It seems like everyone has a podcast these days, and your students need not be the exception. Creating classroom podcasts isn’t just trendy, it’s a task that checks many boxes: using real-world skills, applying content knowledge, integrating technology, incorporating student voice, and practicing all four components of English language arts.
Podcasts are also fun and motivating for students, especially if their work is eventually shared publicly with the school community or beyond. Podcasts can be created at all grade levels; early elementary students may not be able to edit a podcast, but they can record voices with a teacher’s help. Creating podcasts can be done simply, but it does take some advance work and planning.
Find examples of podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube appropriate for the grade level you teach, or in collections curated for children like Kids Listen. Play some for your class and develop a set of criteria, such as which podcasts work best and why, that you can use to formulate project guidelines, create a graphic organizer and design an evaluation rubric.
When choosing topics, consider what your students know best, whether it’s a unit recently studied or subjects of personal interest. Some ideas:
- Role plays. One student plays a notable person and others become journalists.
- Interviews. Invite a member of the school staff or a guest speaker and let students ask questions.
- Recaps. Summarize something recently learned for class review.
- Advice. Older students can advise younger students on a subject, an annual project or school life.
- Newscasts. Students can report from a historic location or event as if it were live.
Creating podcasts is best as a group project because division of labor will be needed. Students should generate topic ideas and submit them for teacher approval and feedback. Groups can then prepare written scripts and assign roles prior to recording. Barring unusual circumstances, all students should have speaking parts. Provide classroom time for rehearsals.
Choose software that allows students to both record and edit. It’s hard to beat GarageBand if you have access to iPads. If you want to use a web-based platform, Podbean or Spotify for Creators provides web-based recording tools and free versions of their platforms. Give a short in-class training lesson for students on how to use the software of your choice.
It helps if you have headphones and microphones to lessen background noise, but it’s not necessary. Try to separate students into quiet areas of the classroom when recording — if you have room, section off an area in which to record. Encourage students to focus on content and the quality of their speaking voice in order to be more easily understood while recording.
When editing, students should keep the podcasts concise: Attention spans are short, and a few minutes of audio can cover lots of ground.
Most audio apps have drag-and-drop interfaces that make editing easier, but be patient with students’ learning curves and be on hand to help.
Listen to the podcasts as a whole class when completed. Consider inviting others to your classroom for a podcast premiere or sharing them with a wider audience, such as with parents or on your school’s website. Depending on the platform you use, you may be able to host your podcasts online or you can post them to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for free.