Case Study

Sandon JMI School

School No: 069

Francis Combe School

School No: 718

Podcasting in Hertfordshire Schools - Using Softease Podium

Podcasting, or the delivery of radio-style broadcasts across the internet, is rapidly gaining popularity in schools. It offers an engaging, creative and exciting way to use ICT in different curriculum areas, as well as helping youngsters to develop a number of key skills.

It is also remarkably easy to do, with educational software now available to make the job of planning, recording and publishing a podcast a simple process. With the very low start-up costs, it means that all schools can try this motivating activity.

A small group of Hertfordshire schools from the Primary, Secondary and Special School sectors took part in a year long trial, using Softease Podium software, to evaluate the benefits of podcasting.

About Podcasting

A ‘true’ podcast consists of a sound file which is delivered by a ‘feed.’ This means that the listener first subscribes to the podcast using a program called an Aggregator or Podcatcher. iTunes is probably the best know example of an aggregator, but there are numerous free programs available. Once the listener has subscribed (which doesn’t mean they have to pay for anything) the aggregator checks for updates to the podcast, and automatically notifies the listener when there is something new available to download. This saves the listener having to visit a site regularly to see whether there is anything new to listen to. General podcasting has become extremely popular over the last few years, with many of the major websites on the internet offering this type of content.

About the Equipment

All that is needed to make a podcast is a computer, a microphone and some software. For more information on this, see the helpsheet available on the HGfL here:

• Podcasting Helpsheet No 103

Microphones come in all different price brackets and qualities. A USB microphone is easy to set up and use, and they are available as low-priced ‘starter’ models or more expensive higher-quality models. Other microphones are available that plug into the computer’s sound card. Again, they come in different price brackets. Many laptops have microphones built in, though they are usually of fairly low quality.

About Podium

Softease Podium is a complete software solution for podcasting.

It allows the user to plan and script a podcast, organise the different episodes, record and edit the audio, then upload and promote the podcast.

It also creates the feed so that listeners can subscribe and receive the updates.

The Pilot

All the schools involved received a training session from Softease, where they were introduced to the software and given a chance to try it out. The two schools that used Podium the most during the trial were Sandon JMI in Buntingford, and Francis Combe School and Community College in Garston. Sandon is a small village school with 75 pupils on role. Francis Combe is a Secondary with 1100 pupils. Both schools were provided with site licences for the duration of the project. They used podcasting in different curriculum areas, Francis Combe’s focus being ICT and English, whilst at Sandon the activity was used more as a cross-curricular resource. One of the main differences between the use of Podium in the two schools was that Francis Combe chose to keep their recordings in-school and not actually publish them on the internet, where as Sandon published several podcasts via the school’s website.

Whether a school chooses to publish or not, the skills practised are the same. Around 500 young people in Francis Combe were given the chance to make their own recordings, and around 50 children in Sandon were involved in podcasting.

At the end of the year long trial period a teacher from each school filled in a questionnaire about their use of podcasting and some of the aspects of using Podium.

Feedback from the Project

Both schools found the software very easy to use, though one found it initially quite hard to set up the software to publish to the internet correctly. However, once the settings were correct they had no further problems around uploading. Publishing the podcast was a difficulty for one of the other schools in the pilot, who found that the restrictions in place for a pupil log-on prevented the upload process from working.

Sandon JMI described the process they went through in creating a podcast. Groups of children worked together to write their scripts (within the program,) keeping in mind the audience they were going to be reaching by making the podcast public. The scripts could then be redrafted and practised before recording and publishing. Different recordings focused on a trip to Letchworth Museum, interviews with past pupils for a History topic, and school news updates, including some French songs that the children in Class 1 were learning.

Both teachers felt that the activity of podcasting supported personalised learning and inclusion. Both teachers commented on how pupils and young people who have difficulties with writing, or accessing a keyboard, can still easily podcast. Podcasting offers them an alternative means of communication. Gifted and Talented learners can work with podcasting in an open ended way to develop and extend their ideas and thinking.

As Sandon have published their podcasts via their school website, parents and carers are able to listen to the children’s work. Those who have listened have made a point of telling the school how much they enjoyed being able to hear what their children had been doing.

Both teachers expressed their wish to continue podcasting and develop its use. Sandon plan to have a workshop where the Year 6 pupils can teach their parents how to podcast. They also plan to podcast reports about school sports events. At Francis Combe they plan create a regular podcast from the school’s website.

Conclusion

Both schools found podcasting to be a worthwhile activity, and the teachers commented on how motivating it was for the children and young people involved. Another opinion shared by both schools is how flexible the activity can be, with uses in all areas of the curriculum. In making a podcast the children will be practising:

• Planning and collaboration
• Literacy: writing the script, reading the script.
• ICT Skills: using the software and microphones, learning about digital sound etc.
• Speaking and communication.
• Developing and expressing ideas clearly.
• Reinforcing what has been learned in the relevant subject areas.

Some comments from the children at Sandon (Year 2 and Year 6)

Please listen to the podcast that accompanies this document, available to download from this page:

“It makes you feel more confident”
“It gives you a boost to do other things”
“It's easy”
“Everyone can listen to it on the computer”
“[Our families] were really impressed that our school....can do something like this.”
“It helps you pronounce things”
“It helps you learn about computers and the technology you’ve got.”

Thanks To

Renate Manners and the children at Sandon School.
Roger Distill at Francis Combe School.
Softease for providing the training and software.