Rising to the Occasion-Baking Bread and Using Podcasts as a Learning Tool
CIDDL Cizzles with Chef Trey Vasquez
Author: Samantha Goldman
The proof is in the bread in the CIDDL Ctadium as Dr. Trey Vasquez, associate professor for the Department of Child, Family, and Community Sciences Exceptional Education Program at UCF, discusses the impact of podcasts on the field of education with CIDDL’s Christine Parsons. Dr. Vasquez brought with him two experts to the discussion of using Podcasts in teacher preparation programs.
Dr. Lisa Dieker, Pegasus Professor and Lockheed Martin Eminent Scholar Chair from UCF’s Exceptional Student Education program, started a podcast with her colleague during the pandemic to provide online teaching tips for teachers of students with disabilities during the school closures. They continue to create new and engaging episodes centered on topics related to co-teaching, working with families, and social emotional learning.
Dr. Michael Kennedy, an Associate Professor of Special Education in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia, and his team explore the implementation of high-leverage practices through the use of podcasts. He shares that using podcasts to implement the framework of Universal Design for Learning as a great way to offer choice within the classroom for how material is represented and how students engage with it to show content understanding. Teachers can make podcasts for the class, students can use them for their class, and students can make them for each other. The options are limitless.
Interested in creating your own podcast to further your students’ learning or provide resources for teachers and families? Dr. Dieker says that you don’t need high-tech equipment or funds to start it up. Basically, you need a good internet connection, some sort of sound system, and great nonverbal communication with your co-hosts! She does point out that as she and her colleague became more serious about their podcasts, they invested more into the production and output.
As for the accessibility of podcasts? Both Dr. Kennedy and Dr. Dieker agree that having someone to provide on-screen captioning is essential. Other than that, Dr. Kennedy shares how he provides the accompanying Powerpoint and notes to teachers and students to allow all to access the information.
But do podcasts REALLY work for teaching content? Dr. Vasquez puts this question to the test by having his sons listen to his favorite podcast, America’s Test Kitchen, to learn how to bake bread. Christine Parsons was able to taste their creation and said it was a success. Be sure to watch Dr. Vasquez’s full Cizzle to learn more about how podcasts are booming in the field of education to support teachers, students, and families.
The competition isn’t over yet! After you finish watching, you are invited to be a judge of the Cizzle by rating the chef in the areas of connection, preparation, and aesthetics using the CIDDL Cizzle Rating System at the bottom of the page. More CIDDL Cizzles can be found on the CIDDL Events webpage. Check out the CIDDL website for more resources related to the innovative uses of technology in special education and related services personnel preparation programs.