Podcasting

Aidan McCanny aidan.mccanny@selb.org clounagh.org

Learning Intentions To understand what a Podcast is To be aware of the uses of podcasting in the classroom To know how to create/modify a podcast using Audacity To examine ways of uploading a podcast.

– a portmanteau of iPod and Broadcasting What is podcasting? – a portmanteau of iPod and Broadcasting Podcasting is a new method of communication allowing anyone to create audio files and post them to the Internet. These audio files can be downloaded to a personal computer or handheld device such as an iPod. Podcasts can be subscribed to (using RSS feeds). Podcasting has developed to include video as well as audio.

Why podcast? There are: Billions of iPods, MP3 players, mobile phones Already 100s of thousands available for class use in every subject Students can already use this technology Because students are already familiar with the underlying technology, podcasting broadens educational options in a non threatening and easily accessible manner. iPod/MP3 player + Podcast=Anytime Learning

How do I find them? There are a number of websites dedicated to listing Podcasts with 1000s available for you to use in every subject. Some of the most famous Podcast sources include “iTunes”, Podcast Alley, Podzinger, “Yahoo Podcasts” etc. All can be found using a simple search with “Google” or any other “search engine”: “Educational Podcasts”, “Podcasts for Geography”

How do I find them? Google: “french educational podcast” produced:   Learn French with free... Learn French with free daily podcasts, brought to you by French teachers from Paris. Daily FrenchPod is an amazing effective and new way to learn French, combining daily podcast, a daily learning guide including review exercices, PDF transcript, keywords, audio and PDF vocabulary sheets and grammar tutorials, as well as a large community of students to practice with.

How do I get them? Once you have found a podcast, there will usually be a link under the programme description which will say something like “get episode” or “download episode”. You can simply download the podcast and save the mp3 file onto your own computer to listen to later. You can “subscribe” to them using iTunes for example and then each new episode will be downloaded automatically to your computer when it is ready.

www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts

iTunes - Demo

iTunes - Demo Get the podcast

Podcast samples

Podcast samples

Podcast samples

Podcast samples

Podcast samples A geography quiz !! Can you solve these clues?

Podcast samples A primary school students in action

Podcast samples Virtual Learning Environment

Listening Options Use your: Computer/Laptop An mp3 player or iPod Mobile phone Car stereo with a jack plug

Making your own podcasts In order to create and publish your podcast, there are a number of stages to follow: Design – who, what, theme, music, script, sfx Record Edit Host – publish with RSS, share Evaluate

Making your own podcasts You'll need... an external or internal microphone on your computer, MP3 player or mobile phone sound editing software such as Audacity* for PC or Garageband for Mac *(Audacity is an open source piece of software)

Recording Options Sony NWDB103BC 1GB drag & drop Mp3 player - black Buy new: £34.97* – (Argos)     7 Used & new from £17.99* - (Amazon.co.uk) (*March 08 prices)

Letting others hear your podcasts When you are finished you will want to give your audience the opportunity to hear your work. This can be done in a number of ways by uploading it to: a Virtual Learning Environment the School website a blog or a wiki a free hosting service – Podmatic, gcast Google Video with Photostory

Letting others hear your podcasts voki.com

Letting others hear your podcasts Podcasts along with Photostory

Students doing the podcasting Suggestions might include : Students could discuss the various stages involved in a science experiment. Let students read a play/poem with sound effects (e.g. door closing, footsteps). Let them interview a visitor to the school Record composition ideas in Music. In Home Economics, students explain how they used their recipe to produced their final dish. Record the various scenarios required for their orals in their language classes. Record their notes for their own revision purposes.

Create your own podcast The Task Your task is to: modify an existing podcast, add music and sound effects and record your own voice. Enjoy!

In Conclusion Do you know what a podcast is? Can you see the potential podcasts could have in the class room - especially in your subject area? With practice, would you be able to create a podcast?