# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Tweets by soundtrap

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When it comes to the collection of personal information from children under 13, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) puts parents in control. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, enforces the COPPA Rule, which spells out what operators of websites and online services must do to protect children's privacy and safety online. For example, if your company is covered by COPPA, you need to have certain information in your privacy policy and get parental consent before collecting some types of information from kids under 13.

Effective July 1, 2013, the FTC updated the COPPA Rule to reflect changes in technology. Violations can result in law enforcement actions, including civil penalties, so compliance counts.

Here's a step-by-step plan for determining if your company is covered by COPPA - and what to do to comply with the Rule.

Table of Contents

Step 1: Determine if Your Company is a Website or Online Service that Collects Personal Information from Kids Under 13.

COPPA doesn't apply to everyone operating a website or other online service. Put simply, COPPA applies to operators of websites and online services that collect personal information from kids under 13. Here's a more specific way of determining if COPPA applies to you. You must comply with COPPA if:

Your website or online service is directed to children under 13 and you collect personal information from them.
OR
Your website or online service is directed to children under 13 and you let others collect personal information from them.
OR
Your website or online service is directed to a general audience, but you have actual knowledge that you collect personal information from children under 13.
OR
Your company runs an ad network or plug-in, for example, and you have actual knowledge that you collect personal information from users of a website or service directed to children under 13.

To determine if you're covered by COPPA, look at how the Rule defines some key terms.

"Website or online service"

COPPA defines this term broadly. In addition to standard websites, examples of others covered by the Rule include:

mobile apps that send or receive information online (like network-connected games, social networking apps, or apps that deliver behaviorally-targeted ads),

internet-enabled gaming platforms,

plug-ins,

advertising networks,

internet-enabled location-based services,

voice-over internet protocol services,

connected toys or other Internet of Things devices.

"Directed to children under 13"

The FTC looks at a variety of factors to see if a site or service is directed to children under 13, including the subject matter of the site or service, visual and audio content, the use of animated characters or other child-oriented activities and incentives, the age of models, the presence of child celebrities or celebrities who appeal to kids, ads on the site or service that are directed to children, and other reliable evidence about the age of the actual or intended audience. If your website doesn't target children as its primary audience, but is "directed to children under 13" based on those factors, you may choose to apply COPPA protections only to users under age 13. If that's what you decide to do, you must not collect personal information from any users without first collecting age information. For users who say they are under age 13, don't collect any personal information until you have obtained verifiable parental consent.

"Personal information"

Each of these is considered personal information under COPPA:

full name;

home or other physical address, including street name and city or town;

online contact information like an email address or other identifier that permits someone to contact a person directly - for example, an IM identifier, VoIP identifier, or video chat identifier;

screen name or user name where it functions as online contact information;

telephone number;

Social Security number;

a persistent identifier that can be used to recognize a user over time and across different sites, including a cookie number, an IP address, a processor or device serial number, or a unique device identifier;

a photo, video, or audio file containing a child's image or voice;

geolocation information sufficient to identify a street name and city or town; or

other information about the child or parent that is collected from the child and is combined with one of these identifiers.

"Collect"

Under COPPA, you're collecting information if you:

request, prompt, or encourage the submission of information, even if it's optional;

let information be made publicly available (for example, with an open chat or posting function) unless you take reasonable measures to delete all or virtually all personal information before postings are public and delete all information from your records; or

passively track a child online.

If another company collects personal information through your child-directed site or service - through an ad network or plug-in, for example - you're responsible for complying with COPPA. If you have actual knowledge that you're collecting personal information directly from users of a child-directed site or service, you're responsible for complying with COPPA, too.

Step 2: Post a Privacy Policy that Complies with COPPA.

Assuming you're covered by COPPA, the next step is to post a privacy policy. It must clearly and comprehensively describe how personal information collected online from kids under 13 is handled. The notice must describe not only your practices, but also the practices of any others collecting personal information on your site or service - for example, plug-ins or ad networks.

Include a link to your privacy policy on your homepage and anywhere you collect personal information from children. If you operate a site or service directed to a general audience, but have a separate section for kids, post a link to your privacy policy on the homepage of the kids' part of your site or service.

Make those links clear and prominent. Consider using a larger font or a different color type on a contrasting background. A fineprint link at the bottom of the page or a link that isn't distinguishable from other links on your site won't do the trick.

To comply with COPPA, your privacy policy should be clear and easy to read. Don't add any unrelated or confusing information. Here's what your policy must include:

A list of all operators collecting personal information. Name each third party operator, such as an advertising network or social network plug-in, that collects or maintains children's personal information through your site or service. For each, include a name and contact information (address, telephone number, and email address). If more than one is collecting information, it's okay to give contact information for only one as long as that company will respond to all inquiries from parents about your site or service's practices. Even so, you still have to list all third parties in your privacy policy.

A description of the personal information collected and how it's used. Your policy must describe:

the types of personal information collected from children (for example, name, address, email address, hobbies, etc.);

how the personal information is collected - directly from the child or passively, say, through cookies;

how the personal information will be used (for example, for marketing to the child, notifying contest winners, or allowing the child to make information publicly available through a chat room); and

whether you disclose personal information collected from kids to third parties. If you do, your privacy policy must list the types of businesses you disclose information to (for example, ad networks) and how they use the information.

A description of parental rights. Your privacy policy must tell parents:

that you won't require a child to disclose more information than is reasonably necessary to participate in an activity;

that they can review their child's personal information, direct you to delete it, and refuse to allow any further collection or use of the child's information;

that they can agree to the collection and use of their child's information, but still not allow disclosure to third parties unless that's part of the service (for example, social networking); and

the procedures to follow to exercise their rights.

Step 3: Notify Parents Directly About Your Information Practices Before Collecting Personal Information from Their Kids.

COPPA requires that you give parents "direct notice" of your information practices before collecting information from their kids. In addition, if you make a material change to the practices parents previously agreed to, you have to send an updated direct notice.

The notice should be clear and easy to read. Don't include any unrelated or confusing information. The notice must tell parents:

that you collected their online contact information for the purpose of getting their consent;

that you want to collect personal information from their child;

that their consent is required for the collection, use, and disclosure of the information;

the specific personal information you want to collect and how it might be disclosed to others;

a link to your online privacy policy;

how the parent can give their consent; and

that if the parent doesn't consent within a reasonable time, you'll delete the parent's online contact information from your records.

In certain circumstances, it's okay under COPPA to collect a narrow class of personal information without getting parental consent. But you may still have to give parents direct notice of your activities. (See the chart at the end for a list of those limited exceptions.)

Step 4: Get Parents' Verifiable Consent Before Collecting Personal Information from Their Kids.

Before collecting, using or disclosing personal information from a child, you must get their parent's verifiable consent. How do you get that? COPPA leaves it up to you, but it's important to choose a method reasonably designed in light of available technology to ensure that the person giving the consent is the child's parent. If you have actual knowledge that you're collecting personal information from a site or service that is directed to children, you may get consent directly or through the child-directed site or service.

Acceptable methods include having the parent:

sign a consent form and send it back to you via fax, mail, or electronic scan;

use a credit card, debit card, or other online payment system that provides notification of each separate transaction to the account holder;

call a toll-free number staffed by trained personnel;

connect to trained personnel via a video conference;

provide a copy of a form of government issued ID that you check against a database, as long as you delete the identification from your records when you finish the verification process;

answer a series of knowledge-based challenge questions that would be difficult for someone other than the parent to answer; or

verify a picture of a driver's license of other photo ID submitted by the parent and then comparing that photo to a second photo submitted by the parent, using facial recognition technology.

