This Little Trick Makes Podcast Editing Easier

When editing a video there are visuals that make it relatively easy to know where to cut. The same is not true when editing audio for a podcast unless you use the "clap and pause" trick. That trick, demonstrated in the short video that is embedded below, gives you a clear audible sign of where to edit and it gives you a visual sign of where to edit when using an editor like GarageBand or Audacity. 

Editing an audio recording is much easier if you make a loud clap before a brief pause and then begin speaking. The same is true if you need to pause while recording. That clap will be easy to hear and will be easy to see in audio editing tools. In audio editing tools like Audacity and GarageBand that clap and pause will be identified by a big visual spike followed by a steep drop. You won’t need to listen through the whole recording to find the places you need to edit because you’ll see them in the audio editor.

5 Topics for Student Podcasts

Podcasting can be a great way to get students to record their own thoughts and to record conversations with other people like classmates or community members. Just like a writing assignment it can be hard for students to decide what to podcast about. Here's a handful of suggestions to get started.

• Book review. Rather than writing a book report, have students record their thoughts about books they've recently read.
  
• DIY or Q&A podcast. Students are knowledgeable about lots of things. Ask them to share their knowledge about a favorite topic.
  
• Conversations in a second language. This can be a good way for students to practice a second language with a partner.
  
• School news. Students can record school announcements. Let them add to it with commentary about neat things happening in your school community.
  
• Conversations about community. Instead of the traditional "interview your parents about their lives" journalism assignment, have students talk to a few people about important moments in the history of their local communities. 

If you want to learn how to start a podcast and get more ideas for using podcasts in your classroom, join me on Tuesday at 7pm ET for Classroom Podcasting 101.