opportunity to share what they learn with the world!
Students will have the opportunity to work on developing a strong, well-researched informative piece, refining skills like researching topics, citing sources, outlining, drafting, revising, and editing. Once their piece is written, peer-reviewed, and revised, they will publish it in the form of an audio podcast, which will allow them to practice skills like oral expression and public speaking. They will then have the opportunity to learn to edit and refine their podcasts, adding elements like cover art and sound effects to make the product uniquely their own.
Course Objectives:
Instructor Biography:
Taryn Williams has been working in the field of education in a variety of ways for the past 15 years and thinks learning should be both engaging and fun as well as impactful. She received both a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies with a focus on Urban Education and a master’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Pennsylvania. Following this, she was a Kathryn Davis Fellow for Peace in the School of Spanish at Middlebury College and was in the inaugural cohort of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education’s Strategic Leadership in Education program. A recipient of both a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Germany and a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching to India, Taryn has taught students in a variety of K-12 settings across the U.S. and world. She most recently served as the Head Teacher at a small school in the Alaskan Bush and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Education at the University of California, Irvine.
Is there something you know a lot about that you want to be able to share with the world? Or something you have always wanted to learn more about? This course is all about taking a deep-dive into a topic that students are interested in and providing them with the opportunity to share what they learn with the world!
Students will have the opportunity to work on developing a strong, well-researched informative piece, refining skills like researching topics, citing sources, outlining, drafting, revising, and editing. Once their piece is written, peer-reviewed, and revised, they will publish it in the form of an audio podcast, which will allow them to practice skills like oral expression and public speaking. They will then have the opportunity to learn to edit and refine their podcasts, adding elements like cover art and sound effects to make the product uniquely their own.
Course Objectives:
- Practice the elements of informative writing
- Learn about various aspects of research (sources, citations, notetaking)
- Explore different types of research
- Refine drafting, editing, and revising skills
- Learn how to structure a research paper
- Develop skills related to finding and citing credible sources
- Foster a love of writing through engaging activities
Instructor Biography:
Taryn Williams has been working in the field of education in a variety of ways for the past 15 years and thinks learning should be both engaging and fun as well as impactful. She received both a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies with a focus on Urban Education and a master’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Pennsylvania. Following this, she was a Kathryn Davis Fellow for Peace in the School of Spanish at Middlebury College and was in the inaugural cohort of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education’s Strategic Leadership in Education program. A recipient of both a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Germany and a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching to India, Taryn has taught students in a variety of K-12 settings across the U.S. and world. She most recently served as the Head Teacher at a small school in the Alaskan Bush and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Education at the University of California, Irvine.