Podcasts

Podcasts are an excellent choice for educators to engage students and to teach information instead of having students read a textbook. Jonathan Messinger, cochair of Kids Listen and creator of the sci-fi adventure podcast The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian, puts it well by saying that “having no screen or visual in front of them lets kids’ imagination take over and run the show, and the intimacy of listening—hearing the voice or voices of the show’s presenter—really makes them feel like they’re a part of what’s unfolding. It’s immersive.”

There are a plethora of podcasts available to have your students listen to, but you can also make your own! This gives you the freedom to discuss any topic you wish and even including the students themselves. It's possible to even allow the students to record and publish their very own podcasts for an assignment. There are many sites available that allow you to upload your podcast for public or private listening. I have taken the time to discuss three popular sites:

Soundcloud

I was a bit turned off to this site at first because it seems to be geared toward sharing music more than podcast hosting. It seems a lot like YouTube except it has music clips instead of videos. As I explored the site, everything I found to listen to was music. I had to dig for the podcasts. However, this site is easy to use and upload a recorded podcast to. After first choosing Podomatic (reviewed below), I ultimately chose Soundcloud for my own podcast because there is an option to upload directly from GarageBand. Once the audio file is uploaded, you can add tags, an image, and title. You can also share the podcast via various social media sites, email, or embedding a link. One negative of this site is that there is some questionable content. Within minutes of joining I had a few followers, all of which had images of very scantily-clad women as their profile pictures. Also, some of the songs within the site contain explicit lyrics. Overall it seems geared more toward adults, but may be suitable for older students.

Podomatic

What I like most about this site is that it is very straightforward and easy to use. I was able to quickly create an account and get straight to publishing a podcast. I also like that there is plenty of help offered on the site. As you are moving through the process of publishing your first podcast, there are helpful links to articles walking you through the process. To me, the biggest downside is that you have to record your podcast elsewhere and then upload to the site. Since mine was recorded in GarageBand, it took a few extra steps to convert it to be upload able to Podomatic. As far as a site for listening to podcasts, I like that it breaks the content down into two categories: Music and Talk. From there you can choose a genre like Education or Kids & Family. However, I found it difficult to find quality content just by browsing. 

Audioboom

This is my least favorite of the three sites I reviewed. Although it is geared toward podcasts, it is limited in the types of podcasts offered for free listening and it requires that you pay a minimum of $9.99 a month to upload and activate your podcast.

My Podcast

I asked my daughter and her friend (6th and 7th graders) to create a podcast. We decided the topic would be to compare movies vs. books. They both have rather strong feelings about both:

Listen here!

Podcasts in the Library
One of my favorite types of podcasts to listen to are readers' advisory podcasts. What is more fun than listening to book reviews, book talks, and what-to-read-next suggestions?! I think this would be an excellent tool for a school librarian to use in the library to get students excited about reading. Not only can you record yourself as the librarian or teacher suggesting books, but students can take ownership and do the same. One challenge would be in accessing the podcasts. You would have to decide how you can make them accessible for listening. One possibility would be to create a QR Code linking students to the podcast episodes for listening on their own time. You could also play them for the classes as they come to visit the library. I also love the idea mentioned in Prime Time for Podcasts (https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=prime-time-podcasts) where libraries can host "podcast petting zoos where iPads are set up with downloaded episodes of various podcasts with signs next to each describing the series.

Some of My Favorite Educational Podcasts
1. What Should I Read Next - Anne Bogel (author of The Modern Mrs. Darcy blog best-selling book I'd Rather Be Reading) hosts this series full of book recommendations and all things bookish.
2. Read-Aloud Revival - Sarah Mackenzie hosts this series encouraging parents to connect to their children through reading.
3. Adventures in YA - Book recommendations for Young Adults
4. Book Club for Kids - Kitty Felde hosts this series where young readers talk about books. Each episode includes a celebrity reading and an interview with the author.
5. Brains On! - Scientists answer questions submitted by kids.
6. All the Wonders - Children's book podcast
7. The Past and The Curious- History tales for kids.
8. Tumble - Stories of science discovery for the whole family.