# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
RECORDING IN THE CLASSROOM: TIPS FOR ALL DEVICES

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Recording in the classroom has changed rapidly over the last few years with the rise of easy-to-use programs like Flipgrid, Seesaw, Chatterpix, Book Creator and other programs and apps with audio and video components. Likewise, the need for space and procedures for recording in the classroom has al…

# data[].attributes.headline
Podcasting Projects to Try in the Classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
Podcasting Projects to Try in the Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If orange is the new black, podcasting is the new oral report. And now that teachers have easy access to tools like Garage Band and iPods that make recording a breeze, podcasting is quickly becoming the latest creative mode of learning and presenting in schools. Here are 10 ideas to try in your classroom today.

1. Current Events Newscasts: Practice nonfiction reading skills by having your students do weekly or monthly podcasts on an interesting current event.

2. Reading Radio: Have your students make short radio broadcasts summarizing the books they are reading.

3. Roving Reporters: Send your students out into the "field" (a.k.a. the school) to interview key players in important school events.

4. Celebrate Culture: Have your students record podcasts about important cultural months like Black History Month or Hispanic Heritage Month and then present them to the school or parents to commemorate the events.

5. Bring Your Teacher Home: Send a little bit of yourself home with your kids by podcasting important parts of your lessons.

6. Podcasting Library: Have your students collaborate to create a library of podcasts from which future students can learn.

7. MusicCasts: Have band or orchestra students create podcasts for each instrument, detailing specific notes, sounds and characteristics of each instrument.

8. Awesome Audio Tours: Give your students the chance to be tour guides for new students at your school by having them podcast school tours that kids can listen to when they enter.

9. Podcasting Pen Pals: Record interactive or encouraging podcasts and then send them to another classroom in another state or country.

10. Reenactments: Have your students reenact important events in history using period language and vocabulary.

Question for you: Do you use podcasts in the classroom? How?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Podcasting Projects Teachers Should Try in the Classroom - WeAreTeachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If orange is the new black, podcasting is the new oral report. And now that teachers have easy access to tools like Garage Band and iPods that make recording a breeze, podcasting is quickly becoming the latest creative mode of [...]

# data[].attributes.body
This is an excellent resource for getting started using podcasts in the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Synth enables you to connect with intention. It's the tool for you to carry out conversations with students on your time. Make conversations and connections intentional, either 1:1 or in small groups.
With intentional coaching, foster connections and esteem.
9 ways Synth helps you build stronger connections with and among students:

Audio Exit Tickets: Setup a Channel for your whole class. Record a question or prompt as a Synth based on that day's lesson for students to respond to in threads. You can listen on your time and respond to students who need extra guidance or direction before tomorrow's lesson.

Goal Setting and Reflection: Metacognition is essential to learning. Giving students the chance to synthesize ( synth-esize) their thinking after every activity helps cement it. Setting a goal allows for students to work towards achieving that goal and teachers coach along the way. Synth makes this more convenient than ever. Teachers and students can make connections and challenge biases, expanding views and ideas.

Present Evidence of Thinking: Giving evidence of your thinking is as essential as getting the right answer. Have students use Synth to explain their work with links to external documents and other supporting materials to build this essential skill. Take it one step deeper, respond to students to pose a critical thinking question. Allow for teaching through a relationship.

Language Practice: The ability to hear proper demonstrations, repeat them, and hear yourself will rapidly develop new language skills. Teachers use Synth to model skills for students to playback repeatedly. Students respond back in easy-to-listen threads to demonstrate their mastery. With the structure of Synth, teachers coach students through feedback, all while building a rapport.

Plus with Channel privacy, students can practice free from judgment till they get it right.

#AppSmashing: Each individual synth can be linked to other materials, apps, and experiences. Up to 10 at a time! Introduce new units, describe and model exercises, and provide instructions for the use of other apps like Edpuzzle, Padlet, Quizlet, Seesaw, Nearpod, and Wakelet.

Interviews: Strengthen relationships in a class by having students interview each other or the teacher. Their stories, experiences, and questions will help foster connections and form a sense of belonging among students and with their teacher. Modeling openness and willingness to share will help build stronger relationships.

Book Talks: Engage readers to learn and listen in new ways. Foster active listening skills, allowing students to ask questions and reflect on a reading selection. With Book Talks, students can also be challenged to dive into new genres or investigate new topics they want to explore; this expands the students' world view.

