My first foray into podcasting! Get Hooked is a podcast devoted to “hooking” readers onto some of my favourite youth fiction. I read the first few pages and leave the rest for you to seek out at your local public library or book store.
Up first is “Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo.
This was a journey. I pieced my audio together on GarageBand and did not find it to be an intuitive app. After stumbling around for a while on my own, I was very grateful to find the following tutorial on YouTube:
I had already recorded my sound bites using my phone’s Voice Recording app, so I AirDropped those onto my Mac, dragged them into GarageBand, downloaded and did the same with my music file. Then began the process of learning how to clip the music file and fade it in and out. Without Pat Flynn’s tutorial, I would have been lost.
Next step was to save the file as “Music”, download and open iMovie and drag my music file into a new project. I wanted a nice visual to go along with this, so I made one in Canva. My first didn’t fit the video dimensions, so I had to go back and try again.
I saved my new iMovie and uploaded it to YouTube as an unlisted track.
Phew!
Now that I’ve done this, future attempts will be far easier. The learning curve was steep, and I was presented with many tech hurdles (like realizing that I had to update my computer in order to download GarageBand, and that I had to free up over 12 gigs of space to download the newest IOS version!).
Over to you:
Have you ever created podcasts with students? If so, what was that process like? If not, would you?
What are some challenges you foresee and how would you plan for them?
References:
Acevedo, Elizabeth. (2018). The Poet X. HarperTeens, Broadway, New York, NY. pgs. 3-4.
Flynn, Pat. (2018, 16 Feb). How to Record & Edit a Podcast in Garageband (Complete Tutorial). Accessed 31 Jul, 2021 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhesskgmIsQ
Kartenberg, Stefan. (2018) The Vendetta (c). copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/58628 Ft: Apoxode
Hi Katrina,
The music definitely did help me “get hooked” at the beginning! One amazing thing about Apple products is they work together relatively easily as you saw from your phone to your Mac! This is why I wish we invested more in Apple products but do understand the cost is too much. Garageband is definitely not intuitive, even saving took a bit of research to do! Your visual was a great addition to the Podcast. You and me had similar tech hurdles! My laptop crashed at one point and I thought everything was lost but was able to recover most of it. That said, I think you and me are more prepared for the next time we use this which will benefit our students.
I have never created podcasts with students. I have always wanted too but the amount of time we need for tech either was hard due to it being booked already or me feeling bad about booking it so much. If there was a way to do podcasts with no limitations around tech then I would definitely in a middle school or higher setting. Elementary, I am not totally convinced.
The challenges I see are access to tech. We may not have the newest or most up to date tech and even if we do, we may not have class sets or enough for multiple classes to use it. On top of that, time may be an issue. We would need a fair amount of time to teach students how to use Garageband then time for them to play around with it then time to make it then time to edit it then time to upload it. Not impossible, just a lengthier amount of time compared to our already tight schedules.
Great work!
Cole
Hi Katrina,
Carrie Ann here.
Amazing concept! (so fun, can we all steal it??) and fantastic result! I loved listening to you read this story, and I literally will probably get to the library or bookstore this week to get that book. Fait accompli!
Your intro music was lively and engaging, your graphics are beautiful, and I hope you make more episodes! I would definitely post them on my VLLC at my high school. It would also be fun to make some and then invite both teachers and students to add more. 3 minutes seemed like the perfect length, as well. I’m hooked.
In terms of making podcasts with students, I have done so a number of times and loved it! Their final podcasts unfailingly creative and engaging, and in some cases, they were incredible. I’m happy to share materials and learning… though I’m still perfecting the process. In terms of tools, I’ve used parent permissions and then used Anchor Fm, which is a podcasting app (owned by Spotify). I have students sign up with district emails and include no personal info on the account or the podcast… although the podcasts do get posted ‘live’ online, so I suspect I’ve been skirting/avoiding district privacy considerations. Anchor Fm can be used online and on smartphone, and it is intuitive and simple, lots of drag and drop options and easy to edit (using desktop, not phone). Great tutorials, too.
In terms of doing podcasts with younger students, NPR Radio does a student podcast contest, as does New York Times, and both have loads of student examples posted online, as well as great support materials for podcast making. Here’s one list of fun student podcasts — scroll down to the 5th example to see one of my favourites, a podcast made by 5th graders about how much they hate Bathroom Passes. It’s hilarious.
https://www.npr.org/2019/06/08/729605772/eight-student-made-podcasts-that-made-us-smile
Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks Carrie Ann! Turns out “Get Hooked” is the title of an existing podcast… about towing and roadside assistance!!!! Not sure I can keep this title now, but I sure wish I could. I did enjoy making this little 3-min clip.
You have certainly inspired me with your podcasting projects and I would love to try it out with my younger students! Thank you for these examples… oh wow, the bathroom pass one IS hilarious. I can imagine playing this for a class as a hook to get them interested in making their own!