Tip:
Audio podcasts are fun and getting easier to make. If you have an iPod with recording adapter (iTalk), you can capture voice, music, or even create a radio show. Check out the Multimedia Club's Happy Halloween podcasts. It is fun to use sound effects and students' voices. This site was created with the Universal builder in My eCoach. Most blogs or wikis allow you to upload mp3 files.
To edit your sound file: Windows-users have the free downloadable Audacity, as do Mac users, who, of course, also have their Garageband program. Programs such as these allow users to record multiple tracks of audio and then mix them down into a single track, or single audio file, to publish. Multi-track recording will allow you and your students to create very unique projects.
You can design a radio show yourself, with colleagues, or even with your students. To see what a seventh-grade media class can produce, visit "89.5 fm - Anderson Student-Run Radio" for student-made podcasts consisting of public service announcements, creative commercials, historic happenings, current events, and music.
In "Breaking News! Students Create Radio-Style Podcasts" Chris Young shared how he jazzed-up the production values of his students' commercials with royalty-free sound effects and musical loops from SoundPak, a CD bundled with the excellent book Kid Cast – Podcasting in the Classroom.
Podcast Resources
Next Tip: All Together or On Their Own
