Podcasts are treats for the ears! There is something for everyone whether it be a genre, topic, or even weird facts. There is a a wealth of information out there about how to make a use podcasts for a variety of uses. My students listen to a podcast every Wednesday to practice comprehension and inferencing and listening skills as well as for the sheer joy of listening to a really good story. They are so focused on the story of Mars Patel they don't realize they are naturally doing those skills until i ask them to write it down! One of my goals has been to start a book podcasting club on my campus, where students can talk to each other about the books they are reading and share it with other students (we are in the process of completing a grant for the equipment!) in an authentic way.
Creating and listening to podcasts encourage students to use 21st century skills such as creating, researching, speaking, and writing for an authentic audience. Students can be challenged to write concise and clear pieces of writing to share with listeners. They also might have to explore different types of resources and verify the authenticity of the information.
Below I have given some of my favorite podcasts to use with my students and to enjoy myself to help me grow as a professional. There are so many great ones out there just a search away but here are a few to get you started!
Podcast Recommendations:
Podcasts have so much to offer both kids and adults! Listen here for a podcast created about Podcasts and Book Trailers (made using Spotify for Podcasters).
Here are three programs that are good for creating and hosting your own podcasts:
Spotify for Podcasters Review (Winner!)
https://podcasters.spotify.com/
After reading the instructions for this assignment, I went to the website that was given for
“Best Podcast Hosting”. There was one mentioned called Anchor, so I decided to check it out.
It’s now called “Spotify for Podcasters”. It looked super easy to work with.
There weren’t a lot of bells and whistles on the page. It was very streamlined and simple.
I already had a Spotify account, so it was easy to sign on. I played around on it for a little bit to familiarize myself.
I couldn’t see how to add people to host with you, so I googled it.
The only way to add friends to the podcast is on the app, not on the web version, so that was disappointing at
first. But once I got on the app on my phone (it's a completely separate app from the regular Spotify app),
it was so easy. All I had to do was click “invite friends” and I could send a text message link to whomever
I wanted and as soon as someone else joined, it started recording.
We decided to use this one since it was not complicated at all. We practiced once and made sure that we could
get it to save, etc. Then we just started recording. It was simple and once it was done, we could add music
(there was a lot to choose from in many different categories) and we could even easily upload our cover
art from Canva. All-in-all, it was a great, stress-free experience. I would definitely use it again!
RedCircle Review
RedCircle is a podcasting program and site that has a variety of plans spending on the level of your experience.
You have to create an account before you are able to use the site and the free trial lasts for 7 days.
Plan prices range from $20 a month to $30 a month as well as offering a professional plan.
While this can be frustrating if you like the program it is a good amount of time to get to know the program.
I signed up for the “Growth Plan” which has the most basic features and felt like a good place to start.
(You do have to put in a credit card, so make sure to cancel before you are charged).
It asks for you to create a title and description of your podcast as the first step which can be frustrating when
you just want to explore the features or just want to get started recording.
This is more of a hosting site as opposed to a creation site. Once you create your podcast in general you are
then able to go and create episodes. You record using your phone or another recording program and then
upload your audio to the site to be hosted. You can then upload artwork for the episode
( this can be created on Canva and uploaded, it also needs to be 1400x1400 pixels or it will not upload)
and a description. You are then given options to embed the episode and to access analytic to measure listener
engagement. While this program is easy to use for storing and managing your podcasts, it is not great for
creating them. There are no editing or recording features, at least on the growth plan.
I would recommend one of the others mentioned in the list to create your podcasts.
BuzzSprout
In an article provided, it stated that BuzzSprout was a free and easy to use application.
After visiting the website it seemed user friendly to use and is appealing to the eye.
It did have some unique features such as customizable podcasts, hosting multiple shows in one account,
and listening on other directories for Podcasts (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, etc.) to name a few features.
It does also offer a free account that users could use with limited features of course, and it provided options to
upgrade. The pricing plans that are available as seen in the picture below range from $12 to $24 a month.
In reviewing the different plans, I did notice some cons in using this website. With the free account,
it only allowed 2 hours for the month to upload and after 90 days it was deleted.
As the plans progressed the time limit for uploading within the month increased along with its pros.
However, the pricing kept increasing as well in addition to what the monthly payment was.
If wishing to use magic mastering or an AI cohost it was an additional charge to the monthly payment.
Overall, although BuzzSprout is a user friendly website the free account is very limited in options and storage
where work does not get saved for a long period of time if you ever wish to revisit it.
Lastly, it seems like it will get pricey in the end if a user needs to upgrade or add any additional resources.
Resources
BuzzSprout pricing. (n.d.). https://www.buzzsprout.com/pricing
Garcia, J. (2022, March 16). Best Podcast Hosting 13 Free and Paid Platforms Tested
and Compared. Tooltester. https://www.tooltester.com/en/blog/podcast-hosting/
Host your podcast & grow your revenue. (n.d.). https://redcircle.com/
Spotify for podcasters. (n.d.). Spotify for Podcasters. https://podcasters.spotify.com/
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST
Animoto: Free online video maker. (n.d.). [Video]. Animoto Video Maker - Stand Out on Social Media. Easily. https://animoto.com/
Apple Podcasts. (2023, May 17). Sold a story on Apple podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sold-a-story/id1649580473
Canva. (n.d.-b). Canva. https://www.canva.com/
Mars Patel Podcast – A serialized mystery podcast for kids. (n.d.). https://www.marspatel.com/
Thank you for your thoughtful post! There is a lot of value in podcasting for students. It's a great way to process learning, and a lot of fun in the mean time. I enjoyed your editing and attention to detail in your podcast. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love how you said that "podcasts are treats for the ears!" There are so many different opportunities for students to be able to enjoy ones that they can relate to.
ReplyDeleteKaitlyn, it was great working on the podcast with you! You gave such great insight about using podcasts in the classroom and I can't wait to add it to my plans in the spring!
ReplyDeleteHi Kaitlyn! Not only did I learn a lot about podcasts from your posts, but from your actual podcast as well! I like how you have recommendations designated for both professionals and students. I look forward to checking those out!
ReplyDelete