Week 1 Blog 1 - Revisiting my Thesis
I have changed schools in the last year and this has made me less excited about my original thesis topic. I am worried that my lack of enthusiasm will make this month's thesis draft grueling. I am hoping that this post will help me get excited again about the topic. So my topic is Podcasting and Vodcasting in Science Classrooms. I have written the following thesis statement:
The problem of students not understanding homework can be fixed by reversing the traditionally accepted notion of homework. If the teacher podcasted or vodcasted the classroom material the student could view the material before class and be prepared to practice the material in the classroom with the teacher.
I decided that this was a good topic after I went to a conference where another chemistry teacher presented this concept. I saw how this was working in his classroom and I thought that my classroom could be changed for the better by utilizing my podcasting and vodcasting skills. Since I have changed schools I don't teach chemistry any longer and I don't quite know how it would jive with my current school's philosophy of education. I think weekly recap podcasts would go over extremely well, but course casting most of my classroom content may not.
My other thought is that there are already podcasts about each chapter in my AP Biology book. Am I reinventing the wheel if these casts have already been created? Any encouragement, support, or resources are greatly appreciated.
Picture Credits - KHirt 2009
Posted by Hirt at 7:55 PM
1 COMMENTS:
Joann@FullSail said...
Maybe it is not the idea of reinventing the wheel, but making the wheel better. I understand the frustration of seeing your idea already out there, however, I can tell you, there were no podcasts about anything in my 5th grade science book. Maybe it is about training wheels- appeal to a younger audience. I think sometimes technological advances are concentrated on high schools and middle and elementary schools get overlooked.
Think about how beneficial a podcast would be for a science chapter for a struggling reader- perhaps it would make homework easier if they could hear the instructions, rather than read them.
My fifth graders often struggled with the text- it sometimes went over their heads and only after careful explanation did they understand what I was looking for. In the classroom, they had the benefit of my presence- for homework- not so much.
I think your topic is great! I definitely get the lack of passion making it a more tedious task. Good luck!
October 4, 2009 1:43 PM
Sources:
Blog Name: The Hirt Connection
Week 1 Blog 1 - Revisiting my Thesis. Hirt, Katie. http://khirt.blogspot.com/ retrieved October 4, 2009.
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