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Lesson steps 1. Introduce students to the project of creating a podcast. Ask students if

they are familiar with the term podcast and what they think it is. Ask them if they have ever listened to one.

2. Discuss what a podcast is. Time permitting, play some examples of podcasts from such places as National Public Radio (http://www.npr.org/), the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk), Radio Willow Web, and Grammar Girl (http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/).

3. As an example of what students will create, demonstrate the sample podcast provided with the project. Explain that this podcast is about the pros and cons of eating organic foods. For your demonstration, you can use the generalized process shown below and the sample file provided.

Sample assets: organic_podcast.mp3; podcast.prel; podcast_soundclips (all in the podcast_assets.zip folder)

General overview of demonstration sample

1. In Premiere Elements, open a new project and record the audio. If necessary, edit the sound clip, for example to split clips, remove any segments, or noise. Premiere Elements guide: Overview of Premiere Elements workspace Premiere Elements guide: How to work with audio

2. Create, mix, and compose multiple audio tracks to give the podcast interest.

3. When the audio file is finalized, prepare the file for

podcasting using the Podbean podcasting service. Premiere Elements guide: Podcasting

4. Working in groups, have students select and conduct some preliminary research on the topic of the podcast.

Note: Students can use podcasts to cover school or local news, track data and learning for science experiments, create a tool for learning a foreign language, and so on.

Podcasts In this lesson students write short scripts and make a podcast in Adobe Premiere Elements. Topical podcasts can be made for most academic subject areas to enable students to explore a line of inquiry and convey meaning and understanding through script-writing and audio commentary. Students and expand their digital communication skills and learn how to creatively express their ideas through this novel performance medium.

Ages 13–17 Subjects Language Arts, Technology Timing 3–5 class periods Objectives Students: • Get hands-on experience

making a podcast about an academic subject area

• Create a line of inquiry to investigate and research

• Write scripts summarizing the important details, findings, or aspects of the topic area

• Learn audio recording and editing skills

• Use Premiere Elements to edit and create a podcast

Evaluation general_evaluation.pdf

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5. Using their research, have each group prepare a list of questions, or a line of inquiry, that they want to explore further on the topic. Then have them select one or two of these questions to create a theme to investigate and talk about in their podcast. Students should then research these questions and begin to collect content for the podcast.

Note: It is recommended that you have each group create and submit a citation list for each podcast.

6. Once they have completed their research and feel comfortable that

they have enough material to address their question, have each group write a script of their podcast. It is recommended that you limit the length of the podcast to 3–5 minutes. In addition, they should also consider who their audience is, whether they will have one host or several, and whether they want to break the podcast into segments.

Sample asset: podcast_script.pdf (in the podcast_assets.zip folder)

Note: It is recommended that students practice reading out loud from the script prior to recording the audio in their groups.

7. Pair groups and have them share their scripts with one another. Ask

them to give feedback on whether there is enough information to fully understand the topic and give some suggestions for improvement. Have students revise their scripts if needed.

8. Provide students with the Premier Elements technical guides mentioned in the preceding steps and have each group create their own audio file.

Note: For more information about any technical element, see Premiere Elements Help.

9. Once they have completed their audio file have each group prepare

them for podcasting using the Podbean podcasting service. Then invite parents, other students, and teachers to listen to the podcasts. To use the podcasts to track learning and as an assessment tool, have the students continue to build them into a series of podcasts further exploring their topic area.

Note: Sharing via the Podbean option is only available in the United States. You must have an account with Podbean to use this service. To sign up for a free account, follow the link from within Premiere Elements or visit www.podbean.com.

Adapting the lesson to grade levels:

Ages 9–13 Adapt this lesson to younger students by focusing the content on creating audio files or podcasts that give a short literary, musical, or film critique.

Ages 11–17 Adapt this lesson by creating a podcast of students practicing a foreign language and post it to a blog. Have fellow students, or the community of readers of the blog, post feedback on the content, pronunciation, and vocabulary used in the podcast.

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ISTE NETS*S Curriculum and Content Area Standards – NETS for Students

1. Creativity and Innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:

a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.

b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

2. Communicate and Collaborate Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

3. Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:

a. plan strategies to guide inquiry. b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use

information from a variety of sources and media. c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on

the appropriateness to specific tasks.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:

a. identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.

b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.

5. Digital Citizenship Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:

b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.

6. Technology Operations and Concepts Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems and operations. Students:

b. select and use applications effectively and productively. Adobe Education Exchange

Visit the Adobe Education Exchange to find more teaching and learning resources like this lesson plan, share your teaching and learning resources, and collaborate with the Adobe Education community: http://edexchange.adobe.com.