Podcasts and New Media as an Educational Tools
Davorka South
Time of the course: May 2, 2022 - May 7, 2022
Location: Europass Teacher Academy, Dublin, Ireland
Day 1
2.5.2022.
A day of acquaintance and presentation The leader of our course, IT expert Jackie McCann, presented her previous work, as well as the goals and program of our course. This course introduced the podcast as a technology tool for regular availability of audio or video content online, providing participants with the relevant knowledge to prepare educational web radio episodes and launch web radio programs in their classrooms. Our group consisted of 10 members, namely 10 teachers from Greece, Spain, Germany, Croatia and Poland. Everyone had 10 minutes to present their school and details related to the Erasmus K1 project, hometown or region. After that, we had the opportunity to get to know each other using the different proposed dramatic methods that brought us closer. Such courses are a real opportunity to get to know new cultures, but also our colleagues from different European countries. It is interesting that the education systems are different in our countries, but we realized that we all share the same joys and problems related to our work and our students.

Day 2
3.5.2022.
A day of digital tools and getting to know Dublin Given the recent rise in popularity of podcasts and web radio, it's no surprise that such forms are making their way into the classroom. They offer teachers an engaging way to educate students about new information and communication technologies, combining project-based learning with digital media analysis and production skills. That's why on the second day we had How to start a web radio program in our class as the main topic. Workshops were held that included various individual and group practical activities, and we also had the opportunity to listen to examples of a good podcast. We did practical work using digital tools. I will briefly walk you through the digital tools you can use in online or live classes. Some are probably already known to you or you have used them. Why can they be important in teaching? Namely, new media change the meaning of geographical distance and provide the possibility of increasing the speed of communication and the possibility of interactive communication, especially in distance learning, but also in the classroom. Edmodo is an educational technology platform for schools and teachers, it allows teachers to share content, distribute quizzes, assignments and manage communication with students, colleagues and parents. Symbaloo is a home page made for teachers, librarians and their schools. A simple tile-based platform to easily manage, merge and share valuable resources on your own workspace domain; accessible anywhere, from any device. Jamboard is an example of a digital interactive whiteboard. Links to various useful digital tools: • https://new.edmodo.com • https://www.symbaloo.com • https://jamboard.google.com • https://miro.com • https://coggle.it • https://www.mindmeister.com • https://my.flipgrid.com • https://jeopardylabs.com/ We spent the rest of the day on an organized tour of Dublin. Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. It has been the most important Irish city since the Middle Ages, and modern Dublin is an economic, administrative and cultural center. We also visited the impressive library of Trinity University, which is one of the most culturally important and most visited places in the capital of Ireland. The entire library includes around seven million titles, and it is considered one of the most impressive libraries in the world.
Day 3
4.5.2022.
The day of the first steps in creating a podcast Using creative writing techniques and construct audio stories with structure and vital plot points and conducting research on different topics, we practiced our speaking, listening, teamwork skills and designing our first podcast. In their classes, teachers constantly teach about the steps in learning, creating and structuring texts or public speaking. Of course, the same is required for the design of the podcast. Activities in the workshops related to exercises related to digital storytelling, creation and design of editing tools and practical exercises that we recorded and edited in different digital tools. A storyboard is a graphic organizer that we used to design a podcast, and it consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a film image, animation, motion graphics or interactive media sequence. Every step is very important, but the key is to choose a topic.