Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:

I know you are already a fan of podcasts because you are here listening to 1 right now. Today, I'm gonna be sharing with you how you can use podcasts in your own STEM classroom. I'm actually not talking about students recording the podcast, I'm actually sharing with you how you can use podcasts with students as an additional resource. Now you might be wondering how I can actually do this in a STEM classroom. And why should I even use podcasts with my students? They should just be building all day, correct? Yes and no. Let's dive into these 3 different ways and activities that you can use podcasts with your students. It's definitely going to change your mindset on how this can actually be possible in a STEM space. Absolutely love seeing your reviews when you review me on Apple Podcasts.

Naomi Meredith [00:01:36]:

They don't always pop up automatically. They do take some time. And so I wanted to read one of those that one of you out there wrote, and it absolutely meant the world to me. This is from a teacher of STEM, and they say, So thankful. I started working as a TA last school year, and before the new school year started, I was asked to teach STEM. Of course, I said yes. Yeah. Me too.

Naomi Meredith [00:02:03]:

It's been an exciting journey, but it's all new territory. I'm so thankful I stumbled across this podcast and all the wonderful things in her TpT store. Total life safer. Ten out of 10 recommended, not only for new STEM teachers but even the seasoned ones. Thank you so much again for this review. Like I said, they always make my day, and I say that every time, but they really do make my day. And if you have been a long-time listener, but I've never written a review. That is one of the best ways that you can support this podcast.

Naomi Meredith [00:02:39]:

And if you are on Apple Podcasts, hit pause, go into there, and then write a 5-star review. If you're unsure how to do that, send me a message on Instagram at namie meredith_. I have a video I can send you to show you how to do that. So, again, it's absolutely free, but it really does help other teachers like you who are getting into the STEM space and need that extra boost of support or 1 those of you who've been in a while but still need that extra support because most likely you're teaching it alone. So, definitely go ahead and write a review. It would mean the world to me. Now, this isn't the first time we have talked about podcasts on this podcast. That's a funny thing to say.

Naomi Meredith [00:03:24]:

We've actually talked about podcasts before. Back in episode 65, we talked about how students can record a podcast. So, that is something that you are interested in doing with your students? I actually give you some tips and tricks on how to actually record podcasts with your students. I will say the way that I did podcasting with students was very similar to how I did video production. So, if that is something that you're interested in in the realm of how to do it, check out episode 65. And then also, Honestly, the workshop, my stellar school-wide news workshop, would help you with that. You would just have the kids record audio instead of video. So the whole system actually works because I do the exact same thing.

Naomi Meredith [00:04:13]:

Back in episode 80, I also talked with Jerry Colbert, who works on the show Who Smarted, which is a podcast for kids. We talked about how podcasts are beneficial to students and how they help them learn. So, if you're looking for inspiration in the realm of podcasts, including this episode, make sure to go check those out, but you can listen to this one first. As an adult, I'm sure you can see the benefits of how podcasts are really helpful and valuable. I really enjoy that I can learn on the go and do other things. I am somebody who loves to learn. I love to read. I Love all of that.

Naomi Meredith [00:04:54]:

I really do love learning and reading more than I watch TV. I'm a little bit nerdy. I know. If you haven't figured that out by now, Yes. That is me. But podcasts are not only just beneficial for adults, they're beneficial for children as well. And here's a short list that I came up with in terms of how podcasts are beneficial, but you probably can think of more ideas than me. So I thought that podcasts, of course, improve listening comprehension.

Naomi Meredith [00:05:25]:

We always see teachers doing read alouds in class, and we're trying to improve comprehension by not always having the visuals. Some podcasts have some visual things, too, but for the most part, they are audio. Podcasts are also a really fun way to learn about a topic. So, of course, you can watch a video on the topic, but there might possibly be a podcast about it, and it's almost like having ear candy where you're just Really soaking in all of that amazing goodness that is coming through your audio speakers. Podcasts can also be highly engaging. Not all of them are engaging, but really good ones that you enjoy, hopefully this one, are highly engaging, and it's also for students to find that Love as well. Likewise, podcasts are a great way to learn new ideas and perspectives. The big reason why I started this podcast, The Elementary STEM Coach, is to help you see another perspective when it comes to Elementary STEM because because I know how it can feel when you're planning all alone.

