The Power of Podcasting Student Expressed Learning

Check out what these kids did… 18T19_03_24-07_00 This is a poem written by Margaret Schroder from Nelson, New Zealand. Four clever and articulate children learned all about podcasting and created a number of them. Here is their rendition of Margaret’s poem.

Participatory Culture Unlike a few short years ago, our students are involved in a culture in which communicating globally is the norm. They share their ideas, concerns, beliefs and creations with an audience of both friends and strangers.

The Pew Internet & American Life project found that over half of teens using the internet are ‘content creators’. Bloggers (69% of teens) share their own creations: photos or videos, drawings and stories. They create webpages for themselves and friends. Their handiwork incorporates remixed online materials such as songs and videos that they have downloaded online. (Lenhardt & Madden, Oct, 2004)

The internet is a two-way street… Few barriers to artistic expression Strong support for sharing creations

Participatory culture offers: An informal mentoring relationship where knowledge and experience is passed on. Participants believe that their contribution matters. A social connection is created.

The Benefits include… Realization of the value of intellectual property Peer-to-Peer learning Supports cultural diversity Skills acquisition for the workplace Promotes community involvement Development of social skills through collaboration Expands research and technology skills that begin in the classroom

What is a podcast? iPod + Broadcast = Podcast “Podcasting is the method of distributing multimedia files over the Internet using RSS syndication formats for playback on mobile devices and personal computers.” J. Dorman, Do You Have the Audacity to Podcast?

FYI Technically, a podcast is only audio, but the term now also encompasses the use of video also (technically, a vodcast). For today’s session, we will focus on the audio podcast format to help you become familiar with how to design and incorporate it into your curriculum.

Let’s let Dr. Tyson, former principal of Mabry Middle School in Marietta, Georgia, give us a first-hand description of just how a podcast can be used in an educational setting. They have been very successful in producing a number of wonderful podcasts. /podcast-central/id

Why Use It? Creative outlet for sharing information Engaging tool for your students Students use 21 st century skills Supports differentiated learning Involves critical thinking skills Students control the product

How to Use It… Class events Student news Narratives Oral History Instructions Character creation Improve reading & speech Studycast Unit overview

More examples… A biology lesson via podcast: T20_10_21-08_00 An interview with Mr. Darcy: -interview.html -interview.html

Getting Started… 1. Choose Your Equipment You only need a microphone, some software and the ability to talk! Features of a good microphone Editing software – Audacity ( Music – Copyright free at

2.Plan Your Recording Consider your audience Name your podcast What is your purpose? What format will be used? How long will it be? Write a storyboard

3. Record the Podcast Let students practice reading their scripts aloud and often. It should be close to being memorized. Test the sound levels, try their voices and make adjustments. Remind your students to speak slowly and clearly, be quiet if you aren’t speaking, don’t move the mic or get too close to it and be interested in what you are saying because your voice will show it if you don’t.

4. Edit Your Recording Now is the time to cut out mistakes or those long periods of silence. Some rerecording may be necessary. Check the length…most podcasts are no more than 10 minutes long or people may become bored. Add music to the podcast. It can also be a great divider or transition between different speakers.

5. Upload Your Podcast Convert the file to MP3 format (the standard for podcasting). Upload the podcast with a descriptive words or tags. It can be put on a free site, your school website or on a blog. Test your podcast on an MP3 player to make sure it is ready to be seen by the world!

6. It’s Time to Publish! RSS files describe your podcasts and help provide a link so others can find it. You can promote your podcast on educational Podcast Directory so a large number of people can see it.

One way to find podcasts… Open iTunes Click “iTunes Store” on Left Click “Podcasts” Inside Window Click “Power Search” on Right Type in Keyword under Description Locate podcast by your interest

Resources Podcasting Communities Podcast Receiver/Players Audio Recording/Editing (Audacity) Music You Can Use Hosting Site Submitting Podcasts to iTunes st