Can you podcast with a Chromebook?
Audio is a HOT new way to share stories and information. Podcasting, voice assistants and audiobooks have become a big part of my life and are projected to become even more dominant in the future.
Jeff Bradbury has been at the forefront of using audio for teaching and learning. In 2011 he created TeacherCast.net which has grown into an enormous resource for helping teachers and tech coaches in the classroom.
Teacher Cast boasts 9 different podcasts that cover a variety of topics. Jeff has recorded more than 1,000 podcast episodes making him a podcasting legend!
One of Jeff’s most recent projects is Podcasting with Students, a collection of resources to help teachers start podcasting in their classroom.
Since Jeff is clearly a podcasting legend, I’ve asked him to share some tips on podcasting with a Chromebook.
The state of podcasting according to Jeff Bradbury
Podcasting has been around for more than a decade, but it has really picked up steam in the last 2-3 years. Jeff shares his thoughts on why podcasting is increasing in popularity and why audio is such an important medium.
The Three waves of podcasting:
- Collaborative video recording: Google Hangouts & Skype
- Social Broadcasting: Blab, Periscope, and Meerkat
- One-Click Podcasting: Anchor
Jeff’s favorite podcasts:
- Aspire (Josh Stamper)
- Teach Better Talk (Jeff Gargas and Rae Hughart)
- Wired Educator Podcast (Kelly Croy)
- Something to Wrestle (Bruce Prichard)
To wrap up this segment, I asked Jeff about the future of podcasting. What’s coming up? What should we be watching for?
Podcasting with a Chromebook: tips & tools
Let’s get back to the classroom. Where do audio projects fit into the classroom?
- Audio can be used as both a teaching and learning tool.
- A Substitute for traditional paper-based activities
- A way to incorporate critical thinking into traditional assignments
- College and Interview Prep
- Portfolios
- Writing / Blogging
- Publishing / Communication Projects
While video has been the dominant form of multimedia communication for the past decade, there are a few advantages to an audio-only format:
- Students are often self-conscience of their appearance and audio gives them the ability to perform off-camera
- Requires strong writing skills
- Audio projects take less time than video projects.
Want to create an audio project in your classroom? Here are Jeff’s favorite tools for working with audio on a Chromebook.
Recording Audio on a Chromebook
- Synth – short audio clips (4 minutes or less)
- Screencastify – Screen and video recording (Screencastify now also supports audio exports so that you can use Screencastify for podcasting!)
- Simple Audio Recorder – One-click audio recording through a Chrome extension.
Editing Audio on a Chromebook
- WeVideo – web-based video editor. You can also export audio for podcasting.
- Soundtrap – fully web-based audio editor with some neat editing features.
- Beautiful Audio Editor – a free audio editing platform. Simple and easy to use.
Looking for more creative ways to use your Chromebooks? Check out this list of ways your students can “create with Chrome!“
Sharing / Publishing audio for others to enjoy
- Headliner.app – Turn an audio recording into a simple video.
- Anchor.fm – publish your audio to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, etc
Create a Podcast with your Students!
Jeff has created a wealth of resources to help teachers begin podcasting with their students. All of these resources are available at EducationalPodcasting.com.
Jeff’s most comprehensive resource is his Ultimate Guide to Podcasting which you can download by filling out the form below.
The TeacherCast Ultimate Guide To Educational Podcasting download is not working.
Ah, that’s too bad. I’ll let Jeff know.
Still not working.
Okay great. How do you record audio with a Chromebook? It isn’t clear if there is a way using a quality microphone with analog to digital converter. Hope you can help. Thanks. God bless!
Yes, this is possible, but overly complicated. Just get a good mic with a USB input.