Podcasting in the 21st Century Classroom

Podcast 101:  

Podcasting is an open sourced modern radio talk show.  It has been around since the creation of broad band internet however it didn't become popular until around 2004 when former MTV host Adam Curry and software developer Dave Winer collaborated to developed a way to download radio broadcast shows to personal devices like the iPod.  This opened the doors to limitless options and an infinite amount of shows that did not have to abide by the Federal regulations that public broadcasting radio does.  Now you can find a podcast on almost any content you can think of ranging from news, to crime dramas to even ongoing episodically shows like "Lore, The Blackout, or Wolverine The Lost Trail. Podcasting has become so popular it has even led to the creation of award ceremonies dedicated solely to the medium of podcasting.   With the increase availability of personal devices new forms of communication are beginning to flourish.  Harnessing the power of these new mediums can led to engaging instructional experiences.  

How To Get Started:

One of the great aspects of podcasting is how minimal requirements are to get started.  All one truly needs to begin the podcasting journey is; a device with a microphone, a podcasting recording program, and a topic of discussion.  There are several programs that will allow the user to easily create their very own podcast, some of these programs even help the user publish their podcast and market it to major carriers like Apple, Amazon, and Spotify.   In my own search of podcasting programs I came across two different programs that I wanted to explore and share with you my findings on each.  Both of these programs will allow the user to create a podcast, however each of them offer very different podcasting experiences.  Let's dive into the world of podcasting with Synth and Anchor FM.  

Overviews of Synth and Anchor FM:

Each of these programs allowed for account creation using a Google account, which is extremely helpful for those who are already using Google Classroom and have student Google accounts.  This will allow our students easy access to these programs and the benefits they have to offer.  Each of these programs are free to use and don't limit your capabilities by offering upgraded subscriptions.  Both of them also were fairly user friendly.  As a matter a fact after creating an account with each program I had my first recording done within minutes of creating an account.  Now lets dive into some of the differences of these two powerful 21st Century Classroom programs.  

Synth:

The program Synth is from the designers of another great program called Let's Recap, which allowed for short video clip responses to a posted prompt.  Synth has taken it one step further and developed the video clip into an ongoing audio recording.  The idea behind Synth is that the audio, or optional video recording, are limited to no longer than 246 seconds.  These short concise recordings challenges the user to have a thoughtful and focused response.  These responses can be linked together creating a series of audio recordings which forms the podcast.  These clips can be shared within the Synth community or can easily be shared outside of the Synth website by using embedded coding or an external link.  Here is an example of my first podcast recording using Synth. 

Recording a podcast using Synth is as simple as clicking a record button, creating your discussion, adding some descriptions to the recording, and sharing it out.  It is by far one of the most simple and easy to use recording software I have ever used.  Although the simplicity is a huge benefit for the classroom it is not the most powerful feature.  Synth allows users to respond to the audio recordings with additional recordings creating an ongoing digital discussion with anyone who you wish to share the prompt out to.  This can be powerful as a teacher who can create ongoing discussion boards which do not have to be limited to the times within the classroom.  This can also be a powerful form of communication with your students, allowing for feedback on assessments which can be privately shared with them.  It can even be an opportunity to share outside of the local community and allow conversation with other students or even international collaboration.  Synth is simple but also an extremely powerful tool which can help our students creatively start to develop powerful digital discussion boards with limitless opportunities.

Anchor FM:

Where as Synth is simple and focused short clips, Anchor FM gives you all the power of a professional podcasting software program.  Anchor FM will also allow you to create an account with your Google account however it will link a single Podcast to the account.  Users don't have the ability to create multiple Podcasts on a single login.  Even though users are limited to the amount of different podcasts available per account, there are no limitations to length of episodes of a podcast series.  This could be a powerful tool for teachers to deliver content or for students to demonstrate their understanding throughout the course of the year.  Anchor also provides users with the functionality of adding in multiple audio clips per episode and editing capabilities as well.  

Anchor not only creates a professional looking and sounding podcast, but it also will help market the program to the public by publishing the completed podcast to major carriers such as Apple, Amazon, and Spotify.  Providing this opportunity for our students and for our own professional development, can open up doors and help provide authentic learning experiences. 

Reflection:

Podcasting can be another 21st century skill which our students can utilize to not only gain insight and instruction but can demonstrate their knowledge through the creation process.  It provides opportunities for our students to collaborate not only with classmates but even outside the classroom and showing that their voice is a powerful means of expression and communication.  Podcasting gives us the ability to open up dialogue outside our four walls and allows are students to connect with the world that they are preparing for.  

  Although there are countless programs available which allow for the creation of podcasts, Synth and Anchor FM are two highly reviewed and recommended programs for the 21st century classroom.  Synth allows for short and simple open communication while Anchor FM helps to build a professional level podcast production.  Both of them are powerful and useful tools that will help you accomplish whatever desired result you can think of.  Although the result can be a very rewarding experience, the true power of these programs comes from the process of creation which provide limitless opportunities for learning and growth for our students.