Naomi Meredith [00:06:29]:

You don't always know what everybody is doing, so I am here in your earbuds every week to help you learn another that you may or may not have heard before. Along the same lines, podcasts are also a great form of research and gathering information, and I'm gonna dive more into that in the 3 activities of how you can actually use podcasts in your STEM classroom. Now, these are things that I have actually done before with students, and I'm gonna give you those examples. But think about podcasts, you don't have to listen to the entire thing all in one setting. So when we talk about these activities, keep that in mind because that's going to make it seem less overwhelming when you are using a podcast in a STEM space because a lot of times they're really long. So We're gonna go through how this can actually be done. The first activity that you can try when using a podcast in your STEM classroom is using the podcast as a research tool. When I had my students' podcasts in 5th grade, they were creating podcasts all about light pollution, and we actually analyzed and listened to different examples of podcasts to help us research a couple of things.

Naomi Meredith [00:07:48]:

What is a podcast? A lot of kids have actually never heard of it, or a lot of them kinda heard of it or that their parents might listen to podcasts, but they didn't know that that was something for kids. And there kinda are some limited options in terms of podcasts anyway, which I'm helping out in that space, but They didn't really know about that. So it was kinda to build that background. This is what a podcast is. At first, a lot of the kids, I kept asking for the video, And, well, there's no video to these, so that's something too to help with the audio. However, we were analyzing different podcasts and their styles so they could have a feel for what kind of podcast they wanted to create for our project. Their podcasts were really short. They were 5 ish minutes.

Naomi Meredith [00:08:37]:

Some were 10. I don't think any of them were actually 10 minutes. They were around 5 minutes, and that was perfectly fine. There's no time limit on a podcast. It can be whatever you want. It's whatever you choose. So, it gave them that background information of what podcasts actually are, and then we also used it as a way to research the style of podcast. Some students wanted to do solo episodes like the one we're having right now.

Naomi Meredith [00:09:05]:

I am just talking to you, and my camera and the microphone are all solo. And little Frederick, my dog, is in the corner, but it's just me talking. Some like that interview style where they would talk to guests, and so that's how they would write their script, which was really fun. Some would do a mixture sure of all of those things or try to add in fun little segments along the way. So, really understanding different styles of podcasts was a great research tool before they actually created one for that STEM project. I even showed them mine, and I know my Elementary STEM Coach podcast isn't geared towards kids, but they were so amazed by that because this is also a side thing. I told you most kids didn't know what podcasts are, and I told them it's kinda like YouTube in a way where you can share your ideas. Granted, I do record videos for my podcast, but you can do all audio.

Naomi Meredith [00:10:06]:

You don't have to be in front of the camera. So if you're more camera shy but you're really good at talking, podcasting is an excellent option. When it comes to research, we research actually what podcasts are, but you could actually use a podcast as research for a project. If you're going to do this, you could do it as a whole class. So find a podcast That's relevant to what you're learning in class, and then find the section of that podcast you want students to hear. You could assign them the podcast and have them fast forward, but if it's only certain parts, that honestly just might be the best way to do that as a teacher. Research doesn't have to be independent. It can be within a group setting, but find that part you want them to hear to help add to that imagine stage if they are doing the engineering design process. I did this when I was doing a stop motion animation project with my 3rd graders where they were taking on the role of a paleontologist to tell the story of a fossil through time.

Naomi Meredith [00:11:12]:

Well, the living thing through time and how it might have turned into a fossil. And one of the ways that we researched As I found an episode about fossils and living things long ago, we listened to that segment and then we added it into our research when we're learning More about fossils. And it was just a really cool way where students realized, hey, research doesn't always have to be reading. It could be listening to audio. It could be looking at pictures. It can be watching a video clip. It can absolutely be reading, but it can be a lot of different things as well. Also, with podcasts, a lot of podcasts out there actually have transcripts.

Naomi Meredith [00:11:52]:

So transcripts are when the audio of the video or the audio is put into words, and a lot of podcasts out there have transcripts, my podcast does. So, for every episode, when you look at the episode notes, you can actually read through exactly what I say. So shout out to my podcast manager, who edits all of that for me. But Apple Podcasts is actually coming out with a feature where transcript are going to be embedded in the app as well. I don't know exactly how it works, so that's an option, too, if students want to read through that research. That's another way to use podcasts as a research tool. The 2nd activity that you can use podcasts in your STEM classroom is to use it as a warm-up. I know I do have some classroom teachers who listen to this podcast, and I hate to break it to you, and it might not seem like this, but trust To me, when I went from the classroom to being a STEM teacher, I thought to myself, oh my gosh.

