🎤Create a Class Podcast Using Anchor 🎤
Like many teachers, I honestly just didn't know where to begin or what platform to use. I had so many questions and very little answers. I didn't know anyone in my school site or my district doing anything like it, so I ventured to look for resources on my own.
I had my students create a "podcast" for our class using the audio recording feature in Seesaw and that was great. I knew about Anchor and shared it with a colleague. As the end of the school year approached, I didn't really make the time to give it a try with students. My co-worker and I discussed the pros and cons of each app and went off to summer break knowing we would eventually circle back to it.
Toward the end of June, I was given the opportunity to attend the ISTE conference in Chicago. There I was able to learn from Matt Miller, the podcast guru himself! He shared that creating a podcast didn't have to be difficult.
He suggested that we record students throughout the week, make a short compilation of their audio clips and make that our podcast.
He made it seem so easy!
As I returned from ISTE to teach two-weeks of summer school, I knew I had a great opportunity to play with Anchor and do a trial run. It couldn't have been any easier.
Starting Our Class Podcast
I asked for student volunteers to record their reflections for the week in 60 seconds or less. I also recorded speeches, discussions, and music recitals throughout the week that I could opt to include in our podcast at the end of the week. Through Anchor I then added intro music and a few transitions. Before I knew it, we had our first podcast after our first week of summer school. It was magic!
It was so easy to explain the recording process to students by quickly showing them on my phone. It also didn't interfere with instruction.
I gave the student volunteers a script at the beginning of the week and told them they would share a short reflection with me on Friday. The students were excited to record their recap of the week and did it in less than a minute during a transition time, toward the end of class or during lunch time. It was so seamless and easy.
Sharing Our Podcast
I then shared the link to our Podcast with our principal who posted it on Twitter, I sent the link via Remind to parents, and posted it in Google Classroom for students. Anchor makes it so easy to create a podcast from your phone or computer without the need for expensive equipment, software or a subscription. It's completely free!
In the summer we produced two episodes without loosing instructional time as a class. Now that I know how easy it can be, I have so many ideas for our year long class podcast. I've created multiple scripts and a graphic organizer that will allow me to be more organized as we put together our weekly or biweekly episodes. I'm thinking of creating a podcast binder or notebook with all the scripts and posting them in Google Classroom for student reference. I am excited to see parents involved in our weekly adventures and join us in our year long middle school journey!
How to get started
Anchor.fm Website and Mobile App Videos
Anchor.fm Website:
Anchor Mobile App Video:
Resources (Parent Letters, Scripts, Graphic Organizers)
Like you would with any other student activity, the more organized you are the better. I've created parent consent letters in English and Spanish to get permission to record and publish student voices. I've also created multiple scripts to get students started. As they develop their skills they will create their own and the podcasts will improve over time. The scripts are so easy to follow, that I truly believe even little ones can do it! Stop by my TPT store for the full class podcast starter bundle or get ideas to create your own. 😊
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| Resource available in my TPT store (Click Here) |
If you have any other ideas or suggestions for podcasting in the classroom feel free to share them! I am excited to learn how I can continue to improve my use of this medium of communication with my students.
Let's keep students engaged,
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