Have you ever heard of Podcasting? I actually first discovered podcasting several years ago, because I got an iPod, but I never really got into it as a listener and it certainly never occurred to me that I could create podcasts. To be clear: I haven't started podcasting...but I still think its pretty cool! The International Podcast Day website says that podcasting began in 2004 with two men named Adam Curry and Dave Winer, and the actual term podcasting was first used by Ben Hammersley in an article exploring the then new phenomenon. It became popular enough that U.S. president George W. Bush had his weekly address distributed via podcast (IPD: Podcasting Historical timeline). I think podcasting took a bit of a hit with the rise of YouTube and vlogging in particular, especially with teenage audiences. It has remained relevant however, especially with young professionals. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, the Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines it simply as thus: Its difficult to define podcast beyond this simple definition because there is such variety among them. There are comedic podcasts, lifestyle podcasts, historical podcasts, musical podcasts, even podcasts about podcasting! The kind that I find myself interested in nowadays though, are education podcasts.
She made it sound exciting and easy, but I recognize that this is a serious commitment to her and she works hard at it. It was an amazing opportunity to get to hear about podcasting and the exciting connections to my professional life as a future educator, from someone who is in a position so similar to me! Feel free to click the buttons to head on over to her Twitter and/or site. The other podcast/blog/broadcast station that I was introduced to in my class is VoiceEd Radio. Holy moly what a goldmine. They describe themselves as "an adventure that not only allows for the sharing of education-related content from across the country and around the world, but it also allows any Canadian with something to contribute to create their own content, host a radio show or broadcast live from their school or community" (voiceEd.ca). How cool is that?! There are recorded podcasts, voice blogs, and live broadcasts available on their site, all focussing on the field of education in Canada. Sarah Lalonde is also a key participant in this endeavor. Anyone involved or interested in education should investigate. As mentioned above, I was not so adventurous as to start my own podcast. Friends of mine however, did participate in one of Sarah's podcast episodes, as did my professor in another. Guest speaking in someone else's podcast then, is a good way to get involved. I started much smaller. I, among others in my class, recorded my voice (eek!) in a short bumper for VoiceEd Radio! You can find the bumpers here. For me, simply recording my voice and hearing it back was a big enough step for now! I think this is an awesome way to introduce the skills of podcasting in a relatively non-scary way. I learned how to pace myself so that I was not talking at super-speed, and it was my first experience with sound recording software. As I was thinking about this blog post, I thought this would be a great way to bring it into the classroom/school. Imagine how cool it would be to have 'radio bumpers' recorded by students played before the announcements every morning? I think students would feel pretty important being part of something like that! Research projects in the classroom could be based around podcasting as a presentation technique as well. I can imagine a class-wide 'podcast' in which the teacher calls on students guests to speak on certain subjects (research topics) for a minute or so. The 'podcast(s)' could then be shared with parents or even other classrooms. In a similar manner, students could create their own 'podcasts' about a certain research topic, to be shared with the teacher. In my (admittedly limited) experience this is done sometimes with video presentations, but I know that I would be a least a bit more comfortable omitting the recorded visual and only venturing into the audio. Jumping back to school-wide endeavors for a minute, it would also be pretty cool if there was a school podcast available to students and parents. Students could record themselves chatting about current events, within the school, community, or world (depending on their age/experience). It would be a great way for students to have a voice, and to make that voice heard by a large audience. I picture this as an extracurricular or a club of some sort! I think it would be awesome if teachers could get into podcasting for their schools or classrooms as well, though I certainly know that they have enough on their plates already! As someone who isn't *yet* into the role, its also difficult to imagine ways that this could work. Maybe just a quick podcast outlining what the class is doing that month? Maybe a quick, one minute podcast each week in which the teacher and a student tell a joke? It would totally depend on the teacher! Overall now that I have been reintroduced to the concept, I think that podcasting is an opportunity and/or experience that many people, teachers and students in particular, are missing out on! It would be a great teaching and learning opportunity, and I've outlined some reasons/ideas here - though I didn't even really touch on the technological aspects of it - but there are so many more! Beyond that too, there is a lot to be gained from podcasts as a listener. You may not be the type to go right out and become a podcaster, but I urge you to at least go find some to try listening to! Enjoy!
Works cited: "Podcasting Historical Timeline and Milestones." (2018). International Podcast Day. Accessed 15 February 2018. https://internationalpodcastday.com/podcasting-history/. "Our VoiceEd Story." (2017). VoiceEd Radio. Accessed 20 February 2018. https://voiced.ca/about-voiced-ca/. "Podcast." (2 February 2018). Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Accessed 15 February 2018. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/podcast.
1 Comment
2/26/2018 02:20:04 pm
It's amazing how podcasts have ebbed and flowed into your consciousness. I'm hoping this will lead to more engagement as you become more comfortable in this space - especially if you are doing podcasts with students in your classroom. The beauty of podcasts is that YOU can chose the audience, media, text and production - full control and agency in the creating and media making. Are you up for another podcast making session?
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AuthorCassy. Teacher in training, student, reading enthusiast, and dog mom. Archives
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