If you will use a child's personal information only for internal purposes and won't disclose it, you may use a method known as "email plus." Under that method, send an email to the parent and have them respond with their consent. Then you must send a confirmation to the parent via email, letter, or phone call. If you use email plus, you must let the parent know they can revoke their consent anytime.

You must give parents the option of allowing the collection and use of their child's personal information without agreeing to disclosing that information to third parties. If you make changes to the collection, use, or disclosure practices the parent already agreed to, you must send the parent a new notice and get their consent.

Check the chart for the narrow exceptions to the general rule that you must get parental consent before collecting personal information from kids. Even if you fall within an exception to the consent requirement, you still may have specific notice requirements.

Step 5: Honor Parents' Ongoing Rights with Respect to Personal Information Collected from Their Kids.

Even if parents have agreed that you may collect information from their kids, parents have ongoing rights - and you have continuing obligations.

If a parent asks, you must:

give them a way to review the personal information collected from their child;

give them a way to revoke their consent and refuse the further use or collection of personal information from their child; and

delete their child's personal information.

Any time you're communicating with a parent about personal information already collected from their child, take reasonable steps to ensure you're dealing with the child's parent. At the same time, make sure the method you use to give parents access to information collected from their kids isn't unduly burdensome on the parent. Under COPPA, it may be okay to terminate a service to a child if the parent revokes consent, but only if the information at issue is reasonably necessary for the child's participation in that activity.

Step 6: Implement Reasonable Procedures to Protect the Security of Kids' Personal Information.

COPPA requires you to establish and maintain reasonable procedures to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of personal information collected from children. Minimize what you collect in the first place. Take reasonable steps to release personal information only to service providers and third parties capable of maintaining its confidentiality, security, and integrity. Get assurances they'll live up to those responsibilities. Hold on to personal information only as long as is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. Securely dispose of it once you no longer have a legitimate reason for retaining it.

Looking for more about the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule? Visit the Children's Privacy page of the FTC's Business Center. For additional advice, read Complying with COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions. Visit consumer.ftc.gov for general information about protecting kids' privacy online. Email us at COPPAhotline@ftc.gov if you have other questions.

Chart: Limited Exceptions to COPPA's Verifiable Parental Consent Requirement

In general, you must get a parent's verifiable consent before collecting personal information from their child. But there are some limited exceptions to that requirement that allow you to collect information without parental consent. Keep in mind that the kind of information you may collect under each exception is narrow. You can't collect anything more. Also, if you collect information under one of these exceptions, you can't use it or disclose it for any other purpose.

Reason you may collect information without parental consent

The kind of information you may collect

Other limits on how you may use the information

If you collect information under this exception, what you must tell parents in your direct notice

To get verifiable parental consent

child's and parent's name and online contact information

You must delete their contact information if you don't get consent within a reasonable time.

You must:

tell parents you collected their online contact information so you can obtain their consent;

tell them their consent is required for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information collected from the child, and that you won't collect, use or disclose any personal information from the child without the parent's consent;

describe the additional items of personal information you intend to collect from the child and other ways for the child to disclose personal information if the parent provides consent;

hyperlink to your privacy policy;

describe the ways parents can provide verifiable consent for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information collected from the child; and

tell parents that if they don't provide consent within a reasonable time, you will delete their online contact information from your records.

To give voluntary notice to a parent about their child's participation on a site or service that doesn't collect personal information

parent's online contact information

You must:

tell parents you collected their online contact information to let them know about their child's activities on a site or service that doesn't collect personal information;

tell them their online contact information won't be used for any other purpose;

tell them they may refuse their child's participation and require that you delete their contact information; and

hyperlink to your privacy policy.

To respond directly to a child's specific one-time request (for example, if the child wants to enter a contest)

child's online contact information

You can't use the information to contact the child again and you must delete it after you respond to the request.

No direct notice is required.

To respond directly more than once to a child's specific request (for example, if the child wants to receive a newsletter)

child's and parent's online contact information

You can't combine this information with any other information collected from the child.

You must:

tell parents you collected their online contact information to let them know their child has asked for multiple online communications;

tell parents you collected their child's online contact information to provide the multiple communications they asked for;

tell parents the online contact information won't be used for any other purpose and won't be disclosed or combined with other information;

tell parents that if they don't opt out, you may use the child's online contact information for that purpose; and

hyperlink to your privacy policy.

To protect a child's safety

child's and parent's name and online contact information

You must:

tell parents you collected the names and contact information to protect a child's safety;

tell parents the information won't be used or disclosed for any other purpose;

tell parents they may refuse to permit the use of the contact information and require you to delete it; and

hyperlink to your privacy policy

To protect the security or integrity of your site or service, to take precautions against liability, to respond to judicial process, or - as permitted by law - to provide information to law enforcement

child's name and online contact information

No direct notice is required.

To provide support for internal operations of your site or service.

This includes:

maintaining or analyzing the functioning of the site,

performing network communications,

authenticating users of the site or personalizing content,

serving contextual ads or frequency capping,

protecting the security or integrity of the user or the site,

legal or regulatory compliance, or

fulfilling a child's request under the one-time contact or multiple contact exceptions.

persistent identifier

You can't use the information to contact a specific person, including through behavioral advertising, to amass a profile on a specific person, or for any other purpose.

You can't use this exception if you collect personal information other than a persistent identifier.

No direct notice is required.

If you have actual knowledge that a person's information was collected through a child-directed site, but their previous registration indicates the person is 13 or over

This exception applies only if:

you collect only a persistent identifier and no other personal information;

the person affirmatively interacts with your site or service to trigger the collection; and

you have already conducted an age-screen of the person indicating he or she is 13 or over.

persistent identifier

You can't use this exception if you collect information other than a persistent identifier.

No direct notice is required.

For More Information

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair practices in the marketplace and to provide information to businesses to help them comply with the law. To file a complaint, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Watch a video, How to File a Complaint, to learn more. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule: A Six-Step Compliance Plan for Your Business

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When it comes to the collection of personal information from children under 13, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) puts parents in control. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, enforces the COPPA Rule, which spells out what operators of websites and online services must do to protect children's privacy and safety online.

# data[].attributes.headline
AB Coda Composition - Project Directions

# data[].attributes.subject
AB Coda Composition - Project Directions

# data[].attributes.headline
Character Theme Song Composition - Project Directions

# data[].attributes.subject
Character Theme Song Composition - Project Directions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Soundtrap Music Composition - Character Theme Song

# data[].attributes.body
Please contribute!

# data[].attributes.headline
4 Tips on Gaining Authentic Audience for Student Publishing

# data[].attributes.subject
4 Tips on Gaining Authentic Audience for Student Publishing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Authentic Audience has become an education catchphrase in recent years. This is partially because our connected world has made actually connecting student-created content with an Authentic Audience a more achievable ambition than at any other time in history. The bigger reason that the Authentic Audience banner gets such enthusiastic waving however, is due to meaning: when students believe they are potentially creating for an Authentic Audience, many will find it a more meaningful act and will take greater ownership and pride in their work as a result.

What is an Authentic Audience?

