Podcasting resources for educators: examples, tools and storytelling ideas, from a presentation given at VT Fest 2015 by Richmond Elementary School principal Mike Berry and Audrey Homan, digital producer for the Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education.

1. Podcasting:
Telling your school’s story
Michael Berry, Principal,
Richmond Elementary School
Audrey Homan, digital producer,
Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education

2. Access these slides
on your own device:
http://podcasting.tarrantinstitute.org

3. Principal Mike Berry
@PrincipalBerry

4. Principal Berry listens to:

5. Audrey Homan

6. Audrey listens to:

7. Which podcasts do you listen to?

8. Why do you listen to podcasts?
What attracts you to a podcast?
What keeps you listening?
What makes for great
storytelling?

9. How can podcasts help you tell your
school’s story?

10. These slides:
Let’s hear some school stories
How will podcasting make you a better educator?
Tying podcasts to education goals
Tools for podcasting
Tips for interviewing
Trying out podcasting right here, right now (dance break!)
Finding your audience and sharing your stories
What do you want to learn about podcasts?

11. Let’s hear some school
stories
Student-focused podcasts are
effective stories.

12. Richmond Elementary School
Richmond, VT
Student-made podcasts are effective school stories.

13. South Burlington High School
South Burlington, VT
Community-focused podcasts are effective school stories.

14. John Alberghini: muskrat hunter, bear-trap enthusiast.
(Also Chittenden East Supervisory Union superintendent)
Administrators can should tell effective school stories too.

15. Peoples Academy Middle Level
Morrisville VT
Podcasts that showcase learning are effective school stories.

16. How will podcasting
make you a better educator?
Ask your students.
What stories do they want you to help them tell?

17. Full Blog Article:http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/4156
Isolation is now a
CHOICE
educators make
A Word About Your Own PD

18. Become a Better You Tomorrow!
We’ve heard this pitch many
times...how in the world can Twitter
make me a betterprincipal,
educator...leader?

19. What We
Hear All
The Time...
1. I need to get better at that.
1. How do you have time to do that?
3. What did you give up doing to do that?

20. Let’s Reframe Your “Why” and “What”
No joke...it’ll make you a better leader and educator
Model, Model, Model...and when you’re done with that model
some more
Transparency is key. People can’t support what they don’t
know
You need credibility...if you think you have it, you need more
You can actually increase the amount of innovation in your
school by doing this work

21. If You Don’t Tell Your Story, Someone Else Will
Video of
Tony Sinanis
(@tonysinanis),
Joe Sanfelippo (@joseanfelippofc)
and
Tom Murray (@thomascmurray)
Full Video At
https://youtu.be/S6HU57KrG58

22. Model, Model, Model...
How many of you want your colleagues to
share their greatness?
How many of you have had or have heard of
experiences where students have done
something wrong or inappropriate on the
internet?
How many of you have seen parents and
community use social media to complain
or slam something school related?
How many of you want your school to be
innovative?
How many of you consider yourself
image from wetech-alliance.com

23. Transparency

24. Credibility...
You gain credibility with staff, students,
community members, other
leaders...how can that be bad?

25. Let’s Talk About Content
How would you describe the range of content types?
High Engagement
Low Complexity
High Engagement
High Complexity
Low Engagement
Low Complexity
Low Engagement
High Complexity

26. Pockets Of Innovation Remain Pockets If They
Aren’t Connected
@davebschool

27. Soundcloud/Podcasts
This is a whole separate level of awesome

28. Podcasting
make sure audio is audible and
clear
plan it out
tell a story
make sure people hear the right
voices
Follow others
Audio Editing from a
Chromebook
Soundtrap
Audacity
Garageband
Spreaker
Soundcloud

29. Content
Plan your message
Goals
Outcomes that you want
Timeline
Needs

30. As you work on content today...
use what you’ll actually use to do this
remember this is about YOU as an individual leaving here ready to jump in...capacity comes later

31. Types of podcasting stories
And how they can relate to
educational goals.

32. What kind of
story do you want
to tell?
Who Am I?
What’s that?
What’s going on?
What are we learning?
What’s happening where we
live?
How can we make our
community better?

33. Who Am I? Student reflections
Encourage your students to create stories that explore their emerging
identities

34. What’s That? Student research
Offer a podcast as an option for your students to showcase their learning.

35. What are we learning?
Share with student families and the community the types of classroom activities
students do in school.

36. What’s happening where we live?
Report on a community event, either locally or globally
What kinds of current events matter to your students?

37. How can we make our world better?
Raise awareness of an issue with public service announcements.
What kinds of issues matter to your students?

38. Tools for podcasting
Hardware, editing tools & apps

39. Hardware for podcasting
iPhone / iPod / iPad, with or without a microphone
Chromebooks
Android tablets
Mac laptops
Handheld voice recorders
External microphones

40. Tools, Tools, Tools
Microphones
Mikey
iRig / iRig HD
On-board digital recorder mic
Digital recorder mics
Shotgun mics
And… a podbox?

