Whatever the case may be there are many benefits of using podcasts in classrooms and libraries. We all know that students do not always learn in the same way. Podcasts are perfect for auditory learners. Podcasts also allow teachers and librarians to differentiate lessons for students. For example, modifications for Special Education students and Limited English Learners dictate that the education system needs to differentiate classroom and library instruction. Podcasts can meet these needs by allowing students to have extended support. If they do not understand the lesson the first time they can have access to it as many times as they need because it is a podcast.
Podcasts also allow librarians to train teachers and students in a cost effective way. Librarians can offer for teachers staff development. Staff development through podcasts is perfect because a lot of times finding the time to schedule these training sessions can be very difficult. If librarians offer staff development with podcasts teachers have the convenience of listening whenever they have the chance thus making it more likely those teachers will react positively to the training because they do not feel like something is being forced upon them. When training students using podcasts librarians can record podcasts about different topics such as library orientation, how to find books using the online catalog, or how to use databases. Really the trainings librarians can offer teachers and students using podcasts are endless.
The best part of podcasts is that they do not necessarily need to be created exclusively by the teacher or librarian. Podcasts can be created by students as well. For example students can create podcasts that promote the library and the services the library offers, book talks, or research findings.
When creating a podcast there are many free options available to users. Today I will be discussing Audioboom, Podomatic, Soundcloud, and Audacity. I created a free account for all of the programs mentioned and I explored each one individually. First I will start with Audioboom. What I liked about Audioboom is that it allows you to upload an audio file that you already recorded or it allows you to record audio. Unfortunately every time I tried recording audio when I played it back the sound was warped and in slow motion. For some reason my microphone headset did not work with Audioboom and for a while I thought maybe something was wrong with my headset, but when I used the same microphone headset with the other programs it worked perfectly. I have to caution users that if you create a free account with Audioboom your podcasts can only last up to 10 minutes each which can be a deal breaker for someone who needs to record a longer podcast. So for me personally Audioboom was not for me and I would not highly recommend it to users. The next program I tried was Podomatic and I did not like it at all. I created a free account and after several attempts and an hour later I was never really able to use it. The page would not load properly and the program kept kicking me off the account I had created. Every time I tried to click on something so that I could navigate the site it would ask me to login again. I was not even able to try recording any audio therefore I found that the site was not user friendly and I also would not recommend it. The next podcast site I tried was Soundcloud and it was great. It was easy to use and navigate. I found it to be user friendly. Soundcloud allows you to upload an audio file previously recorded or the site allows you to record and save a file to upload. After uploading a previously recorded file or one that was just recorded, Soundcloud gives you access to the link or the embed code so you can share you podcast. The only drawback I found in Soundcloud is that when I uploaded my podcast file it did take a while to upload and process the clip. I would definitely recommend Soundcloud to users who are interested in creating podcasts because it is very user friendly. The last program I want to talk about is Audacity. For me personally Audacity is very easy to use, but I must caution you that Audacity does require users to download an additional piece of free software so that the audio clip can be converted to an mp3 file. I must warn you that the additional software needed has a really unique name, but it works really well. The software that works in conjunction with Audacity is called LAME, and it is an mp3 encoder. I have to be truly honest what took me a few hours to record with the other three programs only took me about 10 minutes to do with Audacity. After recording and saving the audio to your computer users will need to upload it to a host site such as Podbean. Although Audacity requires an additional piece of software and a host site I would still recommend it to users because it works and it is user friendly. Ultimately the two best podcasts that I recorded were the ones done using Soundcloud and Audacity. For this blog I will share the podcast that I recorded using Audacity because it is my tool of preference and because when I was recording the podcast using Soundcloud my cell phone started buzzing and you can hear the buzzing in the background.
With this assignment I was able to explore other options in podcasting. I also learned the wonderful ways that teachers and librarians can use podcasts in their lessons. The important bit of information that we must always remember is that we must find different ways to try to reach our students. Podcasts can offer different learning experiences for students as well as they are a creative way to keep students engaged in the lesson.
To access my podcast click on the link below:
The Gypsy Librarian Podcast for Narrative Essay Hooks
Dulce,
ReplyDeleteYes podcasts are great for the shy individual. From the 4 students that read for, one of them is shy, but you could not tell. She said she felt comfortable because no one was watching her.
Loved the different examples of the "hooks" for the topic on bullying.
I love your ideas for hooks, writing is always hard!
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