Podcasting in the Library and the Classroom

Using podcasts in the classroom is something I have not considered before but after spending the larger part of my weekend exploring a mere fraction of the podcasting world, I see that creating them is relatively simple and numerous (many free! yea!) platforms exist for sharing them.

Truth be told, I have been fretting about this week's assignment for 6 days. I've made 3 previous podcasts and experienced an inordinate amount of anxiety before making each one. But that's just me and my overly self-conscious inner voice. I can't imagine my students feeling the least self-conscious about recording themselves, especially when I think of how most love and crave attention! And it's from that point of view that I can truly see the value of using podcasts as a way to not only present content but to show evidence of learning.

So how do you create your own podcast? It's so easy! All you really need are a smart phone or computer with a microphone to get started. There are a number of free apps and platforms that allow you to create your own podcasts and discover podcasts on any imaginable topic known to human kind. I'm not exaggerating, there are literally podcasts about EVERYTHING! But I digress...

Apps

I love easy and free, and and app called ZCast fits the bill. To create this book talk about Spies of Mississippi by Rick Bowers, I used my iPhone to record and share it. I literally downloaded the app, recorded the podcast, and shared it in less than 10 minutes. The whole process was remarkably easy. One of the best features of ZCast is that it lets you take your podcasting with you, so you can podcast live from literally anywhere you can receive a cell phone signal. All I needed to create an account was to log in to Twitter, then it downloaded quickly. There was absolutely no learning curve involved.

Online Platforms and Applications

SoundCloud

I've found SoundCloud to be the easiest online platform for creating podcasts. SoundCloud has a free option but also has a Pro upgrade for $7 a month. Since I'm a poor student and underpaid teacher, I went for the free option of course! I have used it a sum total of 3 times for my grad school coursework, but the process is so easy, anyone can create a podcast from their computer if they have a WiFi network. First you'll need to create an account, which you can do using your Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ accounts, then choose the account option you'd like. When you're ready to record, simply choose the "Upload" button in the top right-hand side of the screen to either upload a recording or start a new recording. If you're interested in hearing the remainder of my podcasting career thus far, click here.

Podomatic and audioBoom

SoundCloud may be better choice for podcasting newbies like myself, but I found Podomatic and audioBoom to be better choices for discovering content. Since I had already recorded my podcast, I didn't try to create another on these two platforms. I did click around to see if I could easily record a podcast on both though. Podomatic has a "Create" link but I did not see an option to record a new podcast, just one to upload a recording made in another application. I saw no "Create" option on the audioBoom website. However, both platforms allow the user to discover podcasts and access trending shows with ease.

Exemplary Content

Did I mention that there are podcasts about every topic under the sun? That includes educational topics, from math to science, poetry and professional development. I found a wonderful channel called Classic Poetry Aloud which features, you guessed it, classic poetry read aloud. Which is INFINITELY better than having to read it, especially from a student anthology as I did when I was an undergrad.

A website called BAM! Radio is a home to podcasts devoted to educational programming. You can discover content related to all things educational already neatly organized for your listening pleasure. Popular programs like K-12 Greatest Hits and Ed Tech Chat are at your fingertips on this website. Bookmark this website and let BAM! Radio curate the content for you.

Teachercast.net is another website that advertises itself as "teachers helping teachers" that also has links to podcasts and videos that provide professional development on your time. There's also an app that you can download to your iPhone or Android smart phone, although I haven't done that myself. I'd love to hear from readers who have though!

Ideas for the Classroom and the Library

A quick Google search will lead you to discover ways you can incorporate podcasting into your classroom, but here are just a few of the ways I think teachers and librarians could use podcasts as a way for students to show evidence of learning in a fun, engaging manner:

• Reader's Theatre
• Book Reviews
• Literary Analysis
• Literature Circles
• Interviews
• Poetry Jams
• Science Logs
• Weekly Classroom News
• Student Op-Ed Writing

Starting Places

Reading Rockets has a great beginner's guide to getting started with podcasts in the classroom. Find it here. Click here for a Learners Edge blog post that has links to podcasts for teachers and students alike that you might also find helpful.

Do you have some favorite podcast lessons and activities that you'd like to share? Feel free to post the link to them in the comment section below.