The Benefits of Student Podcasts: An Interview With Dr. Rayna Freedman

A 5th grade teacher at the Jordan/Jackson Elementary School in Mansfield, MA, Dr. Rayna Freedman received her doctorate from Northeastern University in teaching, learning, leading, and curriculum. Rayna is President of MassCUE and has presented for ISTE, Ed Tech Teacher, Tech and Learning, Medfield Digital Learning Day, FETC, BPLC, and BLC.

Read on to find out more about how she uses technology, Edpuzzle, and podcasts in the classroom!

1. Can you tell us a little bit about how you came to the teaching profession? Had you always wanted to be a teacher?

I have worked with kids since I was 12, but there was a pivotal moment for me that solidified my decision.

The thought of being an educator was the last thing on my mind until sophomore year of high school. That was when I met my inspiration in life. Mr. LaChapelle, the man we all called Chief, changed my view of teachers and education.

Knowing what I know now about the field of education, Chief tapped into our multiple intelligences. He allowed each one of us to find ourselves in his class while learning about our world.

Because of him, I realized there are teachers out there who love their students and who want to see them succeed. He created lessons to expand his students' minds, giving them the opportunity to be creative. I thank him for giving me the greatest gift – the desire to teach others as he taught me.

2. How did technology come to play such an important role in your teaching?

I am a digital native even for my age. I grew up on an IBM with a dot matrix computer. I learned my math facts from playing Math Blaster using a joystick.

I always saw the value of technology and how it made learning and life easier. I piloted digital literacy portfolios for students (which no one was doing) for an independent study in undergrad and completed my own college portfolio digitally. I believe that is one of the reasons I got my job because instead of handing over a few pages for the interview committee to see, I passed on a CD-ROM.

I received my masters in edtech shortly after I finished my un undergrad. I always provided tech for my classroom, building my own mini computer lab. I had 3rd graders using PowerPoint and Word for assignments to create and work in small groups.

I switched over to Google before Google EDU was a thing so students could collaborate together on different devices rather than the same device. I saw technology as a way for students to create and work together in a global community.

23 years later, I have kids blogging, podcasting, and sharing our story on social media. A lot has changed, but the tech is still used as a tool to build relationships and enhance learning.

3. What was your experience with technology as a student?

I have been doing projects using technology since elementary school. It came naturally to me, and I enjoyed using various tech tools to create things. I don’t remember much, but know I used things like Oregon Trail and Number Munchers back then.

4. How can podcasts be an effective learning tool?

Podcasts are great. My #jjsecretagents have their own podcast, The Day in the Life of a 5th grader. We are going into year 5. We use our vocabulary words to tell a story about things that are important to them. They love having a global voice.

We also have a listening center that has podcasts. Students have the option to listen and learn things of interest and reflect using a Google form. They love 6-minute podcast and some other options I have provided for them. Shorter podcasts can engage students and teach them things beyond the classroom walls.

5. How can we empower teachers to use edtech like Edpuzzle?

I think we need to model and show the benefits of using tools like Edpuzzle. Students also need to share what they get out of it.

Teachers need to know it is simple to use and can be used the next day once they learn it. There are also templates they can use with students created by other educators, which shows teachers various ways to use the tool.

6. How would your students describe you?

My students would say I have empathy and compassion. I see the bigger picture. I listen to them and care about the whole child. I process and work through things head on, and I teach them about the world and life lessons they will take with them beyond college.

I once had a parent say “She eats, breathes, and sleeps her students 180 days of the year.”

7. What was one of your most successful lessons and what made it a hit?

I designed digital science notebooks (Edpuzzle activities embedded). One of the lessons I did was for students to learn about an ecoregion in MA.

They then had to figure out a problem in that area and design a solution for it. They used the engineer design process and built a model of their solution. Students loved working collaboratively on a real world issue where they were seeking a way to make a difference.

There were many other components to this learning activity like making a meme, answering reflection questions, and having discussions. Tapping into the multiple intelligences was important here, too.

8. What’s one of your favorite or most memorable moments from the classroom?

Building the secret agent community where my now 30-year-old 3rd graders come back to visit is what I am most proud of.

My memorable moment is more of an idea I had – the secret agents. I did not realize when I started what it would mean to so many people. We do this thing on Thursdays called #positivesignthursday.

Social Media Classroom Ambassadors come up with a positive message we share to our fans. I was having a colectomy for colon cancer on a Friday. The Thursday before, one of my parents made a sign, and she sent it to people in our community.

That day, 20 years of families took pictures of that saying for my own personal #positivesignthursday. That is something I will never forget. And those images helped me be brave as I was being wheeled in for life changing surgery.

9. What’s something new that you’d like to learn about?

I have done a lot of work lately on inclusive practices. I would love to dive into assistive technology tools and how to support learners where they are. There are so many new things coming out at a rapid pace, so I need more time to delve into this.