Before we get into tips, it's worth considering what we even mean by the phrase so that we can define it for students. For me, the lowest bar for Authentic Audience is a consumer of student content who is neither expected to love that student unconditionally nor is paid to be that consumer. In other words, immediate family and teachers don't count. But that's just me. It's important for each teacher (and her students!) to decide what this means in their respective learning environment.

Once we have a working definition, we are better prepared to help our students connect with Authentic Audiences. Here are 4 tips:

#1: Be intentional about WHERE students publish

The internet has enabled access to publishing in powerful ways. Many historic barriers no longer hold us back. We can now circumvent gatekeepers (such as editors at established publishers) by self-publishing directly to the public. And unlike the renegades of earlier decades who self-published through mediums such as Zines, the internet makes publishing more accessible thanks to a multitude of free platforms that remove the costs of paper, photocopies, staples and even the time that used to be required in order to distribute content.

While there are seemingly limitless options for where to have students publish, it is a choice that should be taken seriously, especially if Authentic Audience is a goal. Take the (now defunct) site Zooburst, for example. I used to love Zooburst for Digital Storytelling. It was super engaging as students could upload their own pictures and sounds to personalize their stories and publish them as 3D popup books. As an early example of Augmented Reality, it even utilized your device's webcam to make the book hover in front of you and you could turn the page by waving your hand.

Zooburst was cool stuff! But for all the awesome features, it was never much of a content discovery platform, meaning that students' audience was limited to me, their classmates and any friends or family with whom they shared their stories. It did not deliver an Authentic Audience.

If Authentic Audience is important to you and your students, consider that when vetting publishing options and assign added weight to options that bill themselves as platforms for not just publishing but distributing and connecting as well. Sites like Medium, Soundcloud, Youtube, Tumblr and Wattpad are strong contenders because they allow consumers to subscribe to the publishers and they suggest or recommend content. Publishing on these platforms will dramatically increase the discoverability of your students' content by their Authentic Audiences.

#2: Teach students how to use Tags

Many of the publishing platforms encourage publishers to utilize Tags and then use those tags in order to help target audience. For example, some of you who are reading this discovered it not because you know or follow me, but because it is tagged Education and, since you have indicated that is a reading interest, it was suggested to you by Medium.

When introducing the concept of Tags to students, it might be helpful to bring in outside resources such as this article: Keyword Research 101: How to Choose The Best Tags & Keywords For Your Blog Posts - And Why This Matters. Resources such as this post will explain HOW to choose Tags and WHY it is important. And because it's not coming from you, the teacher, skeptical students may trust it as expert opinion and be more likely to take the advice seriously.

#3: Hook students on Data

I could tell you that I don't look at data like hit counts on my posts but I'd be lying. I think most people would be. Knowing that someone (especially someone you don't know!) is taking the time to join in your audience is hugely rewarding. More importantly, it's hugely motivating and encourages you to continue publishing.

Many platforms provide creators with data points or the ability to capture them. On Tumblr, for example, you can add a hit counter to a page. Weebly sites (even free ones!) will tell the editor both total visits and unique visitors each week. Medium (where this article is posted) offers data points on views, reads and recommends for both individual posts and all posts, and breaks views down to daily metrics that you can track over 30 day trailing trends.

Once you get your students hooked, you may find them downright addicted. When I had a class of Middle School Spanish Heritage Speakers curating their Spanish reading list on a class Flipboard magazine, checking their publication's stats became the new off-task behavior for many students who were constantly clicking to view the growth of their reach. Each Monday, we would update a graph of our readership and the rise in readers prompted huge buy-in with the students; they wanted to see the numbers continue to climb and became obsessed with opportunities to add new content so that the magazine was fresh for readers.

#4: Give students ownership of promoting their content

I admire teachers who reach out to their networks on behalf of their students to share their work. I've responded to such calls many times, providing students with added hit counts and occasional feedback. I also think this can quickly become a classic example of a teacher working harder than her students. And while this strategy can help gain wider audience for student work, depending on your point of view, it might not be achieving an Authentic Audience.

Turning over ownership to promote the content can be empowering for students and foster buy-in. I once had a student who created a location-based On the Road- themed scavenger hunt and she wanted an authentic audience. We looked up advice to help her write a press release and then sent it in to the Denver Post. The next day, a reporter called our school to interview her and a few days later an article promoting her creation was in the newspaper. You can bet she posted the link on Facebook and increased her reach. She did all of this without relying on me as a gatekeeper or middleman.

It's worth noting that this approach to students owning promotion applies to all learners, including those under 13 who might not have their own social media channels. With the aforementioned group of Middle Schoolers promoting their Flipboard magazine, students gave the link to their parents to share on their social media channels. They asked if they could author tweets and send them to me to tweet out on their behalf, which I gladly did. I've seen many teachers who create classroom social media accounts and think these are ideal channels for students to take the reigns and drive promotion.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4 Tips on Gaining Authentic Audience for Student Publishing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Authentic Audience has become an education catchphrase in recent years. This is partially because our connected world has made actually connecting student-created content with an Authentic Audience a more achievable ambition than at any other time in history.

# data[].attributes.headline
How-To Strengthen Student Listening Skills with Podcasts - Class Tech Tips

# data[].attributes.subject
How-To Strengthen Student Listening Skills with Podcasts - Class Tech Tips

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Podcasts are a great way to help strengthen student listening skills. Podcasts are audio (and sometimes video) recordings similar to a radio program or television episode. A wide range of organizations and individuals host podcasts and share their thinking around a topic through this medium. You can access podcasts through iTunes and the Podcast app on iOS devices or through web-based tools. Most individual podcasts have their own site where you can stream each episode directly from their webpage.

There are a wide range of podcasts to choose from and I share some of my favorite kid-friendly podcasts in this post. If you are teaching a specific subject area, like American History or Ocean Ecosystems, you can search for a related podcast to find a clip to share with your students. The search feature in iTunes lets you find episodes as well as podcasts that focus on a topic related to the keyword you enter.

Teachers can use podcasts to help students build listening skills. By listening to a narrator tell a story or an expert discuss a topic, podcasts can help students strengthen their ability to gather information through multimedia.

Student Listening Skills

Help strengthen student listening skills with podcasts

Listening in partners gives students another person to share a story with. Just like students might sit and read side-by-side, children can listen to an audio podcast in pairs to gather information or experience a new story.

Talking about topics helps students set a purpose for listening. In the same way you'd expect students to share their thinking about a text, students can respond to the information or story presented in a podcast.

Teaching students to replay is a strategy similar to rereading. Students are using a wide range of media to learn new information. It's important to help students understand how pressing rewind can boost their comprehension.

Using podcasts at home is a great way to extend a learning activity. Pick a few kid-friendly podcasts or episodes to share with families in a class newsletter to help connect learning in the classroom to activities at home.
Do you have a favorite podcast or classroom activity? Share it in the comments below!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How-To Strengthen Student Listening Skills with Podcasts - Class Tech Tips

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Podcasts are a great way to help strengthen student listening skills. Podcasts are audio (and sometimes video) recordings similar to a radio program or television episode. A wide range of organizations and individuals host podcasts and share their thinking around a topic through this medium.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Chrome Music Lab is a website that makes learning music more accessible through fun, hands-on experiments.