Feedback: Open up a feedback conversation with students. Allow students to give teachers feedback and vice versa. With specific and timely feedback, connections can be fostered and confidence boosted. These conversations also give opportunities for teachers to provide strategies needed to develop or advance new skills.

Audio Newsletters: Highlight successes of students and allow students to become the experts of an area and in turn become the coach. Students can create audio newsletter recordings and can share them with schoolmates, parents, and community members based on permissions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
9 Ways for Educators to Use Synth with Students - Swivl

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Synth enables you to connect with intention. It's the tool for you to carry out conversations with students on your time. Make conversations and connections intentional, either 1:1 or in small groups. With intentional coaching, foster connections and esteem. 9 ways Synth helps you build stronger connections with and among students: Audio Exit Tickets: Setup a [...]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Make time for coaching conversations that deepen the connections in your school or district through asynchronous audio. Here are 9 ways Synth can be the tool to help you connect with intention:

PLN or PLC groups:Coaching doesn't have to stop once the meeting ends. Continue the discussion after the meeting. Empower teams to have intentional conversations and share reflections based on PLN and PLC topics following meetings.

Goal Setting & Reflection: Goal setting, accountability, and reflection can all be achieved with Synth. Keep track of relevant goals and record anecdotal success towards meeting these goals. This can be achieved by creating a Channel, recording synths, and responding in threads or posting comments. Administrators -this is also a great tool to use with groups of educators in one school or across your district.

PD Follow-up forums: When it comes to professional learning, there are often questions and strategies to share. Utilize Synth to start a conversation in a follow-up forum. Answer questions, share what has worked or has not worked in your class, or share follow-up resources with the group. A dedicated PD Channel will allow educators to find these discussions and resources easily.

Mentoring sessions: Too often informal mentoring sessions can be tough to schedule. Let's face it, educators are busy! Synth allows you to carry out a mentoring conversation on your time, allowing participants to easily record and listen.

Q&A:Use Synth to ask for advice and seek unfiltered feedback. Many times, educators need to ask questions among their colleagues but time and location might not allow for this. This is the tool to provide that confirmation check. Teachers will seek answers to their pressing questions and look for confirmation and support so they know whether or not they are "doing the right thing." This channel of communication breaks barriers and creates opportunities to build trust among staff.

Feedback Loops:Giving specific and timely feedback is proven to be effective. By creating a Channel in Synth, you're able to encourage this effective feedback loop through recording and listening to synths and threads. This loop serves as an ongoing stream for natural coaching conversations to occur. It also encourages active listening skills and dialogue between participants.

Modeling coachable moments: Have a success, failure, moment of humility? Share this in a Channel. Modeling coaching and coachable behavior for others will bring the 'human' back to conversations and help educators improve and grow skills in a supportive environment. This will build respect among teachers and administrators.

Teacher Observation Coaching: Before entering another educator's classroom, establishing a foundational relationship is key for what to expect before, during, and after an observation. Start a Synth Channel to begin the conversation and have a reference place for ideas, feedback, and dialogue. Building this trust will empower educators and encourage reflective conversations based on observations.

New Teacher Welcome:Make foundations for relationships with new teachers in your school or district. Create a New Teacher Channel to welcome colleagues and encourage open communication. This builds connections and in turn, creates a sense of community and belonging among staff.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
9 Ways for Educators to Use Synth with Educators - Swivl

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Make time for coaching conversations that deepen the connections in your school or district through asynchronous audio. Here are 9 ways Synth can be the tool to help you connect with intention: PLN or PLC groups: Coaching doesn't have to stop once the meeting ends. Continue the discussion after the meeting.

# data[].attributes.headline
Giving Students a Voice In a Hybrid Classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
Giving Students a Voice In a Hybrid Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
No matter how much you may have tried to think of everything ahead of time, it's probably become obvious that there are needs in the hybrid classroom that you just could not have planned effectively until you were actually, you know, teaching. One of the biggest struggles we hear about is finding interesting ways to promote student discussion and interaction.
Did you know we have an app for that?
Since 2018, when we launched Synth, teachers have been using it to bring the power of podcasting to their classrooms. We've listened as students created group research projects and participated in book talks, science demonstrations, and language practice. We've seen professional learning discussions launch during a conference and take on a life of their own afterwards. And of course, we've heard countless student-led podcasts spanning everything from esports to farm life.

