Podcast Use by School Librarians
Podcasts are interesting tools being used by school librarians
to engage students and inspire them to read.
A podcast is easy to record, but requires time to edit. There are applications available to make this
step a little easier.
Garageband is user friendly and offers plenty of features to
help record and edit your podcast. I
have shared a link below to a helpful tutorial on YouTube. It shows how simple it is to add music and
edit the music to fade in and out. You
can also easily shift tracks around to accommodate the music. However, the main issue with using Garageband is that
it is only compatible with Apple products.
So trying to share audio files to edit is difficult. The app only
recognizes audio files saved within the app or this may have been a glitch when
I was trying to upload an mp3 file to edit.
How to Record & Edit a Podcast in Garageband (Complete
Tutorial)
When I was unable to open my audio file in Garageband, I
decided to use We Video to edit the file.
I have included a link below to the main website where you can create a
free account and a YouTube tutorial that goes into detail on how to use the
application. It is very user friendly
and on the version provided by my school, it offers free music to use in the
background. It takes no time at all to
add music, edit it to fade in and out, repeat, or cut it short. The issue with using We Video is that the completed video file needs to be converted to an audio file, so that adds an extra step. I have included a link below to a free
converter website.
We Video Site
WeVideo - Detailed Tutorial
Converting a video to an audio file
Another audio editing tool is Audacity. This tool is not as user friendly as
Garageband or We Video, but it offers several features that are worth learning
about. This application allows you to
compress the sound of the audio track that makes it more even. Sometimes, the sound will reach a peak that
causes it to distort, so by compressing the sound it alleviates this. In addition, sometimes some parts of the
audio are much lower in volume and this can be a problem if music is added to
the background, so compression also alleviates this issue. The other feature that I find useful is the
ability to split a track while continuing the music in the background. This would be helpful if the podcast is
lengthy and you want to split up different topics or subtopics.
The downside to using Audacity is that it takes a little
more time to learn, but the video tutorial is a big help. Another issue is that it does not provide free
music to add. It is possible to add
music and edit the music tracks, but the steps are a little more difficult than
the other applications and you need to find your own tracks. Adding tracks on your own takes more time
because it is important to consider copyright or it may require you to purchase
the tracks.
Audacity Basics: Recording, Editing, Mixing
How to Publish a Podcast on Podbean
The podcast I created using We Video, the converter, and GarageBand was uploaded to the hosting site called Podbean (https://www.podbean.com). This offers a free profile or paid account that offers upgraded features. It is easy navigate and upload podcasts. To hear the podcast I help create click here https://jasminelgarcia.podbean.com/ . It features tips and advice when considering genrefying your library.
Podcasts can be used
in a variety of ways in the library. For
instance librarians are using them to provide a preview of what book the
librarian will be reading, or as a way to help little ones unwind, or simply as
a way to give students an alternative way to enjoy a story. There are many websites that provide podcasts
for children and older students. I have
listed a few below taken from the article in the School Library Journal, “Prime
Time for Podcasts” (Feb 2, 2018) written by Linda Rodgers (https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=prime-time-podcasts)
with a short description of each site.
- Podcasts for Kids (A List) — Zooglobble: www.zooglobble.com
- Provides a list of podcasts for kids organized into categories.
- Ear Snacks – https://www.earsnacks.org/
- A musical podcast for kids about the world.
- April Eight: Songs and Stories Podcasts – https://aprileight.com/
- Provides original fairytale stories and songs for children.
- Buttons and Figs: What Nonsense Will You Make? – http://buttonsandfigs.com/
- Uses word play and nonsense to help kids make sense of the world.
- Brains On! – https://www.brainson.org/
- Science podcast for kids and curious adults.
To checkout podcasts for the busy librarian: visit this
post: http://www.5minlib.com/2017/07/18-excellent-podcasts-for-librarians.html
That's so awesome that your school provides access to WeVideo! Are you able to use it a lot in your instruction? How do you feel about free vs paid access?
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