Podcasts
Podcasts first became popular in the early 2000's as a way to share audio files over the internet. There are several websites you can use to create a podcast whether you want to share music, create a show, or listen to others. I created three free accounts using the following podcast sites, and I was able to compare their different features. Keep in mind the following chart is based upon free accounts, and you may get more features when purchasing advanced accounts. Some of the categories are left blank because the information wasn't very clear and I wanted to keep the chart as accurate as possible.
Storage
|
500 MB overall
|
||
Bandwidth
|
15 GB a month
|
||
Max Record Time
|
180 mins. (Total)
|
3 Minutes
|
|
Automatic QR Code
|
Y
|
N
|
|
Easy Upload
|
N
|
N
|
|
Choice of Public Vs Private Uploads
|
N
|
N
|
|
Download Enable Control
|
Y
|
N
|
|
Sharing Options Via Social Media
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Tag Option
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Private Sharing
|
Y
|
N
|
N
|
News Feed (Following Channels)
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Phone App Available
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Image Options
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Trim Capability
|
Y
|
N
|
|
Other Weaknesses
|
Only able to record from phone or
tablet.
|
Upload videos using other apps or
computer software.
|
After my review of all the sites, I found soucloud to be the best! Different ways to implement podcasts into the classroom would include having students record book talks/reviews, scripts for a drama unit, poems that they're written, and research projects/papers. I would definitely have students record essays that they're written because many times students do not realize the grammar mistakes they've made until they read aloud, so it would force them to go back and edit their papers for grammar. Traci Gardner also has very helpful lessons for how to use podcasts in the classroom.
Below, there's a podcast that I created using Soundcloud about library leader Carol Kuhlthau.
