Book Reports, 21st Century Style

With polls and statistics suggesting that more than 57 percent of teenagers have published on the Internet in some form or fashion, it’s really about time for educators to get on board and start capitalizing on the plethora of tools that students already use. One such tool, podcasting, is more than the new cool thing. It’s a way for us to give students a voice—one that can be heard locally and around the world. It’s a way to bridge the gap between home and school or provide students with the means to connect with one another. Many of us already subscribe to podcasts created by other educators. But we should be using podcasting to let students be heard and learn from their peers.

Podcast creation can be quite simple or very high tech. There are many tools available for both Windows and Mac. Audacity (audacity.sourceforge.net) is a dual-platform freeware that lets you create audio files that can be uploaded as podcasts. GarageBand (Mac), PhotoStory (Windows), and MovieMaker(Windows) are tools for making enhanced audio files (those that incorporate images), which can be published to an RSS feed.

There are also a variety of options for feed publishing. For Mac users, there’s iWeb, part of the iLife suite of applications. Podcast Maker and Feeder are also great Mac applications, but require a little more tech know-how. PC users, too, have a long list of available publishing applications. There are also Web-based feed programs, such as MyRSSCreator. (For an extensive list of podcasting applications, check out www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcasting_Software.html.) For the less tech-savvy or those lacking their own server space, sites like Podomatic (podomatic.com), Odeo (odeo.com), and GCast (gcast.com) offer free space and an easy way to podcast that doesn’t require knowledge of editing, RSS feeds, HTML, or publication issues. And tools like CrowdAbout (crowdabout.com) allow listeners to contribute their own text or audio comments.

Novices and pros alike have so many options for pod-casting, educators have little excuse not to try it out.

The next question is: what to podcast about? It’s great to have all these applications, but if you have nothing of worth to say, no one will listen. Enter librarians. Media specialists can be a great resource in helping prompt students. For example, book reviews make great podcasts. Just imagine, instead of merely writing up a book review, giving kids the opportunity to literally say just what they think. Help them create a podcast—enhanced with images from or about the book—in which they can share their thoughts about a title’s plot, characters, or theme. And give students the opportunity to add their own review—whether or not they liked the book—and which group of students might like to read it. Students themselves can create a template of information that must be included in the review—the title and author, where to find the book in the library, etc. Letting the kids decide what makes a good and relevant book review instills student ownership of the entire project—a powerful thing.

In general, podcasts assume that creators produce subsequent episodes at regular intervals. There’s less pressure with book reviews; episodes can be published as they are created with little concern as to the gaps in time between postings. Also, individual students may only produce one podcast, but still feel they have been published and that their voices are being heard. Podcasted book reports provide a much-needed twist on a time-worn assignment, engaging students in developing their own perspectives, while also allowing them to hear recommendations by their peers on what to read.

Podcasts can also be shared with others, including parents, who can learn what their kids are reading. Teachers could get in on the action as well, commenting on student podcasts and adding their own. Libraries win, too, as students will naturally want to create podcast episodes about books not already reviewed, inspiring them to explore a wider variety of books, boosting reading skills along the way.

With podcasting, we move beyond the two-dimensional paper book report to a dynamic product sure to excite students and adults alike.