Podcasts

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When I think of podcasts, I envision Ralphie in A Christmas Story intently listening to the Little Orphan Annie radio broadcast, which was an actual 15-minute serial show for children debuting in 1931. Nowadays, we don't have to sit close to the radio at a specific time awaiting a live recording. Instead, we can listen to podcasts at our convenience.

Podcasts are voice recordings saved in an audio file which are regularly posted online...and kids love them (so do adults, by the way)! Effective podcasts are like periodicals. Recordings are regularly released so that the audience tunes in at predictable intervals. Episodes are relatively brief: 20 - 30 minutes long.

In Prime Time for Podcasts, Linda Rodgers shares Jonathan Messinger's thoughts including that podcasts are immersive and engage the imagination since there is no visual. Podcasts can be used for multiple purposes. They can be academically informative, serve as a virtual book club, or solely entertain. They can be used to develop listening skills, build excitement about reading, or to spotlight someone in an interview. I hope to use podcasts in the library with students to record book reviews. I'd also love to interview teachers, administrators, and community members about their favorite reads. I can envision creating a series of podcasts for teachers, as well, to spotlight new technology tools or for training purposes.

Prime Time for Podcasts offers the following tips for igniting a passion for podcasts in kids:

• Cue episodes before storytime
• Get together with podcast creators
• Jump-start discussions
• Host a podcast petting zoo
• Connect with kid creators
• Become a contributor

Podcasts are free and easy to subscribe to or download. Here are some resources for finding existing podcasts:
✔ Apple's Podcasts app
✔ Stitcher Radio
✔ Zooglobble's Podcasts for Kids - categorized kids' podcast list with links and descriptions
✔ Kids Listen app
✔ Ear Snacks - musical podcast for kids about the world
✔April Eight - songs and stories podcast
✔ Book Club for Kids - book discussion podcast for middle schoolers
✔ iTunes
✔ 36 Educational Podcasts - podcasts for teachers

If you'd like to start a podcast yourself or help your students to do so, check out Podcast Host's informational booklet to get started. From what I read, there are numerous platforms you can use to record each podcast such as GarageBand, Audacity, Soundtrap, Soundcloud, Audioboo(m), Podomatic, or even Voice Memo on your smartphone.

I decided to check out a few of the tools mentioned in the articles I read. I was a bit surprised by my experience. Here are my thoughts on the tools I investigated:

SoundCloud

The initial SoundCloud webpage was a bit overwhelming. It had information about listening to music, monetizing, creating, developing, etc. It did not feel like a comfortable place for newbies. I wasn't sure if I needed to set up an account or not to create a podcast. I did, though, because I wanted to see why I might need one. When setting up the account, I had to enter an email address, password, user name, and specify my age and gender.

Once I had an account, there were three tabs to choose from: Stream, Charts, and Discover. From what I could tell, the Stream page is like your home base. You can add podcasts to follow and create a playlist here. The Charts page allows you to see the top 50 tracks played on SoundCloud over the current week or to find recordings in specific categories. The Discover page displays various featured tracks. I, personally, felt like much of the items displayed would be inappropriate for school-aged children. I'd exercise caution here. Also, it seemed like the focus of SoundCloud was music -vs- podcasts. 

I did like that SoundCloud included copyright information. I think that this would be extremely helpful for anyone creating or downloading podcasts. 

Overall, I did not like SoundCloud, though. I was unable to find a help feature and still don't know how to create a podcast with it.

Audioboo(m)

OK, so here is where things get a bit confusing. I discovered that there is an Audioboom site AND an Audioboo site.

The Audioboom website was definitely geared towards podcasters. But, there was no free option. Whereas, the Audioboo site said it was a free web and mobile platform where you can record and share audio by using a computer or Apple device. As you know, I'm all about free, so my immediate reaction was to try Audioboo.

The Audioboo webpage stated that recordings were limited to 5 minutes each; a good option for small amounts of information, but if you want to create regular podcasts of 20 - 30 minutes in length, this is not the tool for you. It was easy to tell that Audioboo was not created by a corporation, as the site was pretty simple and even had a few grammatical errors. It seemed really easy to figure out how to use, though, and the provided podcast examples created by kids were precious. I could see using this tool to create short book reviews, conduct brief interviews, and provide instructional clips. There was even a brief Intro to Audioboo video on the website that was extremely helpful. So, I decided to give it a try. I went to the app store to download Audioboo and...the app did not exist. 

After a bit more investigation online, I discovered that Audioboo was relaunched as Audioboom in 2014. Ugghh! So, back to square one. As stated previously, there is no free option of Audioboom. So, my search for an easy-to-use, free podcast utility continued.

Podomatic

When I viewed the Podomatic website, I was cautiously optimistic. The homepage stated that Podomatic was "the easiest way to create your own podcast" and advertised 500 MB of storage for free (and not as a trial!). It listed 4 steps in a humorous way (I liked it already!): record, upload, publish, and promote. Could it be that easy?

I decided to give it a shot. The "Create a FREE podcast" button was easy to locate and led me to create an account by entering my name, email address, and a password. Next, I was led to a page stating 3 simple steps to get started: setup, record, publish. I proceeded.

Podomatic was soooo user-friendly. It walked me through the process step-by-step and provided helpful tips along the way. Title...check! Tagline...check! Description...check! Cover art...yep! Categories...OK! Tagline...sure! URL...setup done!

