Podcasts

Listening and speaking skills are more crucial now than ever before.  I have been an avid Podcast listener for a while now, but didn't actually realize just how many there or are available.  I enjoy the short amounts of information without the distraction of images or videos - just the sound of someone's voice.  Real talk.  Podcasts have been around longer than most people realize, but their increasing popularity may be due to the ease of accessibility and variety of content available now.  Podcast creators can reach a wide range of audiences all over the world.  With the current focus on authentic audience as part of the learning process, podcasts are a useful educational tool!  The information available to students via podcasts is expansive, but it should go beyond being only a consumer.  Students can and should also contribute to the learning community through this 21st century tool. 

Soundcloud

I have some experience with Soundcloud as a means of sharing audio for a variety of purposes with my church.  The user is able to upload and/or record sounds.  It's relatively user friendly, and I like that you have the option of making it public or private (accessible through a shared link).  There is a schedule feature that could be helpful if you were interested in scheduling publication of future podcasts.  I love any site that you can sign up for through your Google account, and Soundcloud offers this.  The free option allows the user up to three hours of audio uploads.  You can upgrade for $5 a month to increase this amount of storage.  Podcast creation is as easy as uploading an audio file.  It would be even better if this site had a direct record feature like the other two sites I evaluated.  You can search for other users and topics within the program just like with other podcast services.  The downside to using this at school is that the site also allows for searching music stations.  I would prefer the students focus on creating podcasts or searching for relevant topics. 


Audioboo

Audioboo is a free social podcasting platform with a 3 minute length limit. One great thing is that you only need to sign up if you want to keep track of or share your podcasts, otherwise there is no account required to simply use the site as a consumer.  Sharing of your published podcasts can easily be done through Facebook or Twitter.  This is an especially appealing feature because of how easy it makes for parents to be able to access podcasts.  Titles, tags, and a photo can be added to the recording as well.  One thing to be aware of is the ability to add a geotag, so I would ensure close monitoring so that students avoid doing this prior to uploading any of their own created content.  Despite the ability to make the podcast private, the ability the geolocation issue would cause me to hesitate to consider this app as useful in school.  


Podbean

PodBean is a podcast publishing service which offers both free and premium accounts. The free account enables you to create up to a 90 minute podcast. The user has the ability to customize the look of the podcast by choosing from a variety of theme.  A customizable widget sidebar is even available.  Users can browse by topic using the search feature and easily keep up with content of interest.  The support option offers video tutorials and even put in a help ticket.  I did not see this feature with the other apps.  

I have already used this site several times and found it extremely user friendly every time.  Your mp3 can be directly uploaded into the file manager and then imported directly to the site.  Podbean also has phone app that can be downloaded and used to directly record your podcast.  Podbean is my overall pick for most user friendly podcast service.  With a simple, clean look, it is easy to navigate.  Direct recording through the use of their app is also a huge plus.  

I used Podbean to make this book talk podcast:

  


Using Podcasts in the Library

There are so many seamless ways to interweave with literacy. Here are some ideas I came across that I think would be engaging for the students:

• Create a news source for their peers about upcoming events in the school and community
• Summarize books they've read to show understanding on key concepts
• Create tutorials explaining how to access resources in the library
• Using podcasts as a way to do book talks would be fun and informative
• Interview people from a different country and share information about various cultures to celebrate diversity
• Record and broadcast group discussions from book clubs

Podcasts can also be a great tool for classroom organization.  They can be used to catch up absent students by creating a podcast with what they missed and sharing the link with them.  Class discussions can even be recorded to keep track of student understanding.  An audio newsletter to the community could be sent out in podcast form and help to promote all the great things happening in the library.  

The use of the app to record directly makes podcast creation so much faster and easier.  This is the number one thing I would look for in a service.  This eliminates the steps of having to record, download, then upload - which younger students might struggle with.  The biggest hurdle in podcast creation would be ensuring student privacy.  


Want to listen to some other podcasts?

To help you locate educational podcasts, most podcast services have search features that allow you to search by topic. Edutopia is also a great resource that offers a list of the top educational podcasts each year. Check out some great podcasts below! 

Wow in the World - a podcast focused on science topics for kids 

Book Club for Kids - book talks for kids

Brains On - a variety of topics offered that pique the curiosity of young learners