In the latest #slowchathealth Student Voices blog post you’ll actually get to hear student voices as I share just how easy it is to podcast in your classroom.

I’ve been podcasting in my #healthed classroom for 8 years and have written a number of blog posts about the creation and the value of listening to podcasts.

As technology has changed, making podcasts has become easier, with a number of different apps entering the market that enable you to not only create, but also archive your podcasts for others to check out. Partially inspired by Nathan Horne and his The Daily PhysEd reflective podcast I decided to go back to Anchor FM and see how it could help me share more student podcasts.

Making A Podcast: I run an advocacy project with my students during which they write a series of 250 word reflections that provide me with evidence of them achieving certain learning objectives. This writing, along with a summative reflection that they write essentially form the basis of a script. Working in small groups the students are guided by some questions (see below) and create a script.

The script writing process is important. Not only are the discussions between the group members great, but it also ensures a good quality podcast. In the past when I’ve had a more relaxed approach to the podcasting process I’ve been frustrated with some of the work turned in.

After I proof read the scripts the students record. I fear that this part of the process is the one that frightens some teachers. YOU DO NOT need any expensive equipment. An expensive microphone might help improve the audio quality but I listen to professional podcasts that have poor audio quality and it’s OK. The content is more important than the audio. My students use their cell phones to record. In a previous school that banned cell phones (it was 7 years ago – hopefully we’ve all come to our senses since then) I used my cell phone to record. If you find a quiet part of the building (my students appreciate the trust I have in them to leave the classrooom and find a quite area to record) and hold your phone up to your mouth the audio will be fine.

Now all that needs to be done is for the audio file to be sent to you to listen and grade. I take things one step further because I enjoy being a part of the process also. I’ll run the audio through Garageband, add an introduction, drop in some music, and archive the recording on my Soundcloud page. Now I have a shareable artifact that can transcend the four walls of my classrooom, be shared with future students, posted on social media, and embedded in the eBooks that I create for class.

AnchorFM: So, back to AnchorFM. Sites like Soundcloud, Podbean etc have a limited amount of storage with their free accounts. AnchorFM will archive all of your recordings, PLUS automatically push out your content as a podcast AND put it on Stitcher and iTunes of you ask it to. FOR FREE! Here’s the link to my iTunes page.

Anchor makes it super easy for anyone to hear, share, and create interactive streams of audio called stations. It’s like radio, but bite-sized, interactive, addictive, and way more fun.

Make audio on the go. In addition to effortless, telephone-mode recording, Anchor gives you the ability to add full length tracks from Apple Music or Spotify, pull in external audio clips, and add high quality interludes from world-class musicians and sound designers. It’s like having every audio production tool you could ever want in your pocket. – AnchorFM site

I plan on using AnchorFM in the future, purely because of its ease. Additionally I will be recording a series of daily updates from #SHAPENashville in March.

So, as promised, here’s the voices of two of my students who chose to advocate for a health topic that some might feel is taboo, but is still important. If you have any feedback for these students, feel to send it for me to pass on to these two young advocates.

https://anchor.fm/andrew-milne/episodes/1568c30

Check out the inaugural Student Voices blog post, written by one of my students and with over 100 views from my PLN – proof that social media can be used to extend the life of good student work.

You might also like these blog posts:

Podcast & Chill – A themed playlist of #healthed podcasts, discussion questions and a bonus Spotify playlist

My Podcast Addiction – Listing all of the podcasts that I listened to in a week.

The blog artwork includes a vector image that can be found here.