Podcasts

Podcasts are serial recordings regularly posted online. This is pretty much like blogging, except that it’s in a digital format. Maybe you’ve heard of TED Talks, Serial, or Stuff You Should Know. These podcasts follow the rich tradition of storytelling, but they’re in a technology form. You can find a podcast on just about any topic, so naturally educators are wanting to jump on the bandwagon also! Just check out Grammar Girl - Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing for an example of how educators can deliver short, one-topic lessons in a fun, alternative, and trendy way. A few weeks ago, I blogged about using QR codes in the library and classroom. One idea was to link a QR code to a YouTube book trailer. Why not link the QR code to a podcast book talk? This week I looked at three different programs for creating podcasts to evaluate how easy they are to use.  Here’s what I                                                    discovered through my experiences:

I created a free account at Soundcloud.com. Once I had created a voice recording on my phone, I uploaded and emailed the recording to myself. I downloaded the m4a recording on my computer, signed into my Soundcloud account, and uploaded my recording to Soundcloud. After you publish the recording, you can easily share on your social media accounts with the click of a button. Or just copy the link to email or share on your blog or website. This program was user friendly and fast! Students in middle grades through high school shouldn’t have any trouble using this program. Here's my podcast  of a book talk on Soundcloud.

 

In order to post content on AudioBoom, you’ll have to sign up and purchase a subscription. They offer an ad-free option for $9.99 per month. You can post up to 5 podcasts a month with distribution to iHeart Radio, Spotify, GooglePlay and more. If you’re interested in attracting listeners and getting paid to broadcast your podcasts, this                                                       may be an option for you.

 I’m pretty familiar with PodBean, but setting up an account and getting started requires a little bit more time. I was prompted to like PodBean on Facebook or another social media forum in order to prove I wasn’t a bot. Not all student users will have social media accounts, so that might be problematic. The free account allows me to create and store only about 50MB. Once your account is created, it’s easy to upload and share to your social media accounts. You can also embed or copy links to share with individuals or on a blog.

Pod-o-matic: Pod-o-matic offers free and professional broadcasting. The free account offers 500MG of storage and 15GB of bandwidth per month with ads. The pro plan is $9.99 per month and offers support, statistics, and placement in their directory. Pod-O-Matic is easy to use and uploads your audio files from your computer quickly and easily.

The Bottom Line 

My best pick for classroom use is Soundcloud. This program was the easiest for me to navigate, and I didn’t have to spend much time figuring out how to manage my podcast posts. For me, technology apps that don’t take up valuable instructional time are always the winners!

How You Can Use Podcasts in Your Library

-Record teacher lectures

-Student-created newscasts

-Audio journals

-Informal recordings to explain concepts

-Present persuasive or argumentative essays

Explore popular podcasts for yourself, and brainstorm different ways you can use them in your classroom or library. I'd love for you to share your ideas with me and others! I'm listening!