What is a podcast?  A podcast is kind of like a short radio program that you produce on your computer. It could be a book report, a science project, or a show about your school or community.  To be a true podcast, you have to produce an entire series and publish them on the web in a special way, but the format can be used to make just about anything from a report for social studies to an essay for language arts.  The possibilities are endless.  By the way, you don’t need an iPod or other MP3 player to listen to a podcast.  Any computer will do.  Want to learn more?  Here are some resources.  You can also click the icon to the right to hear a sample podcast on podcasting.

Where can you go to get cool music and sound effects for your podcast?  Try these links:

• http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/pir/PIRsfx.shtml
• http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/pir/free.html
• http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/free-music-loops.html
• http://www.fws.gov/video/sound.htm:  Fish and Wildlife Sounds
• http://www.dosits.org/gallery/intro.htm:  The Discovery of Sound

Want to hear examples of podcasts?  Try these links:

• Willow Elementary School
• Gateway Elementary School
• Hopkinton High School Library  
• First Amendment Minute
• The Gold Standard:
  • Check out NPR's broadcast from Antarctica
  • Travel to Guatemala by clicking here.
• http://www.audiobooks.org/ Free Audio Books
• http://www.storycorps.net/ - Story corps Project
• http://www.loc.gov - Great sounds, videos and photographs

Want to learn more about Podcasts?  Click here:

• What is a Podcast? -- From epnweb.org

• Wikipedia

Want to make your own Podcast at home?  Click below for some resources:

• Audiacity:  Free open source windows software for creating podcasts.  Make sure to ASK YOUR FAMILY before you download and install software on a computer at home.  

What can you do with Podcasts?

• Students can post
  • Reports or projects
  • Essays
  • Journal writing
  • Stories

   

• Teachers can post
  • Review lessons
  • Explanations of projects or class activities
  • Pronunciation guides for ELL or foreign language learning
  • On-line books or stories
  • A regular podcast rather than or in addition to a class newspaper

   

• Schools can post
  • Announcements
  • A school podcast rather than or in addition to a newsletter
  • Podcasts of concerts, plays, assemblies or meetings

More Resources:

• Juice is free podcast reader for all computers
• An RSS Creator helps you write the code that publishes your podcast on the internet.
• An RSS Validator checks your RSS code to make sure it is OK
• Check out copyright law here