Podcasts are an engaging way to get students involved in writing for an authentic audience. Students are so excited about creating with a modern and relevant technology tool that they are willing to do the research, outlining, script writing, and editing necessary to record the final product.

Here are some ideas for podcasts to help get you started.

As an educator, you can create podcasts on important topics you have discussed in your classroom so that students can review them later.

Create news broadcasts to keep parents and the community informed about what is going on at your school. You can share recent events, awards, student projects, and more.

Remember Mystery Theater on the radio? Have students listen to old radio dramas and write their own! Mike Walker, a writer for BBC Radio, loves to do science fiction on the radio because “you’re using the muscle of the listener’s imagination.”

Have students create biographies for famous Virginians, scientists, or leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Combine the biographies to create a resource library that students can review while they are riding home on the bus, running, or doing homework.

Have you ever used an audio tour for a special museum exhibit? Many local museums cannot afford to produce this kind of work. Students could discuss the decorations in a historic home, the objects in a display case, or the paintings in a special collection.

Sandra Smits, of Spring Lake, Michigan, has her second graders record a sentence about something they are thankful for, combining them into a podcast for her classroom web site. Students can retell fables, modernize fairy tales, or share forms of poetry.