Podcasts

The importance of listening and speaking skills is crucial now, more than ever. I had never realized how many podcasts there are out there, or the fact that so many people listened to them. There is something special about not being distracted by images or videos; just listening to the sound of someone's voice. Although they have been around for decades, the ease in which they can be accessed and the variety of content is making them increasingly popular. Students are able to reach a wide range of audiences both locally and all over the world.  With the push for authentic learning and audiences, podcasts are a great educational tool! There is a wealth of educational information available to students through podcasts, but rather than just being a consumer of information, they can also contribute to the learning community.


Soundcloud

You can upload sounds or record sounds. It's relatively easy to use. I like that you can make it public or private (selectively shared with a link.) I saw that it also offered a schedule feature which would be helpful in scheduling future podcasts. It was pretty easy to sign up for, requiring only a valid email or Google account. There is a free account option which allows up to three hours of audio uploads. If you want to upgrade, you can pay $5 a month. To create your podcast, the user will need to upload their audio file. I wish this site had a direct record feature like the other two sites I evaluated. Just like with other podcast services, you can search for other users and topics using the search feature. Although this site was relatively easy to use, I didn't like that you could also search for music stations. I would want the students to focus on creating the podcasts.


Audioboo

Audioboo is a free social podcasting platform. The podcasts are limited to three minutes in length. One great thing is that you don't have to sign up to use it, but if you want to get track of your podcasts and share them, signing up will be needed. Once your podcast is published, you can easily share through Facebook and Twitter. This makes this particular app appealing because it can be more easily accessed by parents. You can add titles, tags, and a photo to the recording. One thing I would be careful with is that you can add geolocation information, so I would make sure to monitor that as students upload. Even though the app does allow the user to make the podcast private, the geolocation issue would deter me from picking this app.


Podbean

PodBean is a podcast publishing service which offers both free and premium accounts. With your free account, you can create up to a 90 minute podcast. You can customize the look of your podcast, choosing between a variety of themes. It also includes a sidebar for your widgets that you can customize. The search feature allows you to browse other podcasts by topic, which will make it easy to keep up with content that you are interested in following. Another great feature about this site is the support option. It allows you to watch video tutorials and put in a help ticket.

I have used this particular site several times, and it is so easy to use! You can upload mp3 directly to the file manager and upload them to the site. If you download the free Podbean app to your phone, you can use it to directly record your podcast. Overall, Podbean is my pick for the most user friendly podcast service. It is not overly cluttered, and is easy to navigate. I also liked the ease in which I was able to record my podcast directly, using their free app.

I used Podbean to make this book talk podcast:

Using Podcasts in the Library

There are so many uses that fit seamlessly with literacy. Here are some fun ideas I came across that I think would be highly 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

They can also be a very helpful tool for classroom organization too!  For example, if student is absent and you need to find a way to catch them up with the class, you can create a podcast with the important information and share it with the student. You could even record the class discussions to keep track of student understanding. A podcast can be an audio newsletter sent out to the community, as a means of promoting all of the great things happening in your library!

Recording your voice on the app makes creating a podcast so much easier and quicker. Be sure to use a service that has this feature. Without it, younger students might struggle a bit with having to record, download the audio file, and then upload it to the site. The challenge of creating podcasts would be ensuring student privacy. As noted about Audioboo, it's important to make sure any geological information is not used. Additionally, with limited technology access, it can be a bit more time consuming to consistently update podcasts.


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 also offers a list of the top educational podcasts each year. Looking for other great podcasts? Check these out!

Wow in the World
(This kid-specific podcasts focuses on science topics)

Book Club for Kids
(book talks for kids)

Brains On
(Range of topics based on curiosity)