Podcasting 101

... and that’s our show for today! This is Tanya and Monty, signing off from the playroom in my basement.

Thoughts of podcasting or “broadcasting on demand” bring back memories from my childhood. Visions of my friend and I sitting at the table in the basement, writing scripts and setting up an imaginary “studio” where we mimicked news broadcasters (and famous celebrities) came flooding back. What fun we had! And to think that the children of today can in fact create their own “radio shows” that can be heard all over the world... amazing!

What do I know about podcasting?


Although I had heard the term podcast referred to in casual discussions amongst staff, my initial encounters using the tool only occurred last year when preparing for my Masters’ introductory course. My professor posted a link to a presentation given by Dr. Ross Todd, the Director at the Centre for International Scholarship in School Libraries. Anxious to hear what he had to say (as I had read some of his material) and to demonstrate my eagerness to try something new, I followed both the Power Point presentation and the podcast. Aside from the valuable information provided, the podcast element of the presentation brought Dr. Todd to life... listening to him speak, adding his personal comments, and just hearing the inflections in his voice... made it the next best thing to being there. Likewise when my professor shares podcasts, her voice adds a human touch... something I miss when there is only the written word.

How else is podcasting being used?

After reviewing several podcasts created by both children (as young as four years old) and adults, I was impressed with the wide variety of content, ideas, tone (whether it be formal or casual) and the special effects used. First there’s the idea of Just One More Book, a podcast broadcasted from a local coffee shop, which promotes and celebrates literacy and children’s books - how wonderful that the entire family engages in discussions together. There’s Karen’s Mashups that provides excerpts from popular educational podcasts. And then there’s Ace Kids, a “radio show” type of project, where students present an assortment of information ranging from school events to work produced. By simply previewing several different podcasts, it’s quite evident that with a little bit of imagination, wonderful experiences may be shared and educational skills may be developed.

How does one create a podcast?

I was enlightened by a conversation with a fellow colleague, of her wonderful experiences working on a historical project with her Grade 11 students. In collaboration with CBC radio, the students developed a podcast presenting stories about our now inactive Seal Fishery. After conducting and recording interviews with seniors in the community, audio files were uploaded to the Audacity software and students worked together to edit and condense the material to create a three minute audio clip. Just as exemplified by my colleague, Richardson (2009) recommends using the Audacity program to record audio files as it is “... free, easy to use, and is a good audio-editing program as well” (p. 116).

With this information, I decided to try my hand at working with Audacity to create an audio file... and Podomatic to create a podcast...




How can podcasting help me as a learner?

Honestly, I had not considered it but podcasting is yet another excellent medium for learning. Whether it be in the field of education or other areas of interest such as music and cooking, podcasts provide a unique way of acquiring new information (and with a visual impairment, it’s a refreshing change from reading). Podcast directories such as Canada Podcasts, make finding this information easier. And once you find sites that produce podcasts on a regular basis (i.e. The Clever Sheep Podcast), you can subscribe through RSS feeds. This is definitely an area I am going to pursue.

How can I integrate this interesting tool into my classroom?

As an ELA, French and Music teacher, podcasting may help in keeping a running record of the students’ reading, speaking and performance skills.   Besides using podcasting as a final product to showcase new knowledge, "studemt podcasts can include interviews, dramatization of students' creative writing ( . . . )  and observations about the learning process." (Eash, 2006, p. 18).  Podcasts may be shared with parents  during open houses, formal interviews or on a class blog.

Seeing this would be my first attempt, however, at teaching/learning with this tool, my first hunch is to keep it simple. We (with an emphasis on I) are currently learning about the Daily 5, a program where teachers confer with small groups of students while the others work on literacy activities. To help address the Media literacy component in my Grade 5/6 class and the “listen to reading” component in the PreK – 2 class, I thought of presenting an “authentic” situation whereby the younger students were in need of some “audio” books to listen to. My students could create podcasts of themselves reading stories that may include music and imported sounds. Not only would listening to the stories help the younger children develop their attention and imagination but I’m certain they would be well entertained. From the other perspective, in preparing for the podcasts, my students may develop critical literacy skills in exploring and evaluating other podcasts whereby they “discuss the format used and the elements that were effective and ineffective”. (Lamb & Johnson, 2007, p. 61). Regarding the production aspect, they would develop skills such as reading fluency, openness to explore a new tool and take risks, and use of language specific to the resource.

How practical is this idea?

Until I get internet access in my classroom, not very practical. But once this glitch is ironed out, then I question things such as copyright. Reflecting on experiences of a fellow classmate, permission is required before reproducing copyrighted materials on the Web. Lamb & Johnson (2007) recommend “creat(ing) original works so that you do not have to worry about permission”. (p. 62). This is a viable option. Then there’s the question of “mastering” (?) the tool and finding the time to try it out, in depth, before implementing it in the classroom. As Richardon (2009) suggests, “... you need to experience what you are asking your students to do not only so you can support their technical use, but also so you understand what Web publishing really feels like” (p. 116).  I am motivated to give it a try... and am encouraging my colleague to do the same.  I think collaboration will take us much further.



References

Eash, E. (2006).  Podcasting 101 for K-12 libraries.  Computers in Libraries, 26(4), p. 16-21.

Lamb, A. & Johnson, L. (2007).  Podcasting in the school library, part 2:  creating powerful podcasts with your students.  Teacher Librarian 34(4), p. 61-64.

Richardson, W. (2009).  Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA; Corwin Press.