Information Skill of the Month

School Library Media Activities Monthly/Volume XXIII, Number 7/March 2007

Podcasting 101

by Kristin Fontichiaro

When I was in first grade, I could go to the recording corner of my classroom and dictate stories or other information into a cassette recorder. Sitting in the quiet corner, confidently speaking what was on my mind, I felt empowered, grown up, and expert, and I signed off each of my recording sessions with "This is Kristin Fontichiaro in Room 102" just as a real reporter might do on TV. These past feelings rushed back to me when I first heard about podcasting in the classroom.

What Is a Podcast?

A podcast is an audio file recorded on a computer and later shared with others. (The term "podcast" comes from combining the words "iPod" with "broadcast.") A microphone can be plugged into a computer microphone or USB jack and by using free or inexpensive software, multiple tracks can be recorded, making it easy to layer background music or sound effects over spoken text or narration. The digital format of podcasts makes editing errors or adding sound effects fast and easy. The real power, however, lies in sharing the final product. Podcasts aren't restricted to iPods since they can be uploaded to a web space, linked on a blog, burned to a CD, shared with parents and staff via email, downloaded to an mp3 player, or fed automatically into podcast-retrieving software like iTunes.

Well-designed podcasting projects help students develop oral fluency, write with an audience in mind, develop a "writer's voice," and increase confidence. Podcasting projects such as radio plays and mock news broadcasts invite high-level thinking and ask students to synthesize and showcase learning. Students are excited by this accessible technology and motivated to do great work for a real-world audience.

Equipment Needed

Podcasting equipment is very inexpensive. PC users with operating systems of Windows 98 or later can buy a combination microphone/headphone set for less than $10 and download the Audacity recording software for free (see Useful Websites). Mac users will need a more expensive USB microphone with the price starting at around $40. The Audacity software is available for Mac users with OS 9 or later. They can also use the fun and full-featured Garage Band that ships with new Mac computers. Lectures can be recorded with a wireless lapel microphone that costs around $150 and allows lecturers to move about the classroom while their presentations are recorded by the computer. Audio recording accessories such as these can turn newer-model iPods into portable recording studios.

If finances, however, prevent an equipment purchase, set up a free account with gabcast.com. Call Gabcast's toll-free number and leave a voice mail. After you review what has been recorded, Gabcast turns your message into an audio file online—an instant podcast! It will even post it to your blog.

Instructions for installing and using these options are available on each program's respective website (see Useful Websites).

Podcasting Projects for Beginners

When you begin podcasting, start simply by recording one child's voice at a time. As your confidence increases, add multiple voices, sound effects, or theme music. The following project designs for podcasting can be implemented quickly and easily.

Create a Class CD. Invite elementary students to record their research projects or creative writing stories. Create a separate audio file for each student. Burn the class's work onto a CD. An added benefit for elementary students is that reading aloud often doubles as an editing tool. As they read, students can find typographical, spelling, or grammar errors that might otherwise have been overlooked. Throw a launch party for this project during parent-teacher conferences!

Audio Tour. Visitors to museums can often take an audio tour of special exhibits. This idea can be used to invite a student to walk through your new school, an art show, or a book fair and narrate the highlights for visitors. Transfer the script for this tour onto an iPod or mp3 player for visitors.

Interview. PC users can purchase a Y-adapter that will allow two sets of headphones and microphones to feed into a single jack. This allows two people's voices to be recorded onto a single track. Invite a student to interview a school visitor such as an author, parent, fire fighter, dentist, college representative, superintendent, or politician. As a variation, create literature-based interviews in which one student plays a reporter and the other is the author, illustrator, or character from a book. Post the project on the Web for the community to enjoy.

Newscast. Invite students to research and co-host a school radio broadcast. You can also ask students to research a moment in history and report "live from the scene."

Students with Special Needs. Students who struggle with writing can quickly dictate assignments. Other students who, according to their IEPs, need to have tests read aloud can have them prerecorded onto an iPod so they feel "cool" instead of "different."

Foreign Language Practice. Foreign language teachers can use the Audacity software to record a series of questions for students to answer and leave a pause for responses after each question. The student can then open the file and configure Audacity to play back the teacher's track while recording responses onto a second track (FILE > PREFERENCES > AUDIO I/O > Check "Play other tracks while recording").

Radio Play. Ask students to recreate a moment from literature or to use research to create a radio play of historical fiction. Use student-created sound effects (or the sound effects built into Garage Band) to add dimensionality to the performance. The website CreativeCommons.org can also be accessed to find music that does not require special permission to use in podcasts.

Podcasting and Personal Safety

Because digitally recorded audio projects can be transmitted so easily and cheaply, it is difficult to control exactly who will hear them. Consequently, for personal safety, students should use only first names or a pseudonym and should not include identifying details such as last names, addresses, student sports teams, or names of community or religious organizations. If a blanket media permission form is not already in place in your district, send a permission slip home to parents.

Conclusion

Podcasting is so simple to create, yet has so many potential uses. I think students and teachers in your school will be hooked! "This is Kristin Fontichiaro in Room 102."

References

Fontichiaro, Kristin. Active Learning through Drama, Podcasting, and Puppetry. Libraries Unlimited, 2007 (forthcoming).

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