# data[].attributes.headline
Digital accessibility should be a K12 goal from the start | District Administration Magazine

# data[].attributes.subject
Digital accessibility should be a K12 goal from the start | District Administration Magazine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Editor's note: CIO Hot Topic is produced in collaboration with CoSN.
Districts must provide learning materials that are accessible to all students. Digital accessibility-a challenging undertaking-involves making websites, learning platforms, videos, digital textbooks and portals available to students with physical, visual, speech, auditory, neurological or cognitive disabilities.

The consequences of failing to do so can be significant. In 2013, a civil rights complaint was filed against Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough in Massachusetts over accessibility of its website. Following an investigation, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights issued corrective requirements in 2014.

While there were no punitive consequences, the district was required to submit periodic progress reports, says Jean Tower, who was the district's technology director at the time. "Having to work with the Office for Civil Rights made the process much more time consuming and difficult than if the district had been proactive," says Tower.

In October 2016, CoSN released a Digital Accessibility Toolkit in collaboration with the Center on Technology and Disability. The toolkit outlines the procurement process, benefits of digital accessibility, and legal requirements. The toolkit identifies eight key steps for achieving accessibility.

The first step is understanding federal and state accessibility laws. Technology company Cielo24 offers a guide to accessibility laws.

Next, district leaders should conduct a thorough accessibility audit to identify any non-compliant digital materials by using the WCAG 2.0 checklist of technical standards for accessibility. Finally, district leaders should develop an action plan for correcting accessibility issues and follow up with regular accessibility audits.

Tower has been the director of media and digital learning at Needham Public Schools in Massachusetts for a year and a half, and is leading the district's digital accessibility initiative.

One challenge is getting buy-in among district leaders, but she has found it helps to explain ways that accessibility features, such as closed captioning on video, can benefit everyone.

Procurement also can be a challenge. When Tower asks tech providers to include accessibility language in their contracts, many understand but some companies balk, she says. "We have to make sure curriculum people look at the materials that they're buying to make sure it's accessible," she adds.

Despite the challenges, district technology leaders should be as proactive as possible. "If you make it accessible from the beginning, then you're not trying to re-do materials that you've already created when you have a student who does need it in accessible format," Tower says.
Leila Meyer is a freelance writer in British Columbia, Canada.
For more information, visit the 2017 State & Federal Accessibility Guidelines and Laws for Education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Digital accessibility should be a K12 goal from the start

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Editor's note: CIO Hot Topic is produced in collaboration with CoSN. Districts must provide learning materials that are accessible to all students. Digital accessibility-a challenging undertaking-involves making websites, learning platforms, videos, digital textbooks and portals available to students with physical, visual, speech, auditory, neurological or cognitive disabilities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Created by 3/4 Wells Elementary School Students to explain podcasting, way back in 2006, brought to by their teacher, Bob Sprankle

# data[].attributes.body
Evaluation Within Project-Based Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
No test, grade, or teacher evaluation could have come close to helping her learn that deeply, and it made clear to me how important it is for teachers to reexamine why and how we grade our students if we truly care about their success.

As collaboration and project-based learning become preeminent ways of teaching and learning, many teachers struggle with how to evaluate these types of lessons. Traditional methods of evaluation, which have many flaws on their own, are not well-suited for interdisciplinary, multi-modal learning. Teachers need ideas for encouraging students, providing meaningful feedback, and setting students up for success.

Project-based learning (PBL), also known as challenge-based learning, begins with the assumption that there may be more than one right answer. Finding creative solutions to a problem or a driving question is what makes the learning meaningful and lasting, and also difficult to evaluate from a traditional standpoint. When projects are interdisciplinary, it becomes even more of a challenge for teachers to critique subjects that may be unfamiliar.

What to Grade

There are many dimensions of student achievement that we need to evaluate in PBL. The end product is certainly important, but if we focus only on that, the meaningful learning that happens throughout the process can be lost as students feel pressure to do whatever it takes to "make the grade."

The advantage of PBL is that students learn much more than the content. They learn how to work with others, solve problems, present their ideas clearly to an audience, and learn from their mistakes. In other words, we want to acknowledge not only what they learned, but how they came to learn it so that they can use these processes in the future.

Some areas for evaluation include content mastery, collaboration or participation, and presentation or style. Additional considerations may include meeting deadlines or other elements specific to your topic or project.

How and When to Grade

Rather than setting students up for failure with an antagonistic grading philosophy, set them up for success from the beginning. Establish target goals early to provide purpose for the project, while also establishing expectations of the result:

What is the problem to solve or the product to create?

What kinds of subject area content need to be included or addressed in the project?

What expectations do you have for the final product's presentation, publishing, or performance?

What kinds of collaborative behaviors must be demonstrated by students throughout the process?

Feedback and corrections should happen frequently to keep students on track, improve their work, and set them up for success in the final product. Waiting too long to give feedback may result in work that is too far gone to be fixed or improved.

What Counts as an Evaluation?

If we understand evaluation as some type of feedback on the progress or achievement of a student, then it can take many different shapes and be as formal or informal as needed. I think evaluations should have four dimensions:

While rubric score sheets can be a quick, efficient way of providing feedback to a big class, oral and written feedback is more personal and specific.

Self-evaluation is an especially important piece of the summative evaluation because it taps into higher-level thinking and awareness of the material, process, and final product. It makes students think about their successes, mistakes, and goals for the next time. Choose oral or written form, and include expectations or rubrics for this evaluation.

Peer evaluations are unique to collaborative projects, and I find that they facilitate a better collaborative process because the teacher considers the student experience. We can use this information to modify the workflow for the next project and hold students accountable for their work (effort, constructive contributions to the team, etc.).

Public vs. Private Evaluation

Ideally, PBL is an authentic experience, whether for the class or an audience beyond the classroom walls. So we need to allow for audience feedback to evaluate that project's levels of success. Public critiques (such as comments on blog posts) and class discussion help provide wider perspective and may even carry more meaning for the student than teacher feedback. Consider having a content-area professional or college professor provide critiques for added credibility.

Private evaluations, like self-reflections and teacher feedback, can address confidential information about teammates that allows students to be honest about their peers and themselves. Find a combination of both public and private evaluations that you feel is right for your students or the project.

Constructive Criticism

The goal of evaluations should be to emphasize growth and encourage improvement. There are several techniques that help us in our oral or written constructive criticism.

Critique Sandwich

A negative comment about a problem or flaw is presented between positive comments about something done well.

"I Like That. . ."

Require feedback that includes answers to all of these statements:

Rose/Thorn/Bud

This critique also addresses the good (rose) and the bad (thorn), but also the potential (bud) for what may be a good idea but needs work.

Many of the evaluation methods that I've described are qualitative rather than quantitative, may not be what we're used to, and may not be what your administration requires, so you should find the combination that best suits your needs. But multi-dimensional learning like PBL requires multi-dimensional evaluations that encourage student success.

Do you teach with PBL? In what ways do you evaluate your students? Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Evaluation Within Project-Based Learning | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
No test, grade, or teacher evaluation could have come close to helping her learn that deeply, and it made clear to me how important it is for teachers to reexamine why and how we grade our students if we truly care about their success.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is the official channel for Soundtrap - Make Music Online! With Soundtrap you make music online. You can plug in your own instrument, use the software instruments available in Soundtrap or just record a song directly with your computer microphone. It's super-easy! Continue your music making anywhere!