Next came the scary part, recording. Have no fear with Podomatic! It will lead you through the entire process including how to set up and check your microphone, tips for preparing and setting up the environment, and it even links you to easy-to-use free recording software. With Podomatic, I was able to record, save, and even embed a podcast with NO problems. 

                                 My Verdict

I 100% recommend Podomatic for recording podcasts. It was up-to-date, straightforward, and included step-by-step instructions with a bit of humor sprinkled throughout. And, the free option has everything you need to produce periodic podcasts.

Here is my first podcast. I certainly have room for growth; but, I am pleased that I took the plunge and I hope you will too. Enjoy!

Cartoons and Comics

I loved to read comics when I was a kid! Archie comic books were my favorite. I still see them displayed in the checkout line at the grocery store. 

And how about the Sunday comics in the newspaper? It was the only day of the week that the comics were printed in color...and there was a whole section, not just a page or two! Nothing beat reading Peanuts after church. 

Comics are a medium used to express ideas using still images. Sometimes they contain text and sometimes they don't. When they do contain text, it is often contained in a speech bubble or caption. Comics can appear as a standalone cell or within interrelated panels. They can contain anything from a political message to a funny thought. The most current spin on comics is the graphic novel, which contains an entire narrative, fiction or nonfiction, shared in sequential comic form. Graphic novels are one of the most popular items checked out by students at my school.

So, how can comics be used in the classroom or library? According to Jabari Sellars in the article Comics in the Classroom, they serve three primary academic roles:

• Facilitating an understanding of complex required texts
• Extending the analysis of classic literature
• Replacing less-accessible works while conveying the same message

An additional ten reasons are shared on the Pixton Blog for Educators. I especially like these fun reasons to use comics: interest, variation, conciseness, willingness, understanding, discussion, ability, empowerment, community, and participation. I think you will find that you can create them to use with your students and that your students can make them as well.

Are you convinced yet? I am. In fact, I recently tried out a few utilities to create my own comics for use in the library. Here are my comics and thoughts related to each tool...

One of the great things about ToonDoo is the option of private Toondoospaces for schools and educational institutions. This option allows multiple users to register without having to enter email addresses. There is a fee for this option, but if you are going to have your students create ToonDoo comics, this is the way to go because it prevents privacy issues.

It was easy to create a comic in ToonDoo. After choosing to create a comic, I selected how many panels I wanted it to have. Then, I was able to choose and place characters, backgrounds, props, and speech bubbles from a menu bar. A tool bar is available at the bottom of the screen which provides the ability to adjust the size, position, and color of items. Even the position and facial expressions of the characters can be altered. There is plenty of variety in backgrounds and characters to make an interesting comic. However, the choices are not exhaustive. As you can see in my comic, the librarian is quite curvy and wearing high heels, but the student is kind of plain. Characters can be chosen or created from scratch, but I did not attempt to make my own character. 

Saving the completed comic was simple; all I had to do was choose Save from the main menu. ToonDoo is easy enough for students to use themselves, too. In fact, my daughter had to create a comic for a class assignment when she was in junior high using ToonDoo and didn't have any trouble with it. Overall, I found ToonDoo pretty simple in style, easy to use, and quick to come up with a finished product.

Pixton allows educators to use a scaled-down version for free. I set up an account by entering my name, email address, and a password. When given the choice as to how I wanted to use Pixton, I chose the "By myself" option in order to try it out. I was then provided with a comic tutorial on how to use Pixton's comic maker. I thought it was clever that the tutorial was a series of comics. The tutorial walked me through in a step-by-step process and was helpful. Beware of the characters, though. I typed in "librarian" as a search term and two old, dated, frumpy characters were displayed! Definitely not the look of a 21st century librarian!

I was amazed by the level of customization and choice available with Pixton. There are tons of characters and props to choose from. Each can be customized in size and color. They can be rotated or flipped. The position of a character's arms, legs, hands, and even head can be adjusted by the click and drag option. After choosing a background, the individual items in the scene can be broken up and individually adjusted or removed. The color, size, and font of the text can be modified, too. I especially liked that I could add panels whenever I wanted to rather than having to choose the number I wanted at the beginning. Saving the end product was simple and intuitive. Honestly, it did take me a while to get used to how to navigate all of the options, but I was able to use the Help option at the bottom of the screen whenever I had a question about how to do something. I think that students would be able to figure Pixton out quickly and easily create interesting, unique comics. 

The nice thing about Make Beliefs Comix is that you do not have to sign in to be able to create a comic. This online tool was very easy to use... and a comic can be made in a matter of minutes. However, there is very little variety in the characters, backgrounds, and objects available. In fact, there were no library background options and the only school one was not in color. Customization or creating an item from scratch is not possible at all.

I think that this would be a good option for young students who are making their first comic because choices are limited and saving is easy. But, there is not enough complexity or choice for older students or adults to create interesting comics.

The Verdict

My top choice for creating an interesting, innovative comic is Pixton. Although it takes a bit of getting used to, the customization options cannot be beat!

As a librarian, I plan to use comics with the teachers and students in my school as quick, fun reminders (as I did in the three comics I created above).

Try ToonDoo, Pixton, and Make Beliefs Comix out for yourself to determine which one you like the best. Happy cartooning!
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One more thing...
I discovered an amazing iPad app called Tellagami. Unfortunately, it has not been updated to work on the newest iOS update, but I have an old iPad and a new iPad. So, I was able to make a gami using the older model. Check out my book summary of Bridge to Terabithia.