Podcasting: Hooks, Lines, and Thinkers

Podcasting is the practice of using the Internet to make digital recordings of broadcasts available for downloading to a computer or mobile device. We will examine various methods of podcasting to share media in context to its use in an educational setting.

The content can be as broad or as narrow as the creator envisions when they embark on becoming a producer of media. The media can be presented in both audio and video formats. It can be public, limited distribution, or public. The choices are limitless and are completely under control of the author. The best part about making podcasts, it can really be about anything you are passionate about.

Originally podcasts were websites with RSS feeds. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication which allows users and applications to access updates to websites in a standardized, computer-readable format. These feeds can, for example, allow a user to keep track of many different websites in a single news aggregator. The news aggregator will automatically check the RSS feed for new content, allowing the list to be automatically passed from website to website or from website to user. (Wikipedia, "RSS." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2 May. 2020. Web. 14 Jun. 2020.)

Today, there are a multitude of podcast aggregators that can collect your podcasts into a single application. Some of the most prominent aggregators are Feedly, iTunes / Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, and my favourite, Pocket Casts.

It is also important to note that there as been a slight shift in podcasting. While there is still a strong trend towards using RSS to feed podcasts into aggregators. Many podcasters are also streaming their podcasts on services such as YouTube, Twitch, Spotify, and voicEd Radio. While some are trying to increase the size of their audience, others are "narrow casting" by using private RSS feeds or using "domain blocked" websites without an RSS feed.

Capturing Media

Audio

There are many ways to capture audio. However, it the the situation/environment that dictates how you will do it.

Voice App

Most of the time, my audio is captured using the voice record app (iOS or Android) on my phone. This method works best when I am "out and about". It is also great for impromptu interviews or when equipment is not available. The voice record app is the method most used by my students. They often use their personal devices to record audio or the voice record application on their school Chromebook.

Websites

There are many websites that allow you to record audio. However, when I am limited to using a Chromebook for a short (<5 min) recording, I often use TwistedWave since it will allow me to record/upload, edit, and save my recording to my Google Drive. The drawback is that it limits you to 5 minute mono recordings.

For additional features, I will uses services such as SoundCloud and Spreaker. Both SoundCloud and Spreaker have free tiers that will meet most demands in an educational setting. If you are interested in conducting interviews, then Zencaster is the easiest way to record high quality audio from remote locations. The Spreaker Studio app also allows for interviews to be recorded.

USB Microphone

If you are interested in increasing the production value. The first step would be to improve your microphone. When I am working at my computer, I opt for a USB microphone such as the Blue Yeti. The Yeti gives a fuller voice quality and is easy to set up and use, regardless of the device it is connected to. In conjunction to the USB microphone, I will record using Audacity (multi-platform) or GarageBand on a Mac. The benefits of recording using these applications, in addition to being free, they allow you to easily edit, modify, and blend tracks in the recording.

Studio Quality

If you have the knowledge and equipment handy (media lab), then you have the potential to record professional quality audio. I do not recommend investing in mixing boards, XLR microphones, amplifiers, and capture devices until you are committed to setting up a podcast studio. Sure, it will sound great, but many podcasts only have 3-4 episodes before the novelty wears off and are abandoned. It would not be prudent to invest in a full studio until you are committed to producing the podcast or want to provide the equipment for other users.

A Word about Audacity

I have been using Audacity for over 10 years and is my preferred multi track audio editing application. It is a free and multi-platform (Mac, Win, Linux) sound editor. It can easily combine tracks into a variety of formats. There are also many add-ons that can automate cleaning up and leveling the recorded audio. In my opinion, the most essential add-on is Chris’s Dynamic Compressor which will fix most recording issues (noise, low recording levels, etc) as it is an all in one compressor/limiter/gate and makes the end product sound more uniform.

Video

Mobile Devices

You often hear photographers say the best camera is the one you have with you. Most people today have a phone with a camera and it is always with them. They can be used to document events as they happen or can be used to create a feature film. Using a phone to capture video is more than acceptable to produce a video podcast.

