Podcasting

PROFESSIONALLY PRODUCED 

CHOOSE A TOPIC

Brainstorming (Individual or Group)

Next, dive deeply into the ideas that surfaced during listening: tap into your experience, knowledge, and creativity to present an end product that others enjoy and that benefits listeners. Individually (or in a small group of three to four,) start spilling podcasting content ideas onto paper and write down anything that comes to mind. Remember that every idea has a place on the podcasting table. Or, apply a brainstorming tool like mind mapping: write one topic idea in the middle of the paper, drawing a line to each related detail around the topic (what, who, why, where, when and how). Another similar option is a target map. These maps help create a visual outline of thoughts and ideas that can be communicated to others. 

Topic Ideas for the Classroom

Teachers: if the class is being assigned a prompt or idea for the podcast, the brainstorm sessions look a little different. Write the topic in the middle of a target map. Invite students to brainstorm story ideas for the assigned prompt by filling out the outer circles of the map. Another way to hone the podcast topic is for students to choose three brainstormed prompts, create a story idea for each prompt, and pick the best one. Following are possible topic ideas to build from:

1. Tell the audience story about your school or community, about something that happened there -- recently or in the past -- that you want to communicate.
2. Describe a critical moment in history that all students could benefit from understanding.
3. Explain the changes you want to see happen in the world, now or in the future. 
4. Teach the audience something that kids understand and grownups don't.

Consider the following questions when honing the podcast topic: 

• What obstacles might arise during the creation of the podcast? 
  • Access: Does this podcast idea involve traveling or interviewing a famous person? Time to go back to the brainstorming board.
  • Timeline: Determine whether interviews, sound recordings, editing (mixing the audio), and a rough-cut review can be completed prior to the due date.

• What is the value of this podcast? It's likely this topic or story is not unique or original to you. But your voice is unique: no one can tell this story the same way that you can. Consider what makes your voice, experience, story, or perspective on the chosen idea or topic relevant and singular. Try to define and magnify the "unique ingredient" that brings distinction to your ownership of this content. What freshness or authenticity are you bringing to this topic or idea? 

• What elements will define the podcast's structure? Think about how the following sample of structural options can amplify your podcasting voice and emphasize your unique ingredient: a conversation as a group; an interview with one person; or, a host-narrated story that includes clips of interviews and supporting sound effects.

• What elements will create the podcast's soundscape? Think about what sounds will add depth and meaning to the story. Some ideas might be the ambient sounds of nature or a city street; a passing ambulance; a crackling fire; a crying baby; or, a ticking clock. Many other copyright-free sound effects can be found in the copyright section.

• Consider the most effective way of dividing the workload within a group. Delegating writing, hosting, producing, and editing duties is essential during group work. Depending on the size of the group and the overall podcast design, each of these work categories can include more than one person. 
  • Writer: Writer responsibilities include creating interview questions or writing the host’s narrative script, often with help from the producer or host.
  • Host: The host (or hosts) embodies the primary voice for the podcast, and narrates the script or conducts the interviews. 
  • Producer: Producers wear many hats. Often, the producer runs the schedule and helps the group execute the plan. Producers also manage recording as well as the compilation and editing of sound for the final product.
  • Editor: Deciding what content to cut or keep requires group collaboration. Once content is established, the editor cuts and refines audio footage in editing software and mixes the audio, which includes layering the interviews, narration, music, and sound effects. For a great NPR tutorial on mixing, click here.

• How and where to share your podcast? Teachers and students can discuss pros and cons of publicizing or privatizing podcast content. A private YouTube channel might be ideal for some. Otherwise, (and with the right release forms in place), use the links below to access public podcast platforms that support sharing and can enable students to reach an authentic public audience.   
  • SoundCloud: Soundcloud is a popular (and free!) sound-sharing platform. Upload and discover all types of audio--from sound clips to podcasts to complete albums. The free version has a space limit. 
  • Spotify: Create a free account to access and post new content to a vast bank of podcasts all organized by topic, such as science, history, self-help, or true crime.
  • Stitcher: A very popular site that connects millions of creators with engaged listeners. Keep tabs on how many people have tuned in with Stitcher’s no-cost data metrics.
  • Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Buzzsprout are other options; take time to decide which platform is the best fit. Designing and implementing a sharing plan helps students see the intrinsic value of their efforts in the lives of others and creates an external motivation for students to upload their work. 

Write down five possible topics you are interested in.

For each topic, write one sentence explaining why this topic would make a good podcast. 

THE PODCAST PITCH

Once a fresh and solid podcast concept and plan is in place, the next step is to PITCH IT! A pitch is a written paragraph or a 30-45 second verbal description that magnifies the interesting singularity and unique nature of your podcast story or idea. Sometimes called an "elevator pitch," the pitch starts, finishes, and effects change in the listener in the time it takes for a normal elevator ride. Practicing podcast pitches is a real-world skill that hones communication aptitudes including writing, presenting, and persuading an audience to buy into an idea. Get familiar with podcast pitches by listening to some sample pitches from Youth Radio stories.