# data[].attributes.body
Here's a few challenges!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Have you tried this yet? A few months ago I watched a live demo of Soundtrap. This collaborative music and podcast tool is being used by teachers and students around the world. Soundtrap is a web-browser and tablet friendly tool for education that puts powerful audio recording options in the hands of students of all ages. Some students use Soundtrap to record their voice to create audio podcasts. Others use Soundtrap to record music they play on an instrument or the built in loops and sounds within this tool.

Music & Podcast Tool

I wanted to showcase two special ways that educators are using Soundtrap in the classroom. It gives you an idea of how this tool is embraced by teachers and students to create engaging, cross-curricular learning experiences.

Some teachers are using Soundtrap to address specific curriculum outcomes, including the ways teacher Ben Kelly shares his experience in the video below. John Zirkle used Soundtrap to create a classroom of composers at his school in Big Sky, Montana and in Austin, Texas, music teacher Taylor Haun uses Soundtrap's online recording studio with students.

Special Features of Soundtrap

Soundtrap comes with all sorts of tools for students and teachers and for someone with little musical experience like myself, I found the interface really friendly to use. Since Soundtrap saves your work to the cloud you can access your recordings on any device so it's a great fit for a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) classroom. With Soundtrap, users can collaborate on one project from different locations. There is a chat and video feature built into this tools so students can work on a project when miles apart but still stay in contact as they create their piece of music or record audio for a podcast. Teachers can even use this tool to record audio to share with students for easy review of a lesson or as part of a flipped classroom model.

Learn more about Soundtrap by visiting their website!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
New Ways Teachers are Using Soundtrap Collaborative Music & Podcast Tool - Class Tech Tips

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Have you tried this yet? A few months ago I watched a live demo of Soundtrap. This collaborative music and podcast tool is being used by teachers and students around the world. Soundtrap is a web-browser and tablet friendly tool for education that puts powerful audio recording options in the hands of students of all ages.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Earlier this year I had the chance to see a demo of Soundtrap, an amazing tools for students and teachers. Soundtrap is a web-browser and tablet friendly tool for education that puts powerful audio recording options in the hands of students of all ages. With this tool students can record their voice using the microphone on their device or record music recorded with any instrument they have on hand. Soundtrap lets users collaborate on tracks, meaning multiple students can record music or narration in one project.

Soundtrap comes with all sorts of tools for students and teachers and for someone with little musical experience like myself, I found the interface really friendly to use. Since Soundtrap saves your work to the cloud you can access your recordings on any device so it's a great fit for a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) classroom. When I visit schools across the country to share my favorite EdTech tools, I am often asked about COPPA compliance. Soundtrap makes sure that all educational accounts come with a walled garden and COPPA compliance. This means students can work together on a variety of projects in their own, protected environment.

Collaborative Music and Podcast Tool

With Soundtrap, users can collaborate on one project from different locations. There is a chat and video feature built into this tools so students can work on a project when miles apart but still stay in contact as they create their piece of music or record audio for a podcast. Teachers can even use this tool to record audio to share with students for easy review of a lesson or as part of a flipped classroom model.

I love tools that gives students opportunities to work together in a collaborative environment and value the needs of different students. Whether you're working with English Language Learners or looking to reach students who love to make music, Soundtrap is definitely worth checking out!

Learn more about Soundtrap by visiting their website!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Soundtrap Collaborative Music and Podcast Tool for Education - Class Tech Tips

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Earlier this year I had the chance to see a demo of Soundtrap, an amazing tools for students and teachers. Soundtrap is a web-browser and tablet friendly tool for education that puts powerful audio recording options in the hands of students of all ages.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
SEEN Magazine - SouthEast Education Network

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Soundtrap is the future of education. It is a cloud-based program that allows composers, musicians, music students, teachers and others to collaborate and learn using music as the backdrop for a truly worldwide educational experience.

It is also quickly becoming the global standard for composers, music industry professionals and music classrooms. It is affordable for schools, and according to music teachers Soundtrap has been a game-changer for their students.

John Churchville is the music director at the Go Like the Wind School, a K-9 Montessori in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Churchville says "I have been recording and composing with students for over 10 years. We have used every program we could get our hands on...Garage Band, ProTools, Logic, Audacity and more. Last year I was introduced to Soundtrap.com and it changed EVERYTHING. Soundtrap has been incredibly effective in getting students up and running immediately, composing songs, learning about sound engineering and collaborating. We use Soundtrap to record original music, create soundscapes for presentations, document our live music concerts, teach lessons on waveforms and sound, create soundtracks for videos, and collaborate with students from other schools."

Churchville continues "I feel like the ease of use and the ability to use Soundtrap on virtually any device is an important factor in deciding which system to use with your students, but the number one benefit for me and my students has been the ability to collaborate directly within the studio sessions. Students can share their work while it is still in progress, read notes and comments and even start up a video chat right within the project while they are working on it."

According to Churchville "Another big bonus is the compatibility with other very useful programs. My students love to create beats using Groove Pizza ( https://apps.musedlab.org/groovepizza/) and then send them directly into Soundtrap to continue the creation process. They also take the MIDI files directly from Soundtrap and import them into According to Churchville "Another big bonus is the compatibility with other very useful programs. My students love to create beats using Groove Pizza (https://apps.musedlab.org/groovepizza/) and then send them directly into Soundtrap to continue the creation process. They also take the MIDI files directly from Soundtrap and import them into Noteflight.com to continue composing using standard notation, (the reverse is also true, composing using any music notation software and then importing the MIDI file into Soundtrap to continue to add and refine the sounds).

Beyond the simplicity of use, Soundtrap is also extremely well equipped with a whole bunch of sound filters, compressors, EQ's and effect processors that more advanced users can dive into. It works seamlessly with most of my Digital Audio Interfaces and the resulting sounds are on par with top notch professional recordings. Soundtrap, in my opinion, is the best solution for capturing and creating audio on the internet. I believe it is on the path to be one of the most useful apps for schools and professional musicians alike."

John Zirkle is the Artisitic Director of Warren Miller Performing Arts Center and the Hatch Ostinato Project. The HATCH Ostinato Project matches composers and professionals with schools and music classes to allow for collaboration on music creation, resulting in professional music production that can then ultimately generate funding for that specific music program. Zirkle uses Soundtrap. Like Churchville, he is very passionate about his students and loves the value that Soundtrap brings them.

"In the Fall of 2015, our music class paired up with commercial film composers on an original composition idea called the Hatch Ostinato Project ( hatchostinatoproject.com). In that process of writing music with industry professionals, we were looking for an online social music-making platform that would be intuitive, inspiring for students, and affordable. When we consulted with our school's technology director, he found SoundTrap, and we immediately fell in love. It enabled our project to have much more depth, as students worked with commercial composers to make tangible and valuable musical suggestions for each track. For the Hatch Ostinato Project, SoundTrap became an invaluable tool to show the visualization of the music and all the decisions that Russell Spurlock and Philip Sheppard were making as composers. It was incredibly valuable for us to see music represented in other visual forms that were a little more intuitive for our students.

I think that in order to create a more relevant 21st Century Music classroom, we need to focus more on the creative instincts of new and seasoned student music through collaborative composition. SoundTrap enables us to do that in a way that combines intuitive technology with a need for social connection on a global scale."

