Fair Trade Podcast Commercials - 2.1, Higher Order Thinking Skills

     In my search and exploration for ways to use technology meaningfully in the classroom, I continue to go back to one tool that is excellent for the sharing of ideas, knowledge, and creative thinking on the internet... the podcast.  I have several friends that listen to podcasts weekly, from topics that range from a variety of sports and news, to technology and gaming.  I even have a few friends who create their own podcast discussing various topics in pop culture.  A personal friend of mine and I use to do our own podcast on blogtalkradio.com every Sunday evening called "The Sports Beatdown".  A few of our segments have reached over a 1000 downloads since they went up, including "The Fall of Professional Sports in Toronto" and a one to one to one interview with former MMA competitor and Hamilton legend Jeff Joslin.

     With the help of my online course, I've been having my students use soundcloud.com to create their own podcasts and share their learning in the classroom.  One recent task I had my students complete, was a short podcast commercial advertising the benefits of Fair Trade purchasing practices.  My students recently read an article about how buying products that have been stamped with the Fair Trade Logo help farmers in other countries make a decent wage of living.

A lot of these farmers are exploited, receiving very little wage for their crop.  They are forced to work long hours, have family assist in the harvesting of their crop, and have very little money to support their family.  Many are forced to have their children help on the farm, rather than go to school.  They have little money for shelter, food, clothing, and medicine.  Fair Trade was created by a number of companies to ensure that these farmers make a decent wage and aren't forced to have their children work on the farm, so they can go to school and receive a decent education.







    This activity ties in well with social studies curriculum strand  B2.1:       
formulate questions to guide investigations into global issues of political, social, economic, and/or environmental importance (e.g., child labour, dwindling oil supplies, ownership of and access to fresh water, climate change, food shortages, refugees, or natural disasters), their impact on the global community, and responses to the issues

   The creation of the podcast commercial demonstrates successful achievement within the Ontario Curriculum Achievement chart across all four levels of knowledge and understanding.

Knowledge -       demonstrates thorough knowledge and understanding when responding to Fair Trade  Promotion and how it effects global communities

Thinking -            uses planning and processing skills in the creation of a podcast promoting Fair Trade

Communication - communicates for different audiences, using correct terminology related to the benefits of  Fair Trade on farmers and their families, avoiding the use of child labour

Application -       transfers knowledge and makes connections to how our purchasing practices can have  positive benefits on others globally

To listen to some of the podcast commercials on Sound Cloud, you can search under the hashtag #HGFairTrade.