Fireside Book Chats Podcast

Here is a great example of how a skilled teacher leverages technology to make a traditional “book report” assignment far more engaging and meaningful. For the past two years, Scott Hertzog, a member of Penn Manor High School’s‘ English Department faculty, has worked with students to create “Fireside Book Chat” podcasts. Students present, critically review and discuss books they have recently read. Each book is chosen and researched by the students and every student podcast is recorded in front of a live studio (classroom) audience.

Mr. Hertzog’s podcasts are a clever upgrade to a solid, yet traditional lesson. Importantly, his work fuses reading, research skills, writing, evaluation and creativity into an awesome learning experience. Plus, the student work is made available to a global audience.

The Fire Side Book Chat podcast is now closing in on 40,000 visits. Check out the student podcasts here: http://firesidebookchat.com. Also, if you are a science fiction fan, you may want visit Mr. Hertzog’s personal side podcast project: http://scifidinerpodcast.com/.


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