For a more professional approach, you can use a dedicated digital DSLR camera. The video will be considerably better due to the choices of lenses. However, the key feature is a dedicated microphone jack in most DSLR's that will allow you to take advantage of a shotgun or lavaliere (lapel) microphone to only record the subject of the video. This dramatically decrease the ambient noise. It is also easy to move the recording using web services (Google Drive, OneDrive, DropBox), a USB cable to a computer, or physical media (SD card).

Aside: I once made a video to show my Mom how to move her photos from an SD card to her computer. I put the video on YouTube and it has since had almost 300k views since 2013.

Webcams

Many video podcasts are of a host behind a desk. Webcams are the easiest and best way to record this type of podcast. Using the built in webcam or a USB webcam, it is easy to capture and record video. The preferred webcam for many video podcasters is the Logitech C920 Pro series of webcams. However, they are often in short supply at many retailers and often subject to substantial price markups.

Screen Capture

Video podcasters often use screen capture to show their computer screens as they narrate over the images/video. There are many software packages that can be used to do this. Of the many I have used, I recommend Screencastify, Screencast-o-matic, Loom, and VidYard. They all have a free tier for you to try them out. It will really depend on your preferences for which one you choose. It is also important to note that many operating systems already have built in stream recording, this article will explain how to access those features in Win10, MacOS, iOS, and Android.

A word of caution, some services lock you into their platform. When selecting an app or service, make sure you can download the video to a personal device so that you can have a backup or upload it to your preferred video service. For example, I regularly upload videos for my classes to Google Drive where they can be played directly from the link without sharing publicly or with other services. This will be an important feature if your Board does not allow access to YouTube or other streaming services.

YouTube and/or Google Drive

Really not much to say about YouTube, as of May 2019, more than 500 hours of video were uploaded to YouTube every minute. This equates to approximately 30,000 hours of newly uploaded content per hour. This is the easiest and most used free video streaming service in the world and it is ideal for hosting your video podcast.

If you are uncomfortable with your video being easily seen by the world, you can upload your video as "unlisted" and it will not show up in search or recommendations. But, you will be able to link to it and share it as you see fit. I do not recommend "private" as you will have to manually share with each individual (upto 50).

Additionally, you can store your video in Google Drive. Once the video is uploaded, it will be rendered in Drive after a period of time (usually less than a day) and it will allow you to play and/or embed the video on websites (such as, Google Sites). Since, it is in Google Drive, you can control the share settings to only share the video with specific people, within your domain, or publicly. Again, this will be an important feature if your Board does not allow access to YouTube or other streaming services.

Editing Software

There are so many choices when it comes to video editing. I have never really enjoyed editing video on a phone, but, if I was forced to, I would use iMovie or Apple Clips.

My favourite device for creating video based media is an iPad. It is a full movie studio in a single device. Not only can you record audio, video, and still images, but you can blend all of these components together using iMovie. Currently, our school has a number of iPads for students to sign out from the Library Learning Commons to produce video as part of their English Media unit. With a little instruction, students have been able to produce amazing results.

On the desktop, there are also many option. On Macs, you can't find an easier to use program than iMovie. On Window or Linux PC's, I usually use Shotcut or OpenShot to edit video as they are also free and easy to use.

A Few Methods for Creating a Podcast

These methods will focus primarily on audio podcasts but can easily be adapted for use with video.

Using Google Sites for a Private Podcast

In Ontario schools there is always a concern regarding student privacy and this is compounded by the fact that most students are under 18 years of age. In a effort to protect student privacy, I advocate the use of restricted access sites for aggregating student podcasts.

How-To:

  1. Decide what the podcast will be about. It could be an assignment or something the students are passionate about.

  2. Create a website using Google Sites and customize the theme of the site. Ensure that you take the time to talk to students about copyright and how to select appropriate images. Most of the images I use come from two sites: Pixabay and Wikimedia Commons.

  3. Create a script. This is a great time to talk to students about how to put together an episode: intro, content, outro. Brainstorm questions and/or topics. Rehearse asking questions, answering questions, and monologues.

  4. Record the audio using whatever device is available.

  5. Edit the audio. This can be done using Audacity, GarageBand, or features built into the recording device.

  6. Upload the audio file (.wav or .mp3) to Google Drive. I usually create a folder for each podcast and keep all the files for that podcast in that folder. You may also have subfolders for the podcast with artwork, music, and pre-recorded items (such as theme music with voice over). Develop a numbering routine. To ensure that episodes are easy to find I use the following: ###-title.mp3. This method allows me to have have 999 episodes sorted sequentially.

