Podcasts in the Classroom

"In a 2014 article published in the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Tiffany P. Hogan and others review the significant amount of research that indicates that “listening comprehension becomes the dominating influence on reading comprehension,” especially as children grow older."  

Podcasting is audioblogging or audio broadcasting via the internet.  Students are responding so well to podcasts in the classroom because they are framed in a conversational tone, unlike audio books.  



Listenwise is a site that houses shorter podcasts for student listening.  You log in with your Google account, and can search by content area or keyword to find a podcast to fit your curricular needs.  It even has a link where students can test their listening skills via Socrative.  Links to podcasts can also be posted to Google Classroom using the Listenwise feature:

The site also has graphic organizers to correlate to each podcast, along with theme connections and comprehension questions.

Students can also create their own podcast as well.  Consider using the QuickTime player that comes on the Macbook to record student conversations about current events or a given topic.  You can then upload those audio files to Google Classroom for critique.  There are also numerous podcasting sites that students can use such as PodOmatic.

ReadWriteThink suggests this as a classroom assignment:
Have your middle and high school students create their own podcasts about persuasive messages they find in their favorite books, television shows, video games, and movies. Have students identify the persuasive message and describe what makes it persuasive (answers might include convincing ideas, well thought-out arguments, or strong opinions). You might also ask them to identify any propaganda techniques in use (such as assertions, bandwagon, card stacking, glittering generalities, lesser of two evils, name calling, pinpointing the enemy, plain folks, testimonials, and transfer). Have students critique these messages in their podcasts.

You can find many more suggestions on podcasting via the web or Pinterest, including which podcasts are suitable for students and how a lesson can be framed around them.

Edutopia gives these 8 suggestions for use in the classroom, but there are so many more:

1. RadioLab (10:22)
   Definitely one of my very favorite listening experiences, RadioLab defies categorization as hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich take on questions of science, philosophy, and human nature with endlessly curious beginner's minds. This lovely video portrait is from the American Hipster series, and contains a swear word at 09:39.
2. StoryCorps, MacArthur Award Recipient (03:42)
   There's a reason the StoryCorps project won both a MacArthur Award(in 2013) and this year's TED Prize: they are attempting to build an archive of human experience through recorded stories, especially with the recent release of a new app intended to take their model global. Check out StoryCorps education resources here.
3. Invisibilia: "You're Moving Wrong" (03:23)
   A newcomer to the NPR scene, this podcast absolutely captured my heart with hosts Alix Spiegel and Lulu Miller's fanciful explorations into the unseen forces that affect human behavior. This video was made as an April Fool's Day joke, but it gives you a feel for the playful tone of the show.
4. Freakonomics (Trailer) (02:32)
   If I had access to the Freakonomics podcast in high school, Econ would not have been my least favorite subject. This brilliant show explores "the hidden side of everything" from an economist's perspective -- and it's riveting. This trailer is for a 2010 documentary based on the original book (which then spun off into the podcast). Here are PDFs of aninstructor's guide and a student guide for the book, and you can also find a compilation of lesson plans.
5. Erin Barker & Ben Lillie at TEDMED 2013 (12:05)
   Story Collider shows begin their life as live events, where people tell stories on stage about being affected by science. This talk by the co-founder and a producer of the show explains why personal stories are so valuable for science communication. Caution for language at 09:49 and 11:18.
6. Serial: The Podcast Everyone's Talking About (05:27)
   Serial, the most popular podcast of all time, hooked a large swathe of the population last fall, and despite some very intense and disturbing content, educators have been bringing it into the classroom to teach problem-solving skills and news literacy. Check out these inexpensivestandards-based lesson plans for the entire series by ELA teacher Mike Godsey.
7. Roman Mars — This is Radio (04:58)
   Started as a collaboration between a radio station and an architectural association, 99% Invisible provides a wonderful lens through which to look at the power of design. Most episodes are less than 20 minutes, and the eclectic range of topics presented by host Roman Mars makes it easy to connect to almost any subject.
8. Julian Treasure: 5 Ways To Listen Better | TED Radio Hour (07:47)
   The TED empire continues to expand with the TED Radio Hour, as TEDTalks are reimagined for radio through excerpted clips and new interviews with TED speakers. This video helps us explore how to become better listeners, from the TED Radio Hour episode "Extrasensory".

Many of the podcasts websites also house the transcripts.  Students can read along while listening independently (flipped classroom) or as a whole class.

Godsey, Michael. The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 17 Mar. 2016. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.