I am a huge fan of podcasts! Podcasting is a great way to listen to various topics that interest you and share about topics you know. Podcasts are not only radio show topics but can also include cooking, crafting, religion, education, and favorite television shows. If something interests you, there is most likely a podcast for you to listen to. Librarians and teachers can use podcasts for simple things such as book talks, interviews about book-related topics, and book club discussions. You can create a podcast on just about anything. The possibilities are endless.
There are several options when it comes to creating your own podcast. I chose to take a closer look at Podbean, Buzzsprout, and Anchor. Each of these podcasts has its pros and cons, and I'd love to share my experiences with you.
Podbean is the podcast hosting service that I have used for past assignments. It is free to use but does offer an unlimited audio version for $9 a month, unlimited plus for $29 a month, and business for $99 a month. You can sign in using your Google sign-in. It is definitely great for beginners and those just starting to use podcasts. Podbean has been great for introducing me to the basics of the podcast; the recording, loading, and publishing are easy and quick to create and share. You can even publish a podcast from your phone/mobile device. It does have a drawback, such as there isn't an option to edit within Podbean. I would recommend Podbean to anyone that is just getting started with podcasts.
I have never heard of Buzzsprout podcasting until it was listed as a podcasting tool to research. It consists of a free plan for podcast hosting. Users can get up to 2 hours of audio for free, but there are also upgrades that you can pay for $12 a month for 3 hours of audio per month, $18 a month for up to 6 hours of audio, $24 for up to 12 hours of audio each month. Episodes can be easily created and available to many different places. Buzzsprout also helps with the transition to get podcasts on iTunes or Spotify. One drawback is that after 90 days with the free version Buzzsprout deletes your files.
My group decided to use Anchor as our podcast hosting service. Anchor is free to use and is easy to login in using your Google sign-in. You can access Anchor through the web/browser version, android, and iOs platforms. Anchor is an all-in-one platform that you can create, distribute, monetize your podcast from any device, and collaborate or have guest speakers join easily. There are several ways to create your podcast; you can record it on the app or choose an audio file from your library. You can edit within the app and include interludes, sounds, songs, and even voice messages. Anchor is my favorite podcast hosting service out of the other two.
My Recommendation
I enjoyed using Anchor as my podcast hosting service. I can work on something from my desktop, and the app version will update immediately. The connectivity between the browser/web version and the app is great. I was able to take my m4a file, and drag/drop when on the web version or click the file on the mobile version. I like that I can edit in Anchor and put multiple files together to make one final podcast.
Our Podcast!
My group chose to create our podcast using Anchor. The episode covers two literary leaders in the library world; Jennifer LaBoon and Dr. Arnulfo Trejo. The different segments were recorded by Margarita Castillo and me (Lorina Ramirez).
Click this link to listen to our podcast!
Podcast in the library
- You can create a podcast to share tips and tricks about digital technology apps with faculty!
- You can create a podcast where students give book recommendations/ reviews.
-You can create a podcast on how to use the library databases.
-You can even have students create a podcast about their favorite authors.
How to find an educational podcast
To find podcasts for you to listen to, first think about your interest in regards to librarianship. Look at publishers, organizations you belong to, and authors. This will help you get started at looking for podcasts that will interest you.
Here are some podcasts to check out!
- American Library Association
- Librarian Influencers
- Library Leadership
- Circulating Ideas
- Cyberpunk Librarian
Hi Lorina,
ReplyDeleteI love Podbean. It is easy to use and I can see my students creating great podcasts using this site. Thank you for the podcast recommendations I will explore these and listen to them as soon as I am on vacation!
Hello Lorina,
ReplyDeleteI too really like podcast and find them to be very beneficial and engaging. I had only ever heard of Podcast prior to this assignment, but am now very interested in looking further into using Anchor as a podcasting tool for the classroom and library. Thank you for sharing!
-Sara Beth Muzny
Hi Lorina,
ReplyDeleteI also very much enjoyed Anchor! I have never heard of it until this module. My team used Anchor to record our podcast and I loved how easy it was for us to record are own sections and move them around to where they needed to be!
Hi Mrs. Ramirez,
ReplyDeleteI used Podbean for my podcast, but I have heard amazing things about Anchor. When I searched through it and looked it up, it seemed like a great podcast tool. Thank you for the insight on Anchor, it is one I look forward to using in the future.
-Alexis L. Lopez
HI Lorina,
ReplyDeleteI love your post about Podcast and all of the information you shared! I learned so much! Honestly, I had never thought about listening to educational Podcast before this assignment, but their are so many experts in our field that share podcast as well as librarians who love their job and want to share ideas! Thanks for the ideas on how podcast can be used in the library!