  7. Click on the file and change the share settings to "anyone with the link" for public podcasts or limit it to school board domain (see screenshot). Make sure that "viewer" is selected. You don't want anyone editing your podcast.

  8. Click the "Copy Link" after you have made the correct share settings.

  9. Open the site, double click to bring up the edit toolbox, select "embed", select "embed by URL", paste in the link from step 8, click "Insert". This will then create an audio player to allow you to listen to your episode. The player can be resized based on the aesthetic of the site.

  10. Write a description.

  11. When you are finished, click "Publish" in Google Sites and give the link a meaningful name.

  12. Check the share settings for the site by clicking the share button next to the gear icon. Click on "Links" and make sure the "Published site" contains the correct share setting. Choose to make it public or restricted to your domain.

You now have a website that has built in audio players for each episode of your podcast. The website can be public or restricted to those your specify.

Using Podcast Apps and Services

Mobile Apps

There are a variety of mobile apps that can be used to record and publish your podcast. The two most capable are Anchor and Spreaker Studio. However, I do not usually recommend them for use in the classroom. The primary reason is that they are services that might not meet the the privacy requirements for your Board, as the recordings are stored on their servers.

If I were to choose between these two applications/services, after taking a close look at their EULA, I would use Spreaker Studio. The primary reasons are:

  • I like how easy it is to record and edit audio on the mobile device.

  • It has the ability record interview from remote devices.

  • It has a few sound effects to be added to your podcast.

  • You can download the completed podcast to your device without publishing it.

  • It is multi platform (including desktop).

  • Makes it easy to publish to all the podcasting services (iTunes, etc.)

  • Don't have to do any coding or generation of RSS feed, all done for you

These apps are ideal if you are interested in producing a personal podcast as they are very user friendly for the novice podcaster.

SoundCloud for Podcasting

The instructions below are similar to the method above with a few tweaks for SoundCloud. Again, it is important to read the EULA to ensure that it meets the requirements for the Privacy Policy in your Board.

How-To:

  1. Decide what the podcast will be about. It could be an assignment or something the students are passionate about.

  2. Create a script. This is a great time to talk to students about how to put together an episode: intro, content, outro. Brainstorm questions and/or topics. Rehearse asking questions, answering questions, and monologues.

  3. Record the audio using whatever device is available. Soundcloud also has an app for recording audio.

  4. Edit the audio. This can be done using Audacity, GarageBand, or features built into the recording device.

  5. Set up your SoundCloud account and the podcasting feed using the instructions from the site. This is an important step as it will be used to generate an RSS feed that will be shared with podcasting services.

  6. Upload the audio to SoundCloud. The file will then be fed from SoundCloud to all podcast aggregators. You can also post the feed on social media or embed it on your website. You can use the generated HTML code or the WordPress code depending on your website.

The nice feature about using SoundCloud, is that it has a free tier that allows you to store your audio files. You won't need a website to host your podcast. You can even set up your own domain to point to your podcast on SoundCloud, for example, threequestionswith.com goes to my SoundCloud page. I have written a blog post about setting up a domain in the past.

Full Control of your Content

You want to completely control your content or your Board provides a WordPress site for all staff members. This is the section for you.

How-To

  1. Set up a personal domain. I have written a blog post about this in the past. You can use this domain to forward to a personal server or to a podcast service.

  2. Optional: Set up a server. Again, I have written a blog post about this in the past. You can use the domain you registered to forward to this personal server or to a podcast service.

  3. Setup a WordPress blog. Wordpress.org for a personal server or wordpress.com for the service. Our Board provides unlimited Wordpress sites for WRDSB staff. I prefer to use WordPress since it will automatically generate an RSS feed for your podcast.

  4. Create 2 categories for your site, one for "posts" the other for the "podcasts". This will be important since we will be using the podcast category to separate our podcast from other posts on the blog site. When you post to your Wordpress site, make sure to select the proper category.

  5. Customize the site. Ensure that you take the time to talk to students about copyright and how to select appropriate images. Most of the images I use come from two sites: Pixabay and Wikimedia Commons.