Now, it's time to think about the role that audio will play in a world where classes are no longer meeting in one room. Erin Jewell, a Library Media Associate and former Gifted and Talented Teacher, comments, "Audio levels things for everyone. It gives you a chance to forget about everything that might hold a student back and focus on the purpose." In the hybrid classroom setup, this "leveling" becomes even more important. Instead of trying to be everywhere at once, teachers can be sure that students at home and in school are able to participate in exactly the same way. Even more, they can interact with one another in conversation and in collaborative podcasts. Synth naturally promotes making speaking and listening a routine, and helps build a virtual community where students share space and purpose.

Of course, Synth has always been easy to incorporate remotely: students could complete group assignments or answer prompts from anywhere. Teachers also have never had to worry about privacy, since Synth operates under the same policy as its parent company, Swivl. But there is a tremendous opportunity to go deeper here - to transform teaching and learning simply by recording what we say.

Threaded Audio Discussions
The most obvious use of Synth in a remote setting is one that fills the need for spontaneous conversation between teachers and students. Whether you're sitting on the couch or at a desk in a classroom, connections must be forged between people who will not see each other in person. Recording a single synth upon which to base discussions is one of the simplest ways to get started. Threaded discussions can be used to jump-start conversation and promote connection by

Asking students to respond to daily warm up questions

Posing ice-breakers to get to know the class

Creating open-ended questions that invite creativity

Asking students to respond to each other

Recording weekly or daily announcements

Asking students to introduce themselves, includes how to say their names

Recording reflections on a daily prompt

Audio discussions that are recorded individually provide a way for students who may normally not participate willingly in class to have their voices heard. Students are more likely to let their guard down and create more meaningful and even emotional responses, ultimately enhancing their speaking and listening practice.

The discussion-building aspect of Synth can of course be expanded to cover subject-specific topics and the year goes on. A popular example among ELA teachers is Book Readings or Book Talks. Teachers build a multi-synth podcast that incorporates elements of the list below, and students record their answers to each part in threads. A Book Talk can include:

Readings from the piece being studied

Discussion of controversial ideas

Practice responding to text-based questions

Literary response and analysis

It is important to remember that modeling the behavior and tone expected in an audio talk is just as essential as anything you might model in the physical classroom. Partner with other teachers or even adults in your house to record examples that show what an effective Book Talk should sound like in your class.

This brings us to the most in-depth way to incorporate audio into your hybrid classroom, and that is through podcasting.

Podcasts
Podcasting is a unique format of content creation that adds a whole new level of purpose to any assignment or assessment. Different from focused discussion threads, podcasts are multi-dimensional in that they give the student a platform for research, experimentation, creativity, and presentation - all while requiring that they speak clearly and listen carefully. Students can work on a podcast independently, later to be shared with the class, or it can be a collaboration between multiple participants. Participants in a group podcast record independently from each other on their own devices, no physical interaction required. This is a perfect option for formative assessment or research projects in the remote or hybrid setting. Here is an example of how ELA teachers use Synth to record creative writing podcasts with middle school students.

Erin Jewell believes that "There is a lot of 'hard' going around right now...it's impossible not to see and feel that...but we have to look at what this year is forcing us to do, and that is talk to one another and work with one another more closely than we ever have." Erin was talking about herself and her colleagues there, but the concept applies infinitely to students as well: without real partnerships, discussions, and collaboration, nothing can be accomplished in this new landscape. Learning to use Synth to foster these key aspects in a hybrid setting now, will prepare you for success in the 21st century classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Giving Students Voice in the Hybrid Classroom -

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
No matter how much you may have tried to think of everything ahead of time, it's probably become obvious that there are needs in the hybrid classroom that you just could not have planned effectively until you were actually, you know, teaching.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Shake Up Learning Show, a podcast hosted by Kasey Bell from Shake Up Learning, launched on March 26, 2019.

WHAT: The Shake Up Learning Show is a weekly podcast hosted by Kasey Bell.

The show features a variety of episodes for K12 teachers and educators, including tech tips, lesson ideas, practical advice, on-air coaching, student interviews, and interviews with inspiring educators.

WHEN: New episodes are released every Tuesday.

