Creating a Podcast!

 I have not been much into podcasts until recently because they were to be included in my Master's classes. I have created a couple and it was a lot easier than expected when I first started! I have to admit it was a scary experience at first, mostly due to me not enjoying the sound of my voice, but the advantage is that at least my face doesn't have to be seen! That's always a perk! Better my voice than my face! No dressing up needed! LOL! Once I got into the groove of creating a podcast and reading on the how-to's, I have it down for the most part. 

There are quite a few sites that can help you create and distribute your podcast... 

Soundcloud: First off this seems like strictly for sharing your music that you have created and create playlists. And the biggest thing, it is not free! I am all about at least needing a free trial. No free trial, no trial run! It is what it is! We are teachers and librarians...not a lot of money to play with! The good part, if you are willing to pay the yearly price, is that you do get a lot of air time and your listener count increases greatly. The other perk is that you can integrate it with other platforms. Oh wait...you do get a three hour time limit for free...but what's 3 hours?!? That's nothing in teacher/librarian time! This doesn't seem like the best fit, especially for me. 

Podbean: This is my go-to for podcast creating. I started out using Podbean and haven't turned back yet. I think it is the fact that I know how to use it and am comfortable with it. The website is free and you have a free domain. Yes you only get the basic functions, but for beginners like myself, it's perfect. Very user friendly and just enough for what I need to do. And even though it's just the basics, there are plenty of tools to work with and manipulate to create a great podcast. This site is used fby many popular companies for their podcast, such a JP Morgan and IBM. Podbean was my librarian partner's and my choice of podcast tools.

Buzzsprout: This site starts out free, but after 90 days, your podcasts are deleted. So therefore, you couldn't run a complete show on here for free. Bummer. There are different plans you can purchase, though, ranging from $12-$24 a month. The monly price also depends on how many hours you use as well. But it is simple to use and you can transfer from other platforms. It has optimization features and an audio transcription service that are quite useful as well. A downfall is that there are download and bandwidth limits. 

Podcasts can be of great use within your library. They can always help to spread the word about goings-on, new arrivals, book reviews, and book club sessions. Guest can be invited to speak about books and other resources/media. I believe podcasts would be more highly used to advertise and get the younger generations attention than other forms of media. They are always glued to their cell phones and such, and every teenager seems to have a set of Air Pods! Podcasts could get around to more people and create a bigger buzz. 

Check out our Tired Twins podcast, by Candi and myself, below to hear about several of our favorite books that we have encountered over our years of teaching and librarianship! It is just a fun and light-hearted podcast that we hope you enjoy and find refreshing, maybe even learn some new book choices!

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-6vt7i-112c188

Some really good educational podcasts are found below...

Teachers in America 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teachers-in-america/id1462207570?utm_source=MDR-WAT&utm_medium=website&utm_id=HMH_2012_Article_Refresh%2BR epromote_Podcast

Teaching Keating with Weston and Molly Keischnick 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teaching-keating-with-weston-and-molly-kieschnick/id1096116254?mt=2 

This Teacher Life 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-teacher-life/id1477926278

The Book Love Foundation Podcast 

https://www.booklovefoundation.org/podcasts

10 Minute Teacher Podcast

https://www.coolcatteacher.com/podcast/

The Creative Classroom 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-creative-classroom-with-john-spencer/id1141442116

Truth for Teachers 

https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/

The House of #EdTech Podcast 

https://www.chrisnesi.com/episodes/

Class Dismissed 

https://classdismissedpodcast.com/category/podcasts/

The Sparky Creative Teacher Podcast 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-spark-creativity-teacher-podcast-education/id1241054855