  6. Decide what the podcast will be about. It could be an assignment or something the students are passionate about.

  7. Create a script. This is a great time to talk to students about how to put together an episode: intro, content, outro. Brainstorm questions and/or topics. Rehearse asking questions, answering questions, and monologues.

  8. Record the audio using whatever device is available.

  9. Edit the audio. This can be done using Audacity, GarageBand, or features built into the recording device.

  10. Upload the audio file (.wav or .mp3) to your Wordpress site. Develop a naming routine. To ensure that episodes are easy to find I use the following: ###-title.mp3. This method allows me to have have 999 episodes sorted sequentially. Optional: Instead store your audio on archive.org just in case you want to keep the audio (for the life of the internet) but decide to abandon the site (or you retire). Here are two tutorials on setting this up (1) (2).

  11. Write a blog post on WordPress, add images, add the audio from the media library. WordPress should embed the audio into an audio player automatically for you. Select the correct category (podcasts).

  12. When you are finished, click "Publish". Your post is now live on the internet.

  13. Now to find the RSS feed: go to your domain and add the following to the end (not quotes) "/category/podcasts/feed/". As you can see in the screenshot, it generates the code for your feed. Now all you have to do is submit that link to podcasting services using tutorials for iTunes, Google, Spotify, etc.

  14. Keep your website up to date. With 40% of all websites worldwide are WordPress, it is a target for hackers. Make sure you update your server, WordPress, and plugins regularly.

You now have a personal website that also hosts your podcast. For example you can find my personal website at fusco.ca that hosts my blog posts and podcasts. The podcasts are labelled with the "podcast" category. The podcast feed is at fusco.ca/category/podcast/feed.

If you don't use WordPress, your feed is giving you problems, or you want to customize the feed, you can also use the Google Feedburner service to generate the RSS feed. Although this service has not been updated in a while, it still works well and rumours are that it will be getting some updates soon.


Samples

WCI Announcements

WCI Announcements is hosted on SoundCloud using their free tier. There is a 3 hour limit at the free tier, therefore, we delete all the posts each semester to allow for new uploads. The service also allows us to add our Announcements to Apple Podcasts in addition to allowing us to embed it into our school website for playback. The episode descriptions contains the text of the announcements for those who do not want to listen to the episodes.

This is a true podcast with an RSS feed.

Book Talks with Carlo

During Covid-19 quarentene, we in the Library Learning Commons decided to create a podcast of Book Talk Interviews with staff members. The intention was to create a private site for staff to listen to other staff members recommend books.

We recorded the audio using ZenCaster, we merged the audio files with Audacity, created an MP3 from the WAV files, and then stored them on Google Drive and embedded them into a Google Site.

We have temporarily made this site accessible to the public.

This is not a true podcast as it does not have an RSS feed.

Three Questions With...

Similar to the WCI Announcement podcast, this is my personal podcast, "Three Questions With...", that I create while attending conferences or meeting interesting people.

It is recorded using a smartphone, edited with Audacity, uploaded to SoundCloud, and embedded on a personal website. The website uses WordPress which creates an RSS feed that can be read by podcast apps to load the audio.

Note: WordPress.com is a commercial service, and Wordpress.org is the free open source software package for self hosting your own site.

This is a true podcast with an RSS feed.

Socially Awkward

Socially Awkward is a podcast from an English Teacher who interviews her senior students using a list of awkward questions (sample questions). In this example we wanted to ensure students could find their interviews decades into the future. The audio was recorded on a phone, edited with Audacity, uploaded to Archive.org, the link to the audio was added to a Wordpress blog post where an RSS feed could be created and submitted to iTunes. This method was selected so that even if the website ceases to exist, the audio would always be available.

This is a true podcast with an RSS feed.

Webinar (June 17, 2020)

Slidedeck

Podcasting: Hooks, Lines, and Thinkers

Video

Acknowledgements

  • OTF for providing this opportunity to share my interest in podcasting.

  • All images are from Pixabay and are used under the Pixabay Licence.

  • Additional images are from screen captures of websites.

  • Royalty Free music from Kevin MacLeod at Incompetech

Podcasting: Hooks, Lines, and Thinker by Carlo Fusco for the OTF Curriculum Forum is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (June 2020)
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