Pitch Criteria

1. Must be Succinct (30-45 seconds)
2. Easy to Understand
3. Needs to Inspire

Students can pitch their idea to other peers, to the teacher, as a presentation to the class, or to a panel of judges. Or, students can write their pitch and voice it into a recording device (a smartphone with a voice recording app, another handheld recording device, or straight into a computer using an external mic). Using a tool like Adobe Spark Video creates a video pitch with visuals that can be shared for critique and feedback. 

OTHER THINGS TO ADD WHEN WRITING YOUR PITCH

You can write your pitch similarly to the sample pitches you just saw, and you can add any of the elements below. Your pitch does not need to have ALL of these elements.

• What is your podcast/episode about? Who will be in the story?
• Pose a question you want the podcast to address
• Why will people want to listen?
• Emphasize the D.O.P.E. of your story, or why people should be excited about it.
• Keep it conversational! Write your pitch as if you were talking to a friend.
• Sound Elements you will include (music, interview, etc.)

Sample Pitches

Take a look at a few sample pitches from Youth Radio stories. 

Teachers, as the Executive Producer and in order to green light the podcast concept and plan, here are some guidelines for what to look for and why you might send them back to the drawing board:

• the topic is focused, relevant and entertaining.
• students have a unique angle and grasp on the subject matter.
• the idea is realistic; students have access to the interviewees, etc.

The following list is courtesy of Youth Radio/NPR:

"The Columbus"

Example: "I heard this new band called U2"

Why Not?  This may be news to you but your discovery has already been discovered.

Instead: Is there anything new that you could bring to this story?  How about finding a local story with a fresh focus.

"The Long-Distance Pitch"

Example: "I think we should really be covering the conflict in the middle east."

Why Not? What could you bring to this story from halfway around the world?

Instead: Try finding a local angle on global politics, like covering a nearby protest or talking to people who have moved from the area you're interested in.

"The Aspirational Pitch"

Example: "I wanna do an in depth profile of Beyonce."

Why Not? You probably don't have access. (If you do, can you hook us up with tickets?)

Instead: Maybe there's some impact her music and celebrity power has had on your community?

"The Thesis"

Example: "I want to report on poverty in America."

Why Not?  This is a better topic for a book than a radio story

Instead: Try to break off a piece of this issue that could be addressed in 4.5 minutes.  How are people accessing a new distribution system for welfare benefits?

"The Stereotype"

Example: "I want to do a story about why all boys love sports."

Why Not? That's based on assumption and not necessarily fact. Also is there something new or surprising that we could learn from the story?

Instead: Look for evidence rather than anecdotes. Maybe the story is about how and why that stereotype persists and whether or not it's changing. Or you could use their idea and do a story about a common assumption that all boys love sports.

"The Fake Trend"

Example: "I've been playing a new video game so I figure everyone else is too."

Why Not? Personal interests can be a good start for a story but it's more interesting to others if it's part of a larger issue.

Instead: Research to verify if the trend is real or reframe the story as a first-person commentary.

• Cross out any topics you now think won't work and narrow it down to two. 
• Are your topics too broad? If so, make them more focused-- use the checklist below to check that your topic meets the requirements for of what makes a good podcast.
• Write a pitch for each of your two topics (use the samples as guidelines)
• Now pitch your ideas. (We encourage students to voice their pitch using one of the many online or face-to-face options listed above in the "pitch criteria" section.)
• Peers vote on which of the two pitches were stronger and discuss why.

What Makes a Good Podcast Checklist

• Is my topic focused? or too broad?
• Is my focus on the topic new and unique?
• Is my topic realistic? (I have access to the people I will use in my podcast)
• In what way is my topic entertaining? And to whom?

FILE CONVERTERS

File converters enable smooth transitions between software types. Podcast production involves synthesizing multiple file formats: pulling the audio out of a video file, saving a sound effect download from a copyright-free site, and using emailed interview clips may result in different file types that are unrecognized by or incompatible with available editing software. Using one of the following file converters enables disparate file types to be synthesized into a unified final product: 

1. Switch: Mac only. Free and super easy and dependable. 
2. Wondershare: Windows file converter
3. Handbrake: Windows or Mac compatible. Open Source, so free, converter that is easy to use and dependable.

AUDIO EDITING AND MIXING

Most podcasts are a synthesis of audio clips from different sources. A podcast news story might include audio elements of the reporter's voice, a few interviews, music, and some ambient, scene-setting sounds. Editing involves cutting the tape of these individual elements to reflect the essential pieces of the podcast storyline. Mixing is the cohesive process of creating balance, consistency, and clarity by arranging and layering different edited elements. Although audio mixing is a professional art form, anyone with a good idea, basic equipment, and practice can create a decent-sounding story. During mixing, consider yourself the composer of a symphony: the tracks of tape, music, and sounds are the strings, horns, and percussion. Put figurative pencil to paper and create an arrangement by synthesizing these disparate elements. For a comprehensive mixing tutorial from National Public Radio (NPR) read this: How to Mix: 8 steps to master the art of mixing audio stories.

STEP 1: Import and Organize Media

Open the editing software. Import media files from the computer into the editing software. Organize media files into separate tracks. Group similar audio files on individual tracks. Label the tracks. Watch online tutorials to get more familiar with specific editing software.

