4 Classroom Activities to Prepare Students for Podcasting
Bringing podcasting into the classroom is an exciting prospect. These audio projects allow students to express themselves creatively and authentically while demonstrating their understanding of classroom content. It can be tempting to jump into the technical know-how of recording to get learners to produce their shows as soon as possible, but building a foundation beforehand is key.
These in-class activities emphasize the skills needed to create an engaging podcast and urge learners to demonstrate digital citizenship when creating and publishing their shows. Creating a polished product is only a piece of the puzzle: their podcasts should be ethically sound, with a clear purpose that does not confuse or mislead listeners.
What Is a Podcast?
Although many young people, particularly teens, may be familiar with podcasting, it's imperative to recognize the defining qualities of a podcast before jumping into creation. Many qualities of speeches and presentations are also found in podcasts: there is an intended purpose and audience along with a set structure. Podcasts also have some common formats including scripted stories, conversations, or a combination of both. Multiple technical elements aside from speaking are also included in podcasts, such as music and sound effects.
To emphasize these qualities, have students listen to sample podcasts and analyze the purpose, audience, format, and technical elements. Starting off with a whole-group listening exercise is a great starting point, allowing learners to explore other podcasts on their own time. Outlets such as NPR have a plethora of professionally-created podcasts along with student-made products for their annual Podcast Challenge competition. I also provide a Wakelet with a few examples for my students to explore.
Identifying Opinion vs. Fact
Some popular podcasts have gained reputations over the past years for amplifying fringe opinions and passing them off as fact. Before students hit record, they should understand the ethical responsibility they have to be explicit about the intention of their shows: are they looking to explore the objective or share their subjective experiences? This aligns with ISTE Student Standard 1.2.b: Students demonstrate empathetic, inclusive interactions online and use technology to responsibly contribute to their communities.
By analyzing the top podcasts of the moment, students can evaluate the differences between a fact-based and opinion-based audio show. The Podcast Charts by Spotify show daily-updated lists of the most popular podcasts by country and within certain categories. After explaining the difference between subjective and objective content, students explore the descriptions of top shows and evaluate whether or not the show leans more towards fact or opinion. Use a spectrum such as a line graph slide on a platform like Pear Deck or use physical classroom signs with students moving to where they believe a certain show is aligned.
Don't Get Sued: Fair Use in Audio
ISTE's Digital Footprint Student Standard 1.2.a encourages learners to "make safe, legal, and ethical decisions in the digital world". In the realm of audio, students should know which sound effects and music clips are appropriate for use in published podcasts. For example, the day's most popular song can't be downloaded from YouTube and plopped into a published show, potentially violating copyright law. Explaining copyright, fair use, and the public domain can seem arduous in a busy school day, but it's worth it; many of these concepts are transferrable to creating digital presentations, videos, and more. Common Sense Media has put together a well-crafted and concise explainer video about this very topic:
After being introduced to these ethical and legal issues, students can explore libraries of Creative Commons and public domain sounds such as freesound, Music for Nothing, and DigCCMixter, downloading and saving clips for future project use (along with included attribution information, of course). They can even use these clips for the activity below.
Creating My Audio ID
Once learners are comfortable enough with the building blocks of crafting a podcast, it's time for them to hit record. Leaping into a full-length podcast production can be overwhelming, so this Audio ID Recording Practice assignment from NPR's Podcasting Curriculum Guide for Educators is a great starting point. Using whatever recording hardware and software is available, students record themselves stating their name, grade, age, and a fun fact about themselves. These clips can then be uploaded to a Google Site or Wakelet for classroom sharing, so the first publishing steps are taken.
If you're using a multi-track editing platform such as Soundtrap or GarageBand, this also is an opportunity to utilize sound effects or music collected in the previous activity. Soundtrap includes a library of free-to-use clips, so students don't have to question the legality of their sounds.
Further Resources
If these four activities have piqued your student podcast interest, check out the resources below for more guides, ideas, and examples.