Podcasting for the Social Studies Classroom: Easy, Cheap, Powerful!

Tom McNeal Mark van ‘t Hooft Kent State University Research Center for Educational Technology

Objectives

• Learn about the various uses of podcasting for teaching and learning in social studies.

• Identify what tools you need to create podcasts.

• Learn how to create podcasts.

• Tour examples of podcasting resources on the Internet.

What Is a Podcast?

• Can be anything conveyed by an audio or video file: a recorded lecture, an interview, a multi-media presentation, a digital story….

• "

Podcasting is a way of publishing files to a website that allows users to subscribe to the site and receive new files as they are posted. Most podcasts are spoken word audio created by individuals, often on a particular theme such as technology or movies. Because new files are downloaded automatically by subscribers, podcasting allows individuals to have a self-published, syndicated radio show.

" (Wikipedia)

What Is Podcasting?

• Easy • Cheap • Powerful

Various Uses

• Content Delivery • Content Creation

Social Studies Ideas

• Oral history interviews • Multi-media travel brochures (e.g. OurCity) • Re-enactments of actual events • Interviews from the “past” • Documentaries

Before Pre-Production Creating Podcasts: The Process Recording Pre-Production Post-Production

Creating Podcasts: Before Pre-Production • Get parental permission/check district AUP • Listen to/view sample podcasts (sound, organization, content, extras…) • Discuss strengths and weaknesses, dos and don’ts •

Tools: pc, media player, sample podcasts

Creating Podcasts: Pre-Production • Plan, plan, plan (content, student roles, audio or video?) • Storyboarding • Do research (use legally obtained media only!) • Write scripts (writing process) • Practice, practice, practice •

Tools: graphic organizer (electronic or paper), Internet

Creating Podcasts: Pre-Production • Remember student safety – No personal info – Accounts through teacher only • Model appropriate behavior – Fair use – Bias

Creating Podcasts: Recording • Should be quick if planned and practiced • Does not have to be done sequentially •

Tools:

–

digital recording device (e.g. pc with microphone /headset)

–

Software (e.g. Audacity or Garageband

Creating Podcasts: Post-Production • Edit audio/video, add effects, transitions, etc.

• Convert final product to mp3 or mp4 •

Tools:

–

pc with editing software

Creating Podcasts: Post-Production: Publishing • Place the media files on a web server (yours or other, like YouTube) • Link from a web page or create a blog (optional) •

Tools: webserver or internet video hosting site, web site/blog

Creating Podcasts: Post-Production: Publishing • Add the RSS feed (if needed) • Validate your feed • Submit to iTunes , Educational Podcasting , Podcast Alley , etc. For a more extensive list, see Robin Good’s Mini Guide •

Tools: RSS Tag creator, feed validator, podcast subscription site

Aggregators and Podcast Subscriptions • Tools for subscribing, watching, and listening to podcasts are

Aggregators and Podcast Subscriptions • Look for the RSS button…

Podcasting Resources on the Internet • How to: Learning in Hand: Podcasting • Podcasting tools: @ Podcasting news • Editing tools: Audacity encoder ; Acid XPress with add’l mp3 • Video Hosting Sites: YouTube , TeacherTube , OurMedia , Blip.tv

• Feed aggregators: iTunes , Juice FeedReader (iPodder),

Podcasting Resources on the Internet: Copyright • Podcasting legal guide:

http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Podcasting_Legal_Guide

• Copyright-safe tools: – Flickr Creative Commons ( http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons ) – Wikipedia Commons ( http://commons.wikimedia.org

) – Public Domain Photos ( http://pdphoto.org/ ) – Incompetech Royalty Free Music ( http://www.incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ ) – Flashkit ( http://www.flashkit.com/loops/ )

Social Studies Podcasts

• Colonial Williamsburg: http://www.history.org/media/rssfeeds_cw.xml

• Education Podcast Network: http://www.epnweb.org/ • HistoryOnAir: http://www.historyonair.com/ • OurCity Podcasts: http://learninginhand.com/OurCity/index.html

• Speaking of History: http://speakingofhistory.blogspot.com/

http://www.rcet.org

References

Glennw98 (2007). MACE presentation. Available at http://www.slideshare.net/glennw98/mace podcast-presentation Vincent, T. (2007, November 2). Our City podcast: Before Pre-Production. Available at http://learninginhand.com/blog/2007/11/our-city-podcast-before-preproduction.html

Vincent, T., & van ‘t Hooft, M. (2007). For kids, by kids: Our City Podcast. Social Education, 71(3), 125-129.