Podcasting in the Learning Commons – Canadian School Libraries Journal

By Sarah Murray

Why Podcast in the Learning Commons?

Podcasting is the democratization of radio. In the past, there were many barriers to broadcasting and few original voices were heard. With the ease of open source editing tools like Audacity and apps like Anchor, anyone can have their voice heard through the internet. Teaching students to podcast empowers them to share their unique perspectives and fresh ideas with the world in a creative medium that is just evolving. Many experienced Youtubers and Bloggers are turning to podcasting as the next step.

Learning to podcast will re-energize your teaching practice and the excitement of sharing new ways of storytelling will be infectious and further engage your students in learning too.

Podcasting was invented with the iPod. The term is a mashup of iPod and Broadcasting. A computer programmer created an app to enable users to download radio broadcasts. Podcasting has since flourished with broadband internet access and the proliferation of portable digital audio playback devices.

A podcast is a digital audio file made available on the Internet for downloading to a computer or mobile device, typically available as a series, new installments of which can be received by subscribers automatically.

According to the Canadian Podcast Listener 2019 Summary Report, nearly 11 million Canadian adults (37% of the 18+ population) have listened to podcasts in the past year. More than 13 million (45%) have listened at some point. Podcast listeners represent an educated and affluent audience. French Canadians are much less likely than English Canadians to be podcast listeners.

People love to listen to podcasts because they control their own content unlike radio stations. Listeners may decide to support individuals with compelling voices to promote their favorite series. It is also much easier to listen to the voices of individuals from all over the world as the audio clips are so easily shared globally. This is what makes podcasting so intriguing for the listener.

In the classroom, students are also able to easily create their own audio projects to demonstrate learning. Even the most technophobe student can master the Anchor app to “publish” a polished sounding audio clip.

Podcasts offer students the opportunity to hone their speaking and listening skills. Podcasting is essentially storytelling through narration, interviews, music and soundscapes. The best podcasts go to the heart of the human condition and are riveting to the listener, who can be driving, cleaning the house or walking to school.

What do teens think about podcasting in the classroom?

The following insights are from Amanda, Nicole and Alec who are Gr. 12 students of Immaculata High School in Ottawa.

The popularity of podcasting is on the rise with teenagers. Podcasting presents the opportunity for students to become both critical consumers and creative makers. Most teens access the podcasts of their favorite Youtubers. Many teens already have Spotify accounts where they can now find rich podcast content.

Amanda feels that podcasting, like any educational tool, will engage some students fully, while others will just see it as “work”. She argues that podcasting is an excellent tool for students who are strong oral learners. Many students prefer to speak about a topic than write about it. It also allows teachers to differentiate instruction for students, giving the option of podcasting to play to students’ speaking and listening strengths.

Nicole wishes that more teachers would create podcasts of their lectures so that students could access them outside class time. She is grateful to her Gr. 10 History teacher who created animated videos to accompany his daily lessons. Podcasts allow teachers to “flip” their classroom and provide content to students prior to class in order to enrich discussion and maximize class time learning.

Both students would welcome the option to respond to a topic by creating a podcast than by writing an assignment. Nicole says students appreciate the opportunity to polish their oral responses by erasing and re-recording. She adds that students are less intimidated by hearing their voices in a podcast versus seeing their image in a video. Allison points out that podcasts might encourage more authentic responses than those voiced in the classroom. She finds that students often say what they think the teacher and peers want to hear in class discussions.

Alec began podcasting in a Drama Production course in order to advertise the school play. He sees the benefit of podcasting in French language classes where you must demonstrate your mastery through the audio recording process. Podcasting can make learning more fun by adding a creative element to what would otherwise be a straightforward oral presentation. Podcasts are also becoming more rich and diverse and are a great medium to consume new information. Alec strongly believes that all students must embrace their inner techie these days by adopting a trial and error mindset. Students need the practice in building patience and dealing with the frustration of receiving elusive answers to skillfully asked questions.

Podcasting gives students more confidence to speak with authentic and truthful voices. Students have more time to think about the process and create their responses. Amanda suggests that podcasting would fit best with discussion driven classes like philosophy or ethics.

To sum up, podcasting is a multiple literacy experience. Teaching students to listen carefully to podcasts enriches their critical thinking skills and offers an auditory learning experience beyond text. When students create podcasts, they learn to skillfully use both modern digital media tools and traditional storytelling techniques to narrate the podcast.

Online Resources for Teaching Students to Podcast

How to Use the Podcasting App: Anchor
Practical Ed Tech: How to Create a Podcast in 6 minutes or less. (2018)

Ten Canadian Podcasts

Always preview podcasts before sharing with your students to ensure the content is suitable.

Home Cooked is about cherished family recipes and the stories behind why they get passed on. Each episode focuses on one family and one recipe. Host Sarah Martin takes listeners inside the home kitchen as they cook and share stories.

The Secret Life of Canada is a history podcast about the country you know and the stories you don’t.

Thunder Bay The highest homicide and hate crime rates in the country. A mayor charged with extortion. A police chief who faced trial for obstruction of justice. Nine tragic deaths of Indigenous high schoolers. Why does it all happen here?

Indian & Cowboy is a digital media platform meant to give those willing, a chance to listen, engage, learn and respond to Indigenous Peoples.

Polaris Podcast is an analysis of great Canadian records.

Follow Up has thoughtful, frank conversations with Canada’s top political insiders, hosted by Althia Raj.

Quirks and Quarks is Canada’s award-winning national science program. Every week, host Bob McDonald presents the people behind the latest discoveries in science, technology, medicine and the environment – from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest objects in the sky and everything in between.

Frontburner is a daily news podcast from CBC News and CBC Podcasts that drops weekday mornings led by host Jayme Poisson.

The Big Story is a 15 minute synopsis of the story that’s buzzing on social media each day. Going beyond the headlines, they tackle the topics on the minds of Canadians with intelligence and wit, drawing on the country’s best journalists.

Cross-PolliNation is a podcast that combines creativity with innovation.

Sarah Murray is a high school teacher-librarian and English teacher with over 15 years of experience in the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Her passion is literacy and she is an active advocate for reading in her school community. Her core character strength is the love of learning as she seeks to implement a character strengths approach to both teaching and parenting. Sarah is a member of the CSL Journal Editorial Board.