HOW: Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart, or any of your other favorite podcatchers. You can also stream on ShakeUpLearning.com.

Subscribe to the Podcast

(FREE) It is completely free to subscribe to the podcast using the podcast application of your choice. If you are new podcasts, read The Teacher's Guide to Podcasts.

You can subscribe to the podcast using your favorite application on your phone or desktop.

Subscribe to Shake Up Learning Emails

Subscribe to Shake Up Learning emails to get the latest blog posts and podcasts delivered to your inbox!

Questions & Comments

Do you have a question you would like me to answer on the show? I'd love to hear from you!

I also love to hear from students!

Leave me a voicemail and your message could be played on the podcast!

Help Out the Show

Do You Want to Be on the Podcast?

READ THIS FIRST! NO SOLICITING!

The Shake Up Learning Show hosts a variety of guests including inspiring educators, on-air coaching calls with classroom teachers, and student interviews.

Inspiring Educators

Many inspiring educators are regular guests of the show. Currently, this type of guest is INVITE ONLY.

Please do not ask to be on the podcast.

On-Air Coaching with Kasey Bell

I love to help teachers with one-on-one coaching on the podcast, called, "On-Air Coaching."

Are you struggling with one particular lesson? One piece of content or skill that's just hard to teach or doesn't seem to work well with technology?

Let me help!

Using this On-Air Coaching Application, tell me about yourself, your students, and your struggle. You may get to be on the podcast!!!

Do you know a teacher that is a good candidate? Feel free to send them the link to the form.

Student Interviews

We will also feature some student interviews on the podcast.
Use this form to tell me about your student!
Students are windows to the reality of school.

Do you have a student who would be open to talking about learning and school?

(MUST HAVE PARENT PERMISSION)

Sponsorship and Advertising

We have many sponsorship and advertising opportunities. Please fill out this form to request our media kit and available packages.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Shake Up Learning Show with Kasey Bell

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Shake Up Learning Show is a weekly podcast hosted by Kasey Bell that features a variety of episodes for K12 teachers and educators, including tech tips, lesson ideas, practical advice, on-air coaching, student interviews, and interviews with inspiring educators.

# data[].attributes.body
Leah Robinson wrote: Teachers can use podcasts for delivering the assignment, or explaining an assignment. A teacher could use the podcast for additional support for students who retain information better by hearing the instructions rather than reading them, so it could be supplemental.

# data[].attributes.body
Leah Robinson wrote: Teachers are busy and we might not be able to gather together for communications outside regular teaching hours. With a book club, teachers could participate without being at the meeting: they could add to the discussion by adding their podcast, which can be accessed by the other members at their convenience.

# data[].attributes.body
Leah Robinson wrote: Synth could work for students to create presentations based on assignments they've completed. With the addition of links and photos, having a podcast to deliver projects would be a unique way for students to present their ideas.

# data[].attributes.body
Leah Robinson wrote: I think students would enjoy talking about themselves and their world through a podcast. This is an excellent way to differentiate the learning experience, but only if we 1) know about our students lives, and 2) students are willing to update the podcast during the school year as they grow and their lives change.

# data[].attributes.body
Leah Robinson wrote: Duolingo would be a good podcast for students to listen to. During my high school French and Russian language classes, we would read short stories in the foreign language and that brought me the most joy and allowed me to speak in a more relaxed manner. I really missed the boat by not taking Spanish, though. The podcast for Duolingo in Spanish can be accessed from this website https://podcast.duolingo.com/spanish

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Listen to episodes of the Spanish Duolingo podcast for compelling, true-life stories that improve your Spanish listening and comprehension skills.

# data[].attributes.body
Leah Robinson wrote: I looked for art teacher podcasts because I have an interview with the Hickory Museum of Art on Tuesday for their Engagement Specialist opening. What I found was that Art Teachers are facing all of the same issues and problems that the rest of teachers are facing, including addressing pronouns, addressing students as a group properly, and creating an inviting environment for the entire family during the pandemic. You can access the podcasts from this website

# data[].attributes.body
Talon: Math students could use podcasts to explain their way of thinking on a math problem.

# data[].attributes.body
Talon: Podcasts could be a good way for teachers to give feedback for their students. For example, they can do think alouds like we are doing for everyone's trainings. The teacher can then just post the audio to their students on what they saw in their project was good and could have been better.