Hey Guys, today we are going to learn about the wonderful world of podcasting. One might ask what is podcast? Put simply, a podcast is a series of episodes. These episodes are audio files that are likely stored with a podcast hosting company. Another great thing about podcasts is that you can subscribe to them, which makes it easy to get notified when new episodes come out. I have a reviewed a few podcast app and given my thoughts.
The Pocket Casts app may be old but it still is one of the most popular podcast players on both Android and iOS. The earliest we featured the app was back in 2013. That’s more than half a decade ago and it was already the Pocket Casts 4. Back then, it was a “fresher” version from the 2012 build. The podcast player has since received a number of redesigns, new features, and improvements. We’ve lost count of how many updates were rolled out but we greatly remember when Pocket Casts 5.0 received Material Design elements and when Pocket Casts 7 got archiving, quick playback, and easy search features. Pocket Casts work on numerous platforms and devices apart from Android and iOS. You can play it on the web, with Alexa or Siri, on an Apple Watch, Car Play, Android Auto, via Chromecast, Sonos, Windows, or macOS. I found this podcast was not user friendly and I had a hard time using it.
With its unique integration options and exclusive affiliate marketplace, Buzzsprout is a compelling option for podcast hosting – especially considering a free option is available. Their upload limits can limit the length of content, however. Buzzsprout does offers a lot of value, and it shows in the type of features it offers for both newbies and experienced podcasters. They really are a great option for podcast hosting. Buzzsprout is a great for beginners. I used this application when I had to make a podcast for another library science class.
PodBean is one of the best podcast hosting platforms. Its biggest perks are unlimited hosting and a basic plan that is more than just a limited time trial. There are a few important limitations to be aware of, however. The biggest is that you’re not able to do video podcasting unless you buy their more expensive plans. Other limitations are you only get seven days to request a refund and there is no feature to create podcast backups. PodBean is one of the most affordable options out there and with their generous free plan, you can try their main features with zero investment which is why we recommend you consider PodBean for hosting your podcast. For the following reasons listed above my group chose to use PodBean for our group podcast.
Group podcast: How to Engage Reluctant Readers by M. Garza, Sara Beth Muzny, and Lorin Qualls
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-evxzk-1019dd5
References:
Abington-Pitre, A., & Briggs, C. J. (2020). E-Books & Reluctant Readers: To Engage or Not to Engage. Journal of Literacy & Technology, 21(4), 86–126.
Batchelor, K. E., & Cassidy, R. (2019). The Lost Art of the Book Talk: What Students Want. Reading Teacher, 73(2), 230–234. https://doi-org.ezproxy.shsu.edu/10.1002/trtr.1817
Connolly, A. (2019). Engaging Reluctant Readers Digitally: Expanding a book club to the digital realm has its challenges. Young Adult Library Services, 18(1), 20–21.
Merga, M. K. (2020). “We Talk Books”: Teacher Librarians Promoting Book Discussion to Foster Reading Engagement. English in Australia, 55(1), 22.
Treistman, J. (2017). From Reluctant Readers to Library Regulars: A Teacher Librarian’s Intervention Plan. Teacher Librarian, 44(5), 25–27.
Ways to use a Podcast in the classroom:
There are a million different ways to incorporate podcasts into your curriculum. For every age group, subject and language, there’s a podcast, so it’s just a matter of finding the one that’s right for your class and what you’re trying to teach. Ed Puzzle is a great resource. Using podcasts in the classroom is a great way to really bring your lessons to life. Once you’ve found a podcast episode that aligns with your lesson, you have two options for listening:
- Ask students to listen individually on their smartphones or tablets with their headphones, either in class or for homework.
- Listen as a group in class.
Educational Podcasts Suggestions:
https://soundcloud.com/dewey-decibel-703453552
http://publiclibrariesonline.org/category/media/podcast/
https://anchor.fm/librariansguidetoteaching
Happy Reading !!!
Lorin's Required Readings 