Podcasts can be a great way to engage students in your classroom. While they can listen to podcasts to learn new content and gain new perspectives, the real power can be found in allowing students to create their own podcasts.
This enables them to become active participants in the process. They must learn and then share back what they have learned. They will also be engaged in high-level critical thinking and problem-solving throughout the process of planning, creating, and sharing their work. If this is something that you are considering for your students, here is a quick guide to help get you started.
As you begin the planning phase, be sure to define your outcomes. What is the academic purpose for this work? What standards are you addressing? What learning will students be demonstrating through this project?
Once you’ve identified your purpose, you’ll want to determine the parameters of the project. What will the final product look like? How long will it be? How will it be shared? How will you guide students through the production process? How will you evaluate the final recordings? It’s always good to provide students with a clear evaluation rubric before they begin, so they have a clear learning target.
The next step is to determine what scaffolding will be provided for your students to support them as they begin planning their own podcasts. Consider some of the following guiding questions during this phase:
- What is your topic, and does it align with the project requirements?
- What is the title of your podcast, and what is the title of this particular episode?
- Are you the only speaker, or will you have a guest on the show?
- What questions will you ask or answer during the episode?
- What equipment and software will you need?
- What is your timeline or schedule for this project?
To help guide your students through this process, it can be helpful to have some sort of planning document or graphic organizer that they fill out. They should have a script and plan developed before they begin the actual recording process. Preparation is key in helping to ensure a quality product.
Once students have a plan in place, they can progress to the recording and production phase. You’ll want to help students think through the logistics of this, especially if lots of groups will be recording in a small space. You could have all the students recording in your classroom and accept the fact that there will be background noise, or you could work with your media specialist and schedule a quiet space where students can take turns rotating through to complete their recordings. If you have the space to bring in a large cardboard box, like a refrigerator box that has been carefully cut to permit entry and exit access, that could also work as a pseudo studio.
You don’t need fancy microphones for this. You can use built-in mics, or if you have a small budget, inexpensive mics that plug into the microphone jack on your student devices could also do the trick. At the high end, you can purchase a condenser microphone. While this allows for professional-quality audio recording, it’s more of a luxury than a necessity.
Finally, you’ll need to choose your recording software. There are different tiers of options here. On the simple end of the spectrum, you can have students use tools that offer simple start-and-stop, one-take recording options. These require minimal training, so even very young students can use them. With these being one-take options, students will need to have a plan so that they can record in one session with no editing. Here are a few options if you want to go this route:
- Vocaroo: This is an online recorder that is free, requires no account, involves one-take recording, and lets you share the final product via a link, QR code, embed code, or file download.
- Online Voice Recorder: This option is similar to Vocaroo in that it’s also free, requires no account, and utilizes one-take recording. A point of differentiation is that this tool requires you to download the finished recording, rather than providing an option to share with a link.
- Learning Management System (LMS) Integrated Recorders: Many learning management systems include audio recorders in their suite of tools. These can be good options since they are integrated into a system that you already use, and finished recordings can often be uploaded directly into the system as an assignment submission, making it easy for you to manage. Again, these are typically, one-take experiences with no editing.
- TwistedWave: This is an intermediate option for Chromebook, Mac, or iPad users. It’s a browser-based editor that lets you record and produce mono, single-track files—up to 5 minutes in length with the free version—and features basic effects and editing capabilities. It’s more robust than a one-take recorder but not at the same level as a full-featured editing suite. This can be a good choice if you want your students to be able to delete mistakes and clean up their recording a bit.
If you’re looking to have students do more sophisticated editing, you’ll need a more advanced audio editing program. These involve a greater learning curve, but students can be quite good at navigating them and figuring out how to use them if given time to explore. Plus, learning a new program can be a great problem-solving experience for them.
With these tools, students can have multiple tracks of audio, including a separate track for each speaker as well as music and sound effects. Because they are more sophisticated, some require a local installation, which may limit your options. Here are some free choices:
- Audacity: This is a great option if you have a PC where it can be installed. If you can’t install it, you can use an online option, like Wavacity. It functions similar to a version that you would install, except you can’t save your work, so students would need to do the editing in one sitting.
- GarageBand: If you’re an Apple user, this is an excellent option. It’s got professional-level editing capabilities and will likely be enough to satisfy even your most ambitious students. There is a bit of a learning curve on this one. It’s free for installation on Apple devices.
- Kapwing: This is a full-featured online recording and editing studio. Students can produce 15-minute productions for free. They can record, upload, edit, add stock music tracks, and more. Because Kapwing is more sophisticated, it’s also more complicated to learn and use, but some students will really embrace the advanced possibilities.
A third tier of options includes products intended to support the entire podcast creation process: recording, editing, and hosting. These tools are probably best for older students and require accounts to be set up:
- Podcastle: This sophisticated option allows students to invite guests, edit multitrack recordings, and export, share, and publish their podcasts.
- Podbean: This is similar to Podcastle and offers users 5 hours of recording and production for free. It also offers hosting services.
- Riverside: Riverside offers 2 hours of recording for free and also supports multitrack editing and production. Users can invite guests with a link and record audio, video, or both.
- Adobe Podcast: This new product from Adobe allows you to invite guests, record, and edit a podcast in one virtual space. You can also add music and enhance audio with AI.
The thrill of creating a podcast is being able to share it with an audience. In determining who might comprise that audience, you’ll want to review school and local guidelines and restrictions so that you stay within allowable parameters. Will you share it in class? Will you share it with a partner class or perhaps the entire school? Guidelines allowing, maybe you go beyond the walls of the building and share with parents, a community group, or even a worldwide audience.
Overall, find an approach that fits your level of comfort, and don’t be afraid to start with a really simple plan. Podcasts don’t need to be complicated; they can be recorded in one take and shared immediately. If you want your class to explore further, they can be as complex and polished as you have the time and inspiration to pursue. In either case, the experience can be very powerful, inspiring, and engaging for your students.
AVID Connections
This resource connects with the following components of the AVID College and Career Readiness Framework:
- Instruction
- Rigorous Academic Preparedness
- Opportunity Knowledge
- Student Agency
- Insist on Rigor
Extend Your Learning
- Podbean for Education Podcasting (Podbean)
- Help Your Students Make Your Own DIY Podcast (NEA Today)
- Creating Podcasts With Your Students (Tony Vincent via Reading Rockets)
- Podcasting Assignments (The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning at Princeton University)