Podcasts
Podcasts have been one of the social media trends in the early 2000s. Podcasts are convenient because they are "on-the-go". You simply need a device and headphones. Educational podcasts are on the rise.
Podbean:
I used Podbean in the past for one of my other Library Science classes and it was extremely easy to navigate for a first time podcaster. Now, I am pretty comfortable with technology, so I liked the Podbean app. For those who are not used to social media, this might not be the right podcast app because there's a lot going on. Podbean resembles news and social media sites, in that it has scrolling podcast recommendations, ability to like and comment on others' podcasts. This is my favorite podcast app, even after sampling the other two. Podbean has amazing features that the other two apps do not have. I decided to use Podbean to record my podcast.
Strengths:
Soundcloud:
Now, I have used Soundcloud for listening when my favorite artists release new songs, but I've never used it to create podcasts.
Strengths:
I had never heard of Audioboom before, but I loved how simple the layout is and how easy it is to navigate. This is a great podcast app for first time users who plan to do short and sweet podcasts, because recording time is limited to 10 minutes for each podcast.
Strengths:
Where to find Educational Podcasts:
On Podbean, the podcasts are broken down into categories. One of the categories is Education and features podcasts from Grammar Girl, TED Talks Daily, TED Ed and more.
How to use Podcasts in School Libraries:
I think one of the challenges would be getting teachers to listen to podcasts created by the school librarian. Teachers already feel that there is not enough time in the day to get everything done. I know it would be a challenge to expect them to listen to a podcast at school. Students would enjoy creating podcasts to demonstrate learning.
Podbean:
I used Podbean in the past for one of my other Library Science classes and it was extremely easy to navigate for a first time podcaster. Now, I am pretty comfortable with technology, so I liked the Podbean app. For those who are not used to social media, this might not be the right podcast app because there's a lot going on. Podbean resembles news and social media sites, in that it has scrolling podcast recommendations, ability to like and comment on others' podcasts. This is my favorite podcast app, even after sampling the other two. Podbean has amazing features that the other two apps do not have. I decided to use Podbean to record my podcast.
Strengths:
- downloaded as an app on my phone
- podcasts are broken into categories
- features audiobooks on the app as well!
- users can add background music to podcasts!
- each podcast recording is limited to 1 1/2 hour, which is plenty of time for educators.
- features popular podcasts, updated daily
- record button pops up at the bottom of screen as you scroll, so it is easily accessible on home screen
- a lot of extra distractions on the app (sliding podcast recommendations, similar to sliding news on Yahoo). This can be a bit overwhelming for new podcasters.
Soundcloud:
Now, I have used Soundcloud for listening when my favorite artists release new songs, but I've never used it to create podcasts.
Strengths:
- downloaded as an app on my phone
- easy to navigate
- more like a social media podcast (encourages you to follow others, like their podcasts)
- high popularity which might allow for more followers, which results in more listens
- record icon is not on home screen (users will click on their account menu to record)
- 3 hours of recording space total on account
I had never heard of Audioboom before, but I loved how simple the layout is and how easy it is to navigate. This is a great podcast app for first time users who plan to do short and sweet podcasts, because recording time is limited to 10 minutes for each podcast.
Strengths:
- downloaded as an app on my phone
- includes categories to customize interests and find topics easily
- aesthetically pleasing (colorful)
- very easy to use, easy to find where to press to record (on home screen, top right corner, record "square" icon)
- not many distractions (ads, other podcast links, etc)
- simple layout
- limited to only 10 minute podcasts
- basic
Where to find Educational Podcasts:
On Podbean, the podcasts are broken down into categories. One of the categories is Education and features podcasts from Grammar Girl, TED Talks Daily, TED Ed and more.
How to use Podcasts in School Libraries:
I think one of the challenges would be getting teachers to listen to podcasts created by the school librarian. Teachers already feel that there is not enough time in the day to get everything done. I know it would be a challenge to expect them to listen to a podcast at school. Students would enjoy creating podcasts to demonstrate learning.
- Students can record podcasts over books they'd like to recommend to each other.
- Librarian and students can record steps in the research process. Students can lead a discussion on the podcast about the Big 6 research steps and teach younger grades about it.
- Students can explain their thought process while working on Makerspace activities
- Students can record an explanation of various areas of the Dewey Decimal system, and place a QR code that links to the podcast in that specific location in the library (Ex: post a QR code in the 811s for poetry, other students can scan code to hear what is in that section)
I enjoyed your podcast on how to find a good fiction summary. This would be such a great resource to bring into the library. I really liked using podbean and enjoyed that it was very easy to use and could be easily embedded to the library blog or website. I like the idea of students being able to create podcast and be part of the process. I love your idea of having students lead a discussion on the podcast and teaching younger grades about the topic or research. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that getting the teachers to listen to podcasts is the biggest challenge, not because they don't think it will be useful but because they have so many other things on their plate. This is where creativity and collaboration kick in. Maybe if we collaborate with the teacher and record the podcasts in their room to include them, it becomes a fun activity to tie in to an assignment that they have assigned. If we help them do the first ones and show them how to listen to them and grade them, then maybe it will be used again. I don't think that teachers don't consider podcasts as an assignment because they don't like it, I think that many are probably not familiar with them. So it's time to raise awareness and show them how to use these other tools that can easily be graded. I see this type of assignment being more popular with middle or high school though. Great job!
ReplyDelete