Schools use Soundtrap in their projects to foster deep learning and develop students' creative, collaborative and communication skills. It is perfectly suited for project based learning.
Quick and easy to use
With Soundtrap students make music or podcasts online. They can plug in their own instrument, use the software instruments and loops available in Soundtrap or just record a song directly with their computer microphone.
Multi device & cross platform
All projects are saved in the cloud which means you can access them anywhere. Soundtrap works on Chromebooks, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPad so students can access their creations from any device.
Protected environment
All educational accounts come with a walled garden and COPPA compliance to keep students safe. This allows students to work together in their own, protected environment.
Collaborate remotely & in the classroom
Students and teachers collaborate via video calls from remote locations. Teachers can create group assignments and coach and help their students from where ever they are.
Assignments & Remote lessons
Teachers can give personal lessons using the built-in video feature and have all practice material ready to be sent out to the students who can add their own parts on top of the backing music.

Soundtrap was created in Sweden by an eclectic team of engineers, designers and music producers passionate about music & technology. They were united by the belief that there was a better way to create music collaboratively. With Soundtrap users can plug in their own instrument, use the software instruments available or just record a song directly with their computer microphone.

Because Soundtrap works on Mac, Windows, iPad, Android tablets and phones, Linux and ChromeBooks, it allows users to start, edit and collaborate their recordings wherever they are. Everything is stored in the cloud.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Soundtrap is the future of education. It is a cloud-based program that allows composers, musicians, music students, teachers and others to collaborate and learn using music as the backdrop for a truly worldwide educational experience.

# data[].attributes.body
Ahhh! I just had THE BEST morning working with a group of 4th and 5th grade students! First, I read a picture book aloud (top left). As I was reading, students were drawing a graph (bottom right) of the rise and fall in the action. Then, they each set to work to create a soundtrack that mirrored the emotion and plot of the story! Wowzer! They blew me away with their process and the depth that they tried to create from the details in the story! What a great way to enhance comprehension!

# data[].attributes.body
150+ ideas for using Soundtrap across the curriculum

# data[].attributes.body
A Fun Game Using Soundtrap

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"There is no such thing as wasted time spent messing around with new effects" ...

# data[].attributes.headline
List of Interview Questions from Story Corps

# data[].attributes.subject
List of Interview Questions from Story Corps

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
After 17 years of listening, we know what makes a good conversation: Start by asking Great Questions.

Here are some of our suggestions for getting a good conversation going. We encourage you to use the ones you like and to come up with your own. This list is in no particular order. Choose one of the categories below, or scroll through and read them all.

Great Questions for Anyone

Friends or Colleagues

If you could interview anyone from your life living or dead, but not a celebrity, who would it be and why?

What is your first memory of me?

Was there a time when you didn't like me?

What makes us such good friends?

How would you describe me? How would you describe yourself?

Where will we be in 10 years? 20 years?

Do you think we'll ever lose touch with each other?

Grandparents

Where did you grow up?

What was your childhood like?

Who were your favorite relatives?

Do you remember any of the stories your grandparents used to tell you?

How did you and grandma/grandpa meet?

What was my mom/dad/parent like growing up?

Do you remember any songs that you used to sing to your children? Can you sing them now?

Were your granparents well-behaved?

What is the worst thing your grandparents ever did?

What were your parents like?

What were your grandparents like?

How would you like to be remembered?

Are you proud of me?

Raising Children

Parents

Do you remember what was going through your head when you first saw me?

How did you choose my name?

What was I like as a baby? As a young child?

Do you remember any of the songs you used to sing to me? Can you sing them now?

What were my siblings like?

What were the hardest moments you had when I was growing up?

If you could do everything again, would you raise me differently?

What advice would you give me about raising my own kids?

What are your dreams for me?

How did you meet mom/dad?

How do you think we are alike? How do you think we are different?

Are you proud of me?

Growing Up

School

Teachers

Love & Relationships

Do you have a love of your life?

When did you first fall in love?

Can you tell me about your first kiss?

What was your first serious relationship?

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Do you ever think about previous lovers?

What lessons have you learned from your relationships?

Who were the "ones that got away" in your life?

What was the hardest break up you've ever experienced?

Do you remember the best date you ever went on?/Do you remember your first date?

Marriage & Partnerships

Working

Describe the work that you do.

Tell me about how you got into your line of work.

Do you like your job?

What did you think you were going to be when you grew up?

What did you want to be when you grew up?

What lessons has your work life taught you?

If you could do anything now, what would you do? Why?

Do you plan on retiring? If so, when? How do you feel about it?

Do you have any favorite stories from your work life?

Religion

Can you tell me about your religious beliefs/spiritual beliefs? What is your religion?

How did you come to your faith? From your family? From a particular experience or set of experiences?

How has your faith evolved over time?

Have you experienced any miracles?

What was the most profound spiritual moment of your life?

Do you believe in God?

How have you experienced God (or a Higher Power) in your life?

Do you believe in the after-life? What do you think it will be like?

When you meet God, what do you want to say?

Have there been moments that tested your faith? What were those challenges and how did they impact your faith?

Serious Illness

Can you tell me about your illness?

Do you think about dying? Are you scared?

How do you imagine your death?

Do you believe in an after-life?

Do you regret anything?

Do you look at your life differently now than before you were diagnosed?

Do you have any last wishes?

If you were to give advice to me or others in our family, what would it be?

What have you learned from life? The most important things?

Has this illness changed you? What have you learned?

How do you want to be remembered?

Family Heritage

Where are your parents' families from?

Have you ever been there? What was that experience like?

What traditions have been passed down in your family?

Who were your favorite relatives?

Do you remember any of the stories they used to tell you?

What are the classic family stories? Jokes? Songs?

Military

Remembering a Loved One

Justice

© 2003-2022 StoryCorps, Inc.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
After 17 years of listening, we know what makes a great conversation: Ask great questions. Here are some of our suggestions for getting a good conversation going. We encourage you to use the ones you like and to come up with your own.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Power of Audio in the Classroom - Google Slides

# data[].attributes.subject
The Power of Audio in the Classroom - Google Slides

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Written by Bill Manchester

Student-created podcasts are a great way to fuse multiple disciplines together and allow students to take ownership of their learning and assessment. Generally, students find it very engaging and podcasting tends to produce very genuine reflections of student learning. However, creating a high-quality podcast is a time-consuming endeavor.

one of the most popular podcasts in the United States boasted a full-time production team of twelve, not including music writers and other contractors, working for months before publication. Most of the time our students are not able to assemble teams of twelve professionals working full-time for months on a podcast.

When we ask students to create quality podcasts, we need to be mindful of the time constraints and weigh carefully how much instruction time we are willing to devote to the objectives of the podcast assignment. One alternative is to simply accept low-quality podcasts, hoping that curricular objectives can be met in spite of distracting production issues. This approach denies students the opportunity of real-world application and may create an illusion in students ' minds of the impossibilities of creating high-quality work.

Shorter-term assignments also have the advantage of giving students the ability to produce multiple iterations. When students are working on long projects, students (and teachers) can become very focused on reaching the final project and opportunities to explore multiple solutions to problems are diminished because of the need to reach a point of completion and create a finished product.

Below are four ideas to speed up the process of podcasting. The goal is that students are challenged to limit their roles so that they can produce higher quality through multiple reiterations. It also allows a teacher to focus on specific aspects of podcasting that students may need more support on. This approach also enables teachers to place a podcast creation activity in a shorter time period, opening up more flexible opportunities for using this medium.