41. RETN has strong feelings about microphones
I don’t*. But they do.

42. Apps for recording and editing
GarageBand
VoiceRecord Pro
Adobe Voice
Soundcloud
Twisted Wave
Audacity
StoryCorp
Spreaker

43. GarageBand (iOS, Mac laptops)
$19.99 on laptop, $9.99 on iPad
is basically a tiny recording studio
very powerful
somewhat complicated
Industry standard
no account required

44. VoiceRecord Pro (iOS)
free
has level check function
easy to use
no account required
different recording format options
Pause/Resume
limited editing
shares to: email, SMS, Camera Roll,

45. SoundCloud (Mac laptops, Chromebooks)
2 hours of free storage
requires account creation
no editing
creates subscribable RSS
feed
requires wifi connection
can be public/private
can be embedded

46. Adobe Voice (iOS, Android)
free
has storytelling templates
can add in or take photos
share to Camera Roll, email,
social media
limited editing
unlimited retakes

47. Audacity (Mac laptops)
free, open source
exports .aif files
so many editing options
Pause/Resume
somewhat complicated
no account required

48. Audioboo(m) (iOS and Android)
free
very basic editing
requires account creation
Pause/Resume
shares to global platform
shares to social media &
email
browser-based version is
different (and buggy. Oy.)

49. Vocaroo (browser-based)
free
no editing
share or download
make into a QR code!
delete link
incredibly simple interface
no account required

50. Twisted Wave (Chromebooks)
free, open source
exports .aif files
so many editing options
Pause/Resume
somewhat complicated
no account required

51. ...Google Hangouts?

52. Consider making a podbox:
$34 and a coupon from
JoA-- your local friendly
fabric store
How to make a podbox

53. Consider making a podbox:
How to make a podbox

54. Dance break
Now with podcasting!

55. Let’s make some podcasts
1. Choose your device and recording tool
2. Decide on a prompt or topic
3. Record away and have some fun! You can’t mess it up!
4. Share your recording with Michael.Berry@cesuvt.org or
leave it on your device
Hint: the more relaxed you are the better it sounds

56. Tips for interviewing
May also work for non-
podcasting activities.

57. 5 audio interviewing tips: equipment
1. Plug your equipment in and/or change the batteries the night before.
2. Bring a backup recording device if you have one.
3. Make sure you have enough memory space on the device to record for up
to an hour.
4. Once you’ve set up your recording device, don’t touch it. Don’t fiddle with
it or pick it up and move it, because that will sound like a bull elephant
invasion on the recording.
5.Doublecheck that you’ve hit “Record”.

58. 5 audio interviewing tips: people
1. Once you’ve double-checked that you hit “Record”, don’t look at your
device. Maintain eye contact with your interviewee.
2. Start by asking your interviewee to state their name*, grade level and
hometown.
3. Try to be conscious of giving the interviewee enough space to finish all
their thoughts (don’t interrupt)
4. Don’t worry about what you sound like.
5. Ask follow up questions that either make sense for your story or are just
the type of questions you’d ask in a normal conversation with your

59. 5 audio interviewing tips: environment
1. Try to record inside unless you have wind-proofing equipment or want to
work the environment into your story.
2. Breezeblock concrete, while ugly, is a fabulous sound-dampening
material. Bonus: it’s generally everywhere in schools.
3. Try to record no more than two people per interview.
4. Don’t worry about what your interviewee sounds like.
5. Listen to what’s going on in the background while you’re recording. Do
you want it in the finished story?

60. Finding an audience
Share out your podcast and get
folks listening

61. People in your community really do want to hear
effective school stories.

62. Subscription-based services
Service Complexity Player Embed
Option
Limits Best Resource
Soundcloud Low
Produces RSS
Feed
Free 3 hours
Pro 6 hours
Pro Unlimited
http://goo.gl/O7AErU
Stitcher Low to Medium
Needs RSS Feed
Free http://goo.gl/OJHHs7
Medium to High
Wordpress
Plugin
(self hosted only)
NA Costs and plans
http://goo.gl/O5OVqH
http://goo.gl/Dksx9v
iTunes Low - High
Needs an RSS
Feed, does not
host
ish
widget creator
Free http://goo.gl/xvaKeV

63. Embed your podcast in a class blog or school website

64. Make them for (and with) your fellow educators

65. Embed them in your class blog or school website

66. Don’t forget
local
community
media!
Community Access Media
groups
Local community radio
stations
Hometown paper websites
● PEG stations
● Local community
radio stations
● Hometown
photo: Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, VCAM

67. Look for community philanthropic organizations

68. But that’s not all...
Here are some resources
to help you start podcasting.

69. Try podcasting
in just one
class period.
Download your free
ebook
with step-by-step
instructions
for making a 30-
second PSA
in GarageBand

70. Looking for background music?

71. School & education podcasts in Vermont
(that we know of )
The 21st
Century
Classroom
(Tarrant
Institute)
Aftershock
(South
Burlington HS)
The RESVT Podcast
(Richmond Elementary)
The Weekly Geek
(Lamoille Union
Middle/High)
The Escape Podcast
(Westford Elementary)
Solutionaries
(Vermont Commons
School)
Jill E. Dawson
(Vermont educator)
Sterling House
(Williston Central
School)
YOU.
(And your school)

72. And join us online!

73. Thank you to everyone who makes &
shares great stuff

74. Thank you for your time.
podcasting.tarrantinstitute.org