Podcasting and Vodcasting – Say What?

Podcasting and vodcasting make people scratch their heads in confusion because they do not understand what they are or how they can be used for educational purposes. Podcasting is simply making a digital audio recording for people to hear your topic (Briand et al., 2021). Users can listen to podcasts on their phones, mobile devices, or computers. Podcasts are downloadable, so users can listen anytime, anywhere. Vodcasting is adding a script to video content (Kalludi et al., 2015). Vodcasts can be seen on any device that has internet access. Anyone can create a vodcast and upload it to their social media, website, or YouTube channel. 

Digital casting – both pod and vod – is an innovative learning method (Briand et al., 2021; Kalludi et al., 2015) that motivate and engage students in learning. Pod- and vodcasting level the educational playing field by providing access to content in and outside of school and are already at students' fingertips. Students enjoy learning through audio and video clips and often use these methods to learn non-academic content. For example, how many of your students can tell you everything you never wanted to know about Pokemon, building a Minecraft world, or trains? If I can teach myself how to change the heater pump in my son's car by watching a YouTube video, students can learn about Pokemon, Minecraft, and other interests through the same method.

Essential Digital Casting Tools
(Photo Credit: Vicki's Tech Hub)

Now that we know what podcasts and vodcasts are (and that students are already using them to learn), how can educators use them creatively in the classroom? Here are some examples for you.

Students can create podcasts and vodcasts using classroom content. If you want to know what your students really know, have them create a montage of images with a voice-over or create a podcast describing the content they have been learning. For example, my third-grade students study our town's history. To assess their learning, they create a historical (digital) postcard of a person, place, or event with historical significance. They have to have 1 picture, a description of the person, place, or event, and an audio recording (or podcast) of why the person, place, or event is significant. 

My fifth graders study the revolutionary war and the causes leading up to it. One fun project they work on is a vodcast of an event they consider the tipping point that started the war. Using primary source images (thank you, Library of Congress!), students create a video montage with audio justifying why the event is the tipping point. Students create a script, plan their images, and record the vodcast. Finally, students edit everything into a final Oscar-worthy vodcast. Their teacher places their informative vodcasts on her website for parents to watch.

Primary students can create podcasts and vodcasts, too! Kindergarten students LOVE to explain everything from how they lost their first tooth to what they ate for lunch in (excruciatingly) adorable detail. Using Flip, my kindergarten students retell their favorite story and explain why it is their favorite. To draw interest in their vodcast, they create and hold up a picture of their favorite part of the story.  

My first graders are fantastic scientists and explain the patterns of movement they see in the sky. From seasons to the moon, these students discuss the changing seasons and why the moon appears to grow from night to night. They create their podcasts using Online Voice Recorder, a simple online audio recording tool. Their teacher uploads weekly student podcasts to her website for parents' enjoyment.

After reading about these creative examples of podcasting and vodcasting, what can you and your students design?

(1 Minute Lessons, n.d.)

References
1 Minute Lessons. (n.d.). Podcasting for kids: How to create a podcast – tips for kids [Video file]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vznd5vRz9_A&ab_channel=1MinuteLessons

Briand, S. Malo-Leclerc, I., Beaudoin, M., Croisetiére, É., Tremblay, A. Coté–Boulanger, M., & Carrier, A. (2021). Considerations in the use of podcasts for teaching and learning in occupational therapy: A scoping study. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 5(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2021.050202

Kalludi, S. Punja, D., & Dhar, M. (2015). Is video podcast supplementation as a learning aid beneficial to dental students? Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 9(12), 4–7. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2015/14428.6944