How to Start a Classroom Podcast

With popular shows like Serial, Dirty John, and Doctor Death, podcasting has really solidified as a media outlet. It’s important for students to understand the importance of radio, and to be up on what is the newest form of radio: Podcasting. You can find Podcasts that cover nearly every topic, and discover long form interviews with very or not so very famous writers, researchers, celebrities, for wherever your interests lie.

What do you need to start a classroom podcast?

Recording device (phone, microphone, computer microphone).
Headphones
Sound Editing Software (Audacity or Garageband)
Place to host your Podcast: Libsyn, Anchor, or SoundCloud
Space on your computer hard drive (Podcasts take a lot of space)

What is Podcasting good for?

Recording lessons and posting them for absent students to catch up on.
News and updates in the classroom
Student projects
Interviews with students, teachers, and parents
Full experiential sharing

Because podcasting has become so popular, it is easier and easier to create and share podcasts. A handy new app for sharing podcasts is Anchor. Anchor is as easy to record, edit, and share as on Youtube. You simply install the app on a phone or tablet, create your profile, name your podcast, and get recording. From Anchor, your podcast can be seen on iTunes and Google.

Another way to create a Podcast is by creating a Youtube video, and separating the audio from the video. Now your podcast can be available on two platforms! With Google Hangouts, you can record meetings and interviews with multiple people, send it directly to Youtube, and then take the audio for your podcast! The Audio can be added to Anchor, SoundCloud, or wherever your podcast is hosted.

If you want to keep it simple, another free audio platform is SoundCloud. Like with Anchor, you can record directly into SoundCloud. Or you can record and edit your Podcast, save it to your hard drive, and upload it into SoundCloud. It’s a little complicated getting your podcast from SoundCloud into iTunes, but it can be done. Just follow the instructions here: https://blog.soundcloud.com/2018/05/30/host-podcast-soundcloud/

Depending on the quality of your podcast, it is important to get some audio editing software. A free and easy to use software for editing is Audacity https://www.audacityteam.org/

When you first look into podcasting, it can be a pretty daunting endeavor. Depending on how deep you want to go, podcasting can require a lot of technical understanding or little. If you want your podcast to show up on major platforms like iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play, then you may have to invest in a hosting service like Libsyn (for at least $5 per month). Here is a good tutorial on setting up a podcast in libsyn http://www.podcastersunplugged.com/how-to-setup-podcast-hosting-with-libsyn-podcast-tutorial/, and here is a Youtube video doing the same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NySz8OFMvSM

Ideas for Podcasting with Students

The easiest Podcast form is the interview. Have your students do a project where they interview someone about something, record and edit the audio, and then place it in the class podcast wherever you decide to host.