Use Pre-Recorded One-Sided Interviews. Interviews like this from world famous sitar player Annoushka Shankar feature only the answers to interviewer's questions. Students could build a podcast by creating questions to ask Annoushka eliciting the pre-recorded answers. While these type of one-sided interviews are easily found on the internet, teachers could also use Soundtrap software to edit interviews to answers only.

1. Divide and Conquer and Non-Linear Recording. Once students have developed their scripts, Soundtrap makes it easy for everyone to record on their own, sync the recordings, then put them in order. Rather than recording from start to finish with each person waiting for the other people to talk, students can record just their lines, making sure they sound great, then sync up with everyone else. Students are able to take responsibility for their own work without pressure from anyone else to complete a task before group members can complete the next task. This kind of non-linear approach also becomes a tool that students can use in other kinds of projects as well.

2. There are a number of web-based programs and apps that convert text to speech. Text to speech apps can allow students to create multiple voices to add interest and create virtual discussions even when they are creating a podcast by themselves or in a small group.

3. Dramatize published works. Writing and developing a script is just one part of the podcast process. Delivering lines with confidence and expression, organizing clips, and ensuring good sound quality are also objectives. Students can begin with a script that is already written- maybe a news article, a transcript of an interview, or even a reading from a textbook. The teacher can organize the excerpt into individual parts or have students work in groups to split up the text in ways that create a conversation and discussion.

Creating a high-quality podcast from start to finish is a significant task and a literacy skill that demands time and practice. These ideas not only create high-quality products in relatively short amounts of time but also hone students' skills for all parts of multimedia writing and production.
About the Author: Bill Manchester is a music specialist in the Bexley City Schools, a public school district in Columbus, OH, USA. He teaches a required middle school course that builds students' performance, creativity, and critical thinking skills through music and other performing arts. He holds degrees from the Ohio State University and Belmont University teaching experience spanning from kindergarten to college in music, math, STEAM, and reading.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4 Ways to Get More Out of Podcasting Quickly

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Written by Bill Manchester Student-created podcasts are a great way to fuse multiple disciplines together and allow students to take ownership of their learning and assessment. Generally, students find it very engaging and podcasting tends to produce very genuine reflections of student learning. However, creating a high-quality podcast is a time-consuming endeavor.

# data[].attributes.headline
Online Music Composition Tool Helps Students Engage, Learn and Socialize -- THE Journal

# data[].attributes.subject
Online Music Composition Tool Helps Students Engage, Learn and Socialize -- THE Journal

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Viewpoint

Online Music Composition Tool Helps Students Engage, Learn and Socialize

A fifth grade teacher from Montana reflects on how Soundtrap helped an unmotivated, unfocused student discover his voice and passion.

A girl builds a musical composition on Soundtrap.

One of the toughest tasks for teachers is reaching those students who seem to be tuned out. We all know the type - they don't pay attention in class, don't participate and don't seem to care if they get poor grades. In a small school, such students can particularly stand out and this was one of my biggest challenges in the school where I've been teaching for 19 years.

Shelley Emslie

I teach at a rural, one-building, K-8 school in Western Montana in a picturesque spot with the Swan Mountain Range looming in the distance. With a student body of 165 and just one teacher per grade, we don't have lavish resources, but I'm convinced that creatively using technology to improve learning can work even on a modest level. We may be limited with only 45 Chromebooks in our whole school, but I've had positive results in my class with students going much deeper into subject matter through a blended learning style. Using a blended approach allows me to individualize a student's learning experience.

Nevertheless, my approach wasn't working with a particular fifth-grade student. He was struggling and had a hard time focusing. Nothing interested him and his grades were well below what they should have been. One day in class during Genius Hour, I noticed this student really engaged on a Chromebook. He had earphones on, so I could not hear what he was listening to, but the smile on his face went from ear to ear. I had to find out what had him so captivated.

Student Engagement

After asking him what he was up to, he said, "I'm doing Soundtrap." I had never heard of it, but soon learned about it from my colleague, Brianne Fuzesy, our music and band teacher. Brianne explained it is an online collaborative music and audio recording studio that runs on multiple platforms, including Chromebooks. Very easy to use, it gives students the tools to create music or podcasts and share them through the web with fellow students within an invited group. She told me about her class project, and I was incredibly impressed. Brianne had introduced my student's older brother to Soundtrap, and he was so inspired by her project, he shared it with his brother.

I was completely blown away by the impact of this software application on my student. While sharing his Genius Hour Soundtrap project, he led the class in selecting musical elements, put them together, then played the resulting composition to the class, all on Soundtrap. My chin was just about hitting the floor during his presentation. Here's a kid who really wasn't interested in much of anything at school, but I watched how he addressed the class with confidence and excited the whole group about the creative process.
Hand-Me-Down Composing
But the full story turned out to be even deeper. Brianne, who had taught college-level audio engineering before coming to our school last year, had been tasked with creating a general music class for older students at Swan River School, but found that some of her students were uninterested in the usual approaches to teaching music. Tapping into her skill set, she decided to focus on basic audio editing, researching a number of programs and finally choosing Soundtrap because of its simplicity, features and how well it worked on Chromebooks - although it works across iOS, Android, Mac and Windows devices as well. She set up a 30-day trial and used it in her seventh-grade music class as an introduction to how to make music on a computer via the program's pre-recorded loops as well as ability to record instruments.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
online music composition tool roundtrip western montana swan mountain school chromebooks genius hour ios android mac windows twitter iste

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Online Music Composition Tool Helps Students Engage, Learn and Socialize -- THE Journal

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Viewpoint A fifth grade teacher from Montana reflects on how Soundtrap helped an unmotivated, unfocused student discover his voice and passion. A girl builds a musical composition on Soundtrap. One of the toughest tasks for teachers is reaching those students who seem to be tuned out.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
StoryCorps Education makes the StoryCorps mission come alive, supporting adults and youth in building relationships and creating more compassionate schools, families, and communities. With our lesson plans and resources, young people will:

Discover the power of their own voice and know that their experiences and stories matter

Learn about the power and importance of listening

Gain empathy and understanding for people who are different from themselves

Find strength in stories of people like themselves who succeeded despite personal challenges and social barriers.

The resources below will provide teachers and mentors with powerful tools for engaging and empowering youth in classroom and community settings. Additionally, connect directly with other educators and StoryCorps staff in our StoryCorps in the Classroom Facebook group.

Training & Resources for Educators

Student Voices

Hear from students who have participated in our work about the power of listening and recording a personal story.

The Great Thanksgiving Listen

The Great Thanksgiving Listen is a national movement that empowers high school students to create an oral history of the contemporary United States by recording an interview with an elder using the StoryCorps App.
Each year, StoryCorps works with educators and students around the country to preserve the voices and stories of an entire generation of Americans over a single holiday weekend. Learn more and join the movement.

More Information

Contact our Education team at education@storycorps.org.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
StoryCorps Education makes the StoryCorps mission come alive, supporting adults and youth in building relationships and creating more compassionate schools, families, and communities.

# data[].attributes.headline
How Cross-Cultural Dialogue Builds Critical Thinking and Empathy | MindShift | KQED News

# data[].attributes.subject
How Cross-Cultural Dialogue Builds Critical Thinking and Empathy | MindShift | KQED News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Often adolescents hold strong opinions, but they don't always know where and how they came to those beliefs. When a teacher pushes them to think critically about why they feel the way they do, it's easy for students to ignore them. But, when video conferencing with a teenager from another country who genuinely wants to know the answer, students often respond more thoughtfully.
HOW IT WORKS
A teacher interested in using Generation Global must register the school with the program first. Then he or she can access free lesson plans to introduce the basics of dialogue. Davis said one of his favorite elements of the product is its flexibility. Teachers can modify the lesson plans easily while still maintaining the spirit of the lesson.

