This has been the most interesting sandbox so far for me. I have thought and thought about creating a podcast of my own. I listen to at least six different podcasts weekly. I have a 30 minute commute to work and I have a dog that I walk there times a day. My airpods are used every single day to listen to podcasts or audio books. 

I started with Voki. The site was somewhat laggy but I really appreciated being able to change my character and background. You can listen to my short audio/visual that I created here. https://tinyurl.com/264wx7cy

It’s the only dog joke I knew so cut me some slack. As far as the classroom setting goes I believe this site would be a wonderful tool for multiple classroom/library settings. This would be a great way for students to read play lines as the characters from individual devices and pressing play when it’s their turn. 

Vocaroo was incredible easy to use and download. It would be nice to have a voice over prerecording for virtual learning or if wanted to record a short story to play at the beginning of a class. Online Voice Recorder was a little intimidating to begin with. I did not create a full customized recording. However, with this being the most advanced you can create and customize your audio much better. I would suggest this to older students who are looking to get more creative with their work. 

Podcast Review

REACH: A space podcast for kids. This is a podcast produced by Kids Listen.

Great episode for kids with interest in space. The episode was a brief 20 minutes which I feel would be very successful for children with shorter attention spans. The episode was about exoplanets and how they are found with telescopes. Exoplanets are planets near our solar system but do not revolve around our sun. This episodes guest host, expert Astrochemist and Planetary Scientist Ashley Walker. She was very impressive to listen to. She discusses women in the science field and specially black women. At the very end they introduced an “at home” activity to “make your own planet.” The materials were simple and instructions to create your own planet sounded very cheap and easy to do at home or in a school.  Overall I really enjoyed this short episode. It was very informative and fun to listen and learn to. 

MASHUPS is a podcast company that brings together family friendly podcast operators to teach kids brief lessons about different topics. Some episodes are game based, interactive, and some even have songs. 

Holden, B., Stepien, M. (Host) (2020, October 13). REACH: A Space Podcast for Kids: Exoplanets. [Audio podcast episode]. In Kids Listen. https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/mashups-by-kids/reach-a-space-podcast-for-SKpF0HTLfgD/