In learning how to prepare ideas to share with others, for publication, blogs, etc.; it would make sense to explore how ideas are shared through various types of media.  There are many strategies to consider no matter which path one is planning to take. We are all evaluating information as we take it in.  I don't know about you, but my mind is always wondering "What is the story? Is this appealing? Does this make sense? Is this credible? How does this connect?  Is this relevant?".   

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One of my favorite ways to get information (or entertainment!) is through podcasts.  Why podcasting when you have the radio?  I like to use this analogy:  Radio shows are like live events with many different games and activities to choose from, but all have been chosen in advance and are presented to you at a set time.  Podcasts are like choosing your own show to listen to, in any order, any topic, at anytime, with the adventures built in.  Podcasts can be saved, downloaded, shared, etc.  There is a podcast for any topic under the sun, and all different types of lengths are acceptable. Not in the mood for an hour long podcast?  No problem.  It's completely fine to find a ten minute one.  In contrast, it's normally not ok to to just "eat cake and run" at a birthday party, and you can't skip through the adds on live radio. 

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Creating a Podcast

 

When trying to figure out how to promote publication ideas through media, I was able to collaborate with an amazing group of colleagues in creating a group podcast.  It was yet another opportunity to stretch the learning and grow new skill sets. I had never attempted to create a podcast before.  I had gone to a couple of sessions about podcasting and how to use it with students during a recent TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) Convention, but had yet to attempt to try it.  It was really wonderful to be able to try something new with such an encouraging group.  The goal of our collective podcast was to promote information from our writing publication topics that we have been working on so diligently. 

 

Planning is Time Well Spent

 

Careful planning was the next stage.  We had to first discover how our topics fit together.  The topics covered different pedagogies, digital tools, age groups, and focuses; but ultimately we discovered a nice, natural flow.  We all had two or three overlapping ideas with at least one other person, and so we used those as the natural segues to introduce the next person and topic.  We wanted our approach to be conversational, like a group of friends meeting at a coffee shop and contemplating ideas.  We delegated some time and resources to planning a loose script which included an introduction, time for each person to share, a group discussion on the ideas, and a wrap up that leads to a "click here to learn more about ..."moment. We wanted to share just enough information to start others thinking, but wondering more. 

 

We did some app smashing to put the final product together, capitalizing on our collective strengths.  The use of digital tools allowed us to simultaneously collaborate and contribute in real time, all from various locations around the state.  We used Microsoft Word to collectively write our loose script.  We used Canva, and simultaneously worked on our part of the podcast template, editing text and graphics. Then, we all carved out time to record our conversation over Zoom in real time.  Amanda used her iMovie expertise at the end to edit the audio and layer some purposeful, upbeat music.  It was then shared out with the as an mp4.  I ended up learning how to create a YouTube Podcast link in order to embed on my ePortfolio.  In order to make it more polished, I researched what industry standard Podcast Title Cards and Episode Lists look like.  I went back into Canva and created those two items for our podcast episode, based off our theme. Then shared the images with the group to use/edit if they wanted to. It was a lot of steps, but ultimately it was a great discussion and we learned a lot from each other and about creating a podcast at the same time.  What an amazing experience!