"They trust that you know your students best," Davis said. "The lessons are designed so you can get at the heart of the meaning of the lesson without following the lesson prescriptively."

Students practice dialogue skills like active listening and speaking from the "I" perspective with one another in class. Thus, not only do students have the ability to dialogue about the personal experiences, values and beliefs of peers across the world, but in the lead-up they do the same with students who they've sat next to for years, but still might not know very well.

After students have been introduced to the skills involved in productive dialogue, the teacher can set up various types of interactions with classes in one of the 20 countries where schools have signed up for Generation Global. This can be done through the site and is painless, according to Davis. Teachers can choose a one-to-one dialogue with another class or they can choose to participate in a multipoint dialogue, where up to four classes are participating. All the dialogues are moderated by a trained facilitator who keeps the conversation moving, helps move past the awkward beginning and makes sure that everyone feel safe within the dialogue. The dialogues are all in English.

Additionally, Generation Global has a secure online dialogue feature that allows two classes to commit to a longer dialogue on a series of questions. The site groups students for a more intimate experience and they respond to one another in writing. Teachers and facilitators can see all these interactions, and the technology offers teachers a dashboard on their students' participation, too.

"The great thing about dialogue is it enables you to get inside someone else's perspective," said Ian Jamison, head of education for Generation Global. "So you explore not knowledge, but experiences, values and beliefs."

He stresses that the dialogue topics are usually not about specific curriculum because, while there is some overlap in the curricula of different countries, it can also vary widely. Instead, the program staff at Generation Global are interested in how students can build empathy for one another by learning about personal experiences of culture and the world.

The goal is to make the exotic familiar. "One of the side effects of familiarity is it makes it very hard to hang on to prejudice," Jamison said. He described one video conference he facilitated between a class in Pakistan and a class in the U.K. In the course of the conversation one of the students in Pakistan said that Islam was illegal in the U.K. He was surprised to hear from a U.K. student of Pakistani descent that actually he was himself a Muslim and attended a mosque in Birmingham.

"That's the kind of misinformed comment that doesn't help people get on with one another," Jamison said. But when the students could look one another in the eye and hear a different narrative about a place they'd never been, it started to change their views about the world.

"One of the things we often take for granted is we often think of ourselves as ordinary and the other as exotic," Jamison said. But every person can be exotic to someone living in a different culture, and these global dialogues can have a huge impact on the many biases and stereotypes that get passed around almost unconsciously.
SAFETY AND SECURITY
Generation Global takes safety and security seriously both because its staff know that students must feel emotionally safe to open up about personal experiences, but also because they know parents worry about student safety online. The schools that participate have been vetted by Generation Global and the video conferences and online chats take place in a secure environment that is never shared.

In many ways this program asks students to do something that many adults aren't modeling well -- how to be respectful of someone with a different lived experience and opinion. The dialogue skills are particularly important when people disagree strongly.

"As a teacher it was so refreshing to have a facilitator make sure that safe space for dialogue and conversation was kept," Davis said. Conversations can still get heated, but if a student gets worked up the facilitator will stop the conversation, ask participants to take a moment, and then work to re-establish safety before continuing the conversation.

Jamison sees the online dialogue as an equally important element of helping adolescents to develop positive habits around interactions online, something that again many adults do not model well for students.

"What we want to end up with are young people who are able to take part confidently in dialogue," Jamison said.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Cross-Cultural Dialogue Builds Critical Thinking and Empathy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Often adolescents hold strong opinions, but they don't always know where and how they came to those beliefs. When a teacher pushes them to think critically about why they feel the way they do, it's easy for students to ignore them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
To say podcasting is having a moment is an understatement. The team behind 's latest blockbuster, S-Town , recently broke records with 16 million downloads in the first week. Traditional news outlets like The New York Times and NPR are currently battling it out for the top spot on the daily news podcast beat. And Buzzfeed announced that Ben Smith, its editor in chief, is getting in on the action with the launch of an interview show called .

"Radio is the theater of the mind," says Marty Goldensohn, an Emmy award-winning radio and television producer who teaches podcasting to students at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Goldensohn fell in love with the medium as a child while listening to radio greats like the humorists Bob & Ray and acclaimed storyteller Jean Shepherd on a radio the size of half a refrigerator, and went on to become News Director of WNYC and New York Bureau Chief of Marketplace . In contrast to traditional radio, one of best things about podcasting, he says, is you can do-it-yourself.

CJR caught up with Goldensohn to get his tips from more than 30 years in the business on how to capture evocative sound, write for the ear, voice honestly, and edit ethically to create a powerful podcast that will resonate with your audience.
10 podcasts to help you keep up with the news cycle What kind of podcast is it?
Once you have a good idea for a great podcast, you need to think about the format:

Hybrid: One of most common types of podcast is a weaving of sound recorded in the field (actuality) and scripted narrative (continuity). That's the format you hear on shows like This American Life .
Field recording 101
If your podcast contains actuality, there are a few things to keep in mind while you're recording out in the field:
Interviewing
Getting good sound during interviews is essential. People often freeze up at beginning of an interview so you have to find a way to make them comfortable:
TRENDING: Writing 8 steps to upgrade your everyday news stories with 'tiny narratives' Voicing
Once you've captured your actuality, you need to make a decision about pacing. Are you moving in and out of actuality rapidly? Or are people talking for three-minute chunks and you're just dropping in to describe who they are? The answer might depend on the quality of your interviews and the complexity of the subject. If the story is complicated, more narration will be required. If you find out that you've only got three decent quotes in the whole thing, you might need to tell the whole story yourself. When it comes to writing narration, the key is to stick to conversational language.

During what has been dubbed the "Golden Age of Radio," from the 1920s to the 1950s, announcers were mostly male and they generally spoke in authoritative tones that lacked ambiguity. These days, the most engaging podcast hosts are those who are authentic and confide in the listener as they would a friend. Even so, there are some tips and tricks you can follow to help you sound like your best self.
RELATED: Editing Battle heats up for morning daily podcasts as NPR enters the fray

Watch your emphasis: In a bid to sound authoritative, newbies often emphasize the wrong word in the sentence. They'll say, "He went the store" instead of "He went to the ." Again, the rule is to speak the way you would everyday.

Editing and mixing are art forms all their own. This is where you bring together your interviews, narration, the ambient sounds and close-ups you've captured, and add any music you want to use. Goldensohn's rule is to edit on headphones and mix on speakers. On headphones, you'll pick up the detail. On speakers, you can ensure your levels are correct, and your background sound isn't drowning out the speech.

Update: This story previously referred toMarketplace as a production of National Public Radio. Marketplace is produced by American Public Media.

Shelley Hepworth , formerly a CJR Delacorte Fellow, is Technology Editor at The Conversation. Follow her on Twitter @shelleymiranda.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A master audio storyteller on how to create a powerful podcast

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To say podcasting is having a moment is an understatement. The team behind Serial's latest blockbuster, S-Town, recently broke records with 16 million downloads in the first week. Traditional news outlets like The New York Times and NPR are currently battling it out for the top spot on the daily news podcast beat.