Following is a common layout for any audio story; arrange tracks in this order:
Host/reporter audio.
Actualities (interviews and other people) audio.
Ambience (sound effects; noises relevant to the story fabric).
Music (keeping music on its own track is easier).

STEP 2: Edit Tape

Listen to your interviews and other recordings. Cut out unnecessary tape. While editing each track, mute all the other tracks. Organize the tape to tell the story (if you have a script, place the tracks according to the order on the script).

STEP 3: Rough-in Levels

Adjust the levels of each track so every voice is roughly the same volume. Audio gain is a feature available on some editing software that automatically adjusts volume levels. When using this feature, double-check the volume on each track after applying audio gain. 

More advanced podcasters might utilize EQ (equalization) or compression adjustments: check if tracks have tonal issues that can be fixed with equalization; determine if compression adds clarity to the dynamic range of your recordings. When listening to recorded audio tracks, consider the following:

1. Does the person speak evenly and consistently?
2. Does the speaker sound strong and present?
3. If the listening level is turned down halfway, can you still understand every word?

STEP 4. Music and Ambience

Arrange the music and other ambient sounds around the voices telling the story. Add fades: fade-in; fade-under; and/or crossfades. Refer to the script for correct placement of music tracks.

STEP 5. Refine

Fine-tune the levels. Create aural balance by smoothing out the volume of each track: often, music transitions can be jarring because the music is too soft or too loud during transitions around spoken voices.  

STEP 6. Listen

Listen to the whole piece and make any last adjustments. Walk away. 

STEP 7. Listen Again

After some time has passed, listen again to the whole project with fresh ears. When you are satisfied, render, share, or export the podcast (the terms are all synonymous and different software programs use different terminology, but each process results in the same thing). Rendering or exporting a project blends all the separate tracks into one file. Save the file as a WAV file and as an MP3 in your "export" folder. (WAV files are bigger but better quality. It is nice to have both.) 
 

Edit and mix the interview from the production section. Watch online sample tutorials for your editing and mixing software. Reference the script example from the script section as a roadmap and follow the parameters below:

PARAMETERS

• Narration: Import the recorded script narration into the first track and edit by cutting out unwanted parts.
• Interview: Import the selected interview bites into the second track and place accordingly. Implement necessary edits by cutting out unwanted parts.
• Sound effects: Record or download the sound effect(s) for this podcast. Import the sound effect(s) into the third track and place accordingly. Fading the sound effect in and out smooths out the sound.

• Music: Add music by importing it into the fourth track. Choose and cut the part of the song(s) you want to use, and place it accordingly. Theme music often begins and ends a podcast, but music can be used as a transition as well. 

Mix Your Podcast

• Adjust audio levels until each track sounds balanced.
• Add a fade-in at the beginning of the piece and fade-out at the end.
• Render, or combine all the tracks into one, and export the podcast.

EXPECTATIONS AND CLASS ROUTINES

From http://www.isafe.org/node/10

• Establish and post classroom guidelines for technology use in visible places in the classroom and online. A classroom technology guideline example is, "Do not open or use the device until instructed."
• Arrange the classroom to monitor progress and minimize distractions. Create seating charts based on the types of activities that students will do. For group work, allow students to sit with other group members. For individual work, arrange desks so that students face the screen rather than each other.
• Display instructions for the day on the board and on the class website. Include the types of technologies that the students will use such as the URLs (links) to any online resources, apps, or online educational resources. Specify a time frame for each activity to help them pace themselves appropriately.
• Use a timer with a bell or buzzer. Display the timer in full view of the class so that students can pace themselves.
• In the few minutes before students put away their devices, establish end-of-class routines that remind students to share or submit and save or backup their work. Consider developing an end-of-class routine that gives students ownership of recharging equipment.
• Conduct a mini-lesson on the issue of digital distractions in the classroom and the myth of multitasking. Have students take the horizontal line test and/or watch and discuss The Monkey Business Illusion.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

Create a system to manage student progress throughout the project, like a tracking board that hangs on a classroom wall or a project progress tracker handout that includes: 

• The details and due dates for each required task associated with distinct parts of the media-making process:
  • Preproduction: choosing a topic, conducting research, writing and delivering the pitch, and script writing.
  • Production: recording interviews and ambient sounds as well as gathering or recording music.
  • Postproduction: editing, rough-cut review, and final cut.
• Space for students to sign/initial and date when a specific task is completed.
• Space for a teacher or peer to sign/initial and date that they have reviewed the student's completed task.
• Give students instructions on how to complete several tasks. Allow students to work through the tasks at their own pace.
• Students who finish first can provide peer feedback to other students who are still working and/or work on an alternative activity.
  • An alternative activity is watching listening to youth-produced media to get ideas and inspiration or work on building something for the final exhibition. 

STUDENT MEDIA ASSISTANTS

Assign students specific leadership roles in the classroom. This will empower students, create more student buy-in to the project, and decrease teacher responsibility.

Students can:

• Manage the equipment checkout/in system.
• Report on the condition of equipment.
• Review other students' work.