Naomi Meredith [00:12:52]:

As a classroom teacher, you have the luxury of time. And I know it doesn't feel like you have a lot of time, but you really do have the kids all day. And I was so surprised when I went into STEM that everything went by so fast. You had 45 minutes, and you're like, oh my gosh, it begins and ends. Some days, 45 minutes is amazing, if you know what I'm saying. Yeah. So, you have that luxury of times when I was a classroom teacher, we actually would do podcast Fridays where we would listen to podcasts for kids, different podcasts for kids, and that was just a really cool thing that we looked forward to every Friday. As a STEM teacher, you may or may not have that luxury.

Naomi Meredith [00:13:37]:

So if you use podcasts as a warm-up, you can break up episodes into different chunks, where you listen to the whole episode throughout the week, but you just take a little bit at a time. And that this could be a really cool routine when students come into your classroom because it's almost like doing a read aloud with your students where they're wondering what the next thing is, what's gonna happen next, I don't know. So that can be really, really fun, for your students. Now, I do have a podcast for kids coming up, so it will be launching on Valentine's Day, my birthday, the STEM Career Quest Podcast, and it's made specifically for kids. Inside the club, I actually broke up the higher episode into segments. So if this is sounding like you're, like, oh my gosh, that'd be really fun to do as a warm-up and to engage my students right off the bat where Everybody's transitioning in, but they always know, hey, we sit down during this time, and we're gonna listen to this part of the podcast. I already broke it up into chunks where it can be accessible, and you can listen to little bits of the episode. And then by Friday or however often you see the kids, you have listened to the entire thing, and you don't have to do it all at once.

Naomi Meredith [00:14:58]:

Now, with my STEM Career Quest podcast, I record it in segments, and it's pretty fun because talking to the guests where I'm interviewing these people with STEM jobs. That part is so easy. I love to talk with people, and that part is really, really easy. And then this set of segments isn't hard, but it's just different. And you can't see it now if you're watching the video version of this, but I actually record my segments for the STEM career quest in front of a green screen. And I had a lot of fun editing the different segments because I changed up the background. I added little overlays and text and pictures. So, I do have a lot of fun editing that.

Naomi Meredith [00:15:39]:

It takes me back to when I did my school-wide news, and I edited every single video on my own the 1st year, and then I watched every single video on my own the next year. And so I really do enjoy video editing. I like being on Camera, but I like video editing too. And you're probably wondering why you are editing video. I film the entire thing in video and then also in a way that would make sense for audio. So, super fun, and I can't wait for you to listen. So adding in that element of having a warm-up For a podcast, it's a really great way to mix it in and probably something that the students will not expect. This can be something that the kids can look forward to when they come into your class and really spark those different types of questions and exploration of topics that they might not have really thought about before. And the last activity that you can use in your classroom when it comes to podcasts is to use podcasts as a STEM station.

Naomi Meredith [00:16:39]:

Double check with your technology and your web browsers and just how to access the podcast. This was a weird thing when I did this as a STEM station where our school Wi-Fi would actually block Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And so the way I had students listen, I actually assigned students the website that the podcast was on. And a lot of podcasts out there actually have a matching website where you can have the show notes. And so I would actually share that show notes page, and that episode was embedded on that website, and it actually had some pictures that went along with the episode the kids could look at. So I told them, like, you guys aren't clicking around. You can look at the pictures, but that's about it. And it's really great too.

Naomi Meredith [00:17:26]:

And so I've been getting in touch with the guests that I've been interviewing, getting real pictures of them in that space because that can be really powerful where You're listening to something, and then you can see some of the things that might match what they're talking about. Couple of ways you could do this as a STEM station. The first time that I did this was during video recording. And I remember there was the book fair going on next store in the library, so I couldn't spread out kids to record videos. And also, that's really hard because you can't have kids that are really close together. So I was really limited on space. I still needed kids to record some videos during my STEM time, but I needed everybody else to be quiet because we know what it sounds like when you get bad audio quality. And so I actually had everybody listening to a podcast that was related to the topic that we were creating videos about.

Naomi Meredith [00:18:24]:

And then, when it was their turn to record, they could pause the podcast and then do their script, and then go back to the episode. So this was a good quiet activity. It was low maintenance, and I even added an element where students had to draw what they were visualizing as they listened. So this could be done in conjunction if you were doing this as a stem station, or you could do it separately. And so while students were listening, they would draw and see because they had unlimited colors. They would draw and see what they were visualizing as the podcast was playing. And you might say this is a very simple activity, why would you do this? Well, When I taught 3rd grade, when I did read aloud, I had a lot of students who would struggle with the comprehension of the stories that we were reading with chapter books because they are longer there are no visuals. And so what I had students start to do was create comic books. Whereas I was reading, every chapter had 1 to 2 squares where they would draw what was happening in the story.

