Podcasting
Podcasting is a wonderful way of allowing children to
share their real voice and experiences with a partner
school.
What is a podcast?
A podcast is like a radio show. However, instead of being
broadcast live, a podcast is recorded, edited and then
distributed over the internet. You can also include image files,
video and documents as part of the podcast.
The webspaces we have listed such as iEARN, eTwinning, and
eLanguages will all be able to support podcasts (most prefer MP3,
but some, such as eLanguages will take other file types as
well).
Why make a podcast or a vidcast?
- It's great for developing literacy skills
(organising thoughts, writing scripts, setting up interviews
etc).
- It's even better for presentation skills.
- In MFL, children can benefit hugely from
speaking to and listening to an peer group fluent in the
target language.
- They are great for developing teamwork skills.
The children always work together really well, as they're always
keen to make a great show.
How to make a podcast
Kent NGFL aim to support both teachers and pupils in the use of
ICT across the curriculum by providing pages of resources, lesson
ideas and links to 'safe' websites on the internet. Kent NGFL's Podcasting
Guide gives useful information on how implement
a podcast, including information on podcast channels that are
available.
Audacity is free and allows
you to record your show and then export it as an mp3 file. You can
then upload this to your school website.
Assignment podcast is a free tutorial and tool for
teachers - very quick and simple to follow
Poducate Me is a free
online manual for teachers - more detail
Check out who will publish your podcasts using
the Comparison table.
Examples of school podcasts
- Mussleburgh Grammar
School - An great school blog with
innovative podcasts.
- Radio
Sandaig - This team of primary children in Scotland
produce a fantastic podcast with news, jokes, stories and
competitions.
- DownsFM - The children at the Downs
CE Primary School always work really hard every week to write their
own scripts, create jingles, record news, interviews and much
more.
Where to find educational podcasts
There are also lots of educational podcasts that you can
download to use in the classroom, or direct students to for their
research. Below are a selection of the best sources of suitable
podcasts.
The
Education Podcast Network is an effort to
bring together into one place, the wide range of podcast
programming that may be helpful to teachers looking for content to
teach with and about, and to explore issues of teaching and
learning in the 21st century.
Radiowaves is a wonderful and
inspirational site where schools share their podcast work. It helps
you to start a school radio station, gives support with audio work,
and would be ideal for using with a partner school.
Charges
apply