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

Creating Podcasts: The Process

Before Pre-Production

Pre-Production

Recording

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 with add’l

mp3 encoder; Acid XPress• Video Hosting Sites: YouTube,

TeacherTube, OurMedia, Blip.tv• Feed aggregators: iTunes, Juice

(iPodder), FeedReader

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

Here are just a few…• Colonial Williamsburg:

http://www.history.org/media/rssfeeds_cw.xml• Education Podcast Network: http://www.epnweb.org/• HistoryOnAir: http://www.historyonair.com/• Mabry Online:

http://mabryonline.org/podcasts/archives/student_podcasts/social_studies/index.html

• National Geographic Podcasts: http://nationalgeographic.com/podcasts

• OurCity Podcasts: http://learninginhand.com/OurCity/index.html• Speaking of History: http://speakingofhistory.blogspot.com/

Here are just a few…• Colonial Williamsburg:

http://www.history.org/media/rssfeeds_cw.xml• Education Podcast Network: http://www.epnweb.org/• HistoryOnAir: http://www.historyonair.com/• Mabry Online:

http://mabryonline.org/podcasts/archives/student_podcasts/social_studies/index.html

• National Geographic Podcasts: http://nationalgeographic.com/podcasts

• OurCity Podcasts: http://learninginhand.com/OurCity/index.html• Speaking of History: http://speakingofhistory.blogspot.com/

http://www.rcet.org

ReferencesGlennw98 (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.