Naomi Meredith [00:19:31]:

So, by the end of the chapter book, they had a whole comic book that they created that would show the visualization of the chapter book. So I took that same concept and used it with podcasting because a lot of kids actually tell me I don't see any pictures in my head. I don't visualize anything. I don't know what's going on. So think about that, listening is a skill. Listening for a long amount of time to comprehend what is going on is a skill. I used to not like audiobooks, Then I got more into it. I used to not like listening to audiobooks that were nonfiction.

Naomi Meredith [00:20:09]:

Now I'm obsessed, and that's the only way I like to listen and read nonfiction is by listening. And so think about that. Even as an adult, I've struggled with it. So your kids might be too, and also support them through that, so that's why this can be a really great STEM station for them. You could even have it be a smaller station. So, again, Maybe they listen to parts of a podcast and have little segments, and then that is part of their STEM station that they would rotate through throughout the day. I did a lot of STEM stations in my k through 2 classes specifically, sometimes with 3 through 5. But if you're interested in hearing more about how to Plan STEM stations, specifically, I have a whole method to the madness.

Naomi Meredith [00:20:48]:

I have a k through 2 STEM planning workshop. It'll be linked in the show notes, where you can check that out and see more about that process. Another way that you use podcasts as a STEM station is maybe you don't want them to actually draw what they're listening to, but maybe there are some specific comprehension questions that they need to listen to along the way. And, again, with my STEM Career Quest Podcast, I know how important it is to have those educational things, and I'm creating the podcast that I wish that I had when I was a teacher for my students. And so every single episode inside of the club has its own comprehension guide that goes along with each major segment of the podcast. So you can use it as an actual station, Or if you did listen through all the way, great, but you could have them listen to different sections of the podcast, and they have that comprehension guide where they answer by writing, and there are some visuals as well to help them make sense of what they're hearing. As a recap, here are the 3 podcast Activities that you can use in your STEM classroom. 1st, you can use podcasts as a research tool.

Naomi Meredith [00:22:01]:

Next, you can split up those episodes and use a podcast like a warm-up. And finally, you can use podcasts as a stem station. I was sprinkling this in along the way, but in case you didn't get the memo, I am launching my very own kid podcast, which is STEM specific, and it is coming out on February 14, 2024, and that is my birthday. I wanted to have an amazing birthday present that I could share with all of you, and I thought what a better way to launch my podcast as a fun Birthday present to myself. And so, in this podcast, it is so much fun. I am interviewing different people who have real life STEM careers, who are passionate about what they do, and they're sharing those passions with our elementary students. Along the way, there are some fun games and different fun facts for you to hear, but just another way to explore the world of STEM on the go and connect it to the lessons that you're already doing in class. After I'm done talking here, I'm gonna play the trailer for you so you can hear more in-depth about the show, but I am very, very excited about this project and so excited to share it with you.

Naomi Meredith [00:23:20]:

You can already follow the show on any of your favorite podcasting apps. So wherever you're listening, Meet To me too, search for the STEM Career Quest Podcast. Give it a follow. It will pop up for you so you can check it out there, and all the episodes will drop when they are released weekly starting with February 14th. You can also go ahead and join the STEM career quest club. So all the episodes are always free, always there to listen to, but inside the club, you get all of those bonus materials that I was talking about. So, the episodes all split up into sections with visuals, video, and teaching slides. You also get all the comprehension guides that go with all of the episodes, monthly STEM activities that relate to STEM careers, and 1 live virtual field trip where it Could be me, it could be somebody else teaching, but a fun, engaging way where you could have a whole event Every single month, it's already set up for you, you just have to show up. So, for being a podcast listener, since I know you already love podcasts, and you're already listening to this with your students.

Naomi Meredith [00:24:25]:

You can get $5 off for just being a podcast listener, so you can join the club and make sure you put in that Promo code PODCASTBESTIE, it will be in the show notes, and you'll get $5 off every single month for as long as you're in the membership and get all of those bonus educational features. I can't wait for you to hear the podcast. I hope you love the trailer, love the show, And this show is not going away. I'm just adding in another one because I'm a little bit extra like that, but I can't wait to expand and continue with you in your STEM journey.