Podcasts

A podcast is a digital audio file made available on the Internet for downloading. You can create a podcast yourself, using online websites and software such as Soundcloud, Audioboo, Podomatic, and Audacity.

I decided to use Audacity, because it required a software download, and I wanted to have the software on my laptop permanently for future use. The software was easy enough to figure out, and after I recorded my podcast, I uploaded it to Podbean so that it would be available publicly via the internet. Audacity "is a free, open source, cross-platform audio software for multi-track recording and editing."

Podcasts can be used in the classroom in a number of ways, such as announcements, book read alouds, writing prompts, assignment instructions, how-tos, and students can even access them at home for tutorials. The key to podcasts is that you need to be prepared with a script, and always remember your audience. If your audience is young children with short attention spans, podcasts of less than a minute work best. 

I created the following podcast as an autobiography of Kay Vandergrift. Kay Vandergrift was a well-known librarian and educational leader in the field of children's and young adult literature. She was one of the first major US librarians to utilize the internet and share its importance.  

http://s58.podbean.com/pb/c9630bf14fecdaa234ba393e49bc7e55/57893ad3/data1/blogs60/792940/uploads/Kay_Vandergrift_podcast.mp3