Remote LEarning Mini-Unit #1: Podcasting

​​Our goal: You will be creating original podcasts for this mini-unit. You can work individually or with a partner. The podcasts must be five minutes or less — and while that might sound like a short amount of time, if you want to produce quality audio it really isn’t.

Your podcast topic can be inspired by one of the Learning Network’s 1000 Plus Writing Prompts . That should give you plenty of options, but if you don’t see the exact topic that you want to investigate in your podcast, you can come up with your own topic (just make sure you pass it by me first).
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There are many different types of podcasts. Some consist largely of conversations between the hosts; others are based on interviews; still others involve mostly storytelling, nonfiction or fiction. Podcasts serve different purposes too: some try to make you laugh; others aim to keep you in suspense; some want to educate or inform. You should keep all of these possibilities in mind as you consider what you want your original podcast to be like.

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Podcasts we are going to discuss: 
                      

Arí G · The evolution of dating culture (podcast with my parents!)

Daniel Wang · How my Town Found the Universe

John Howley · The One Act

City High Radio · Our Generation, Our Climate by Julia Ortiz And Cougar Miller

1) Review the handout, especially the Elements and Techniques of Effective Storytelling
2) Pick one of the following and develop a 45 second to 1 minute (no longer) response (make sure you use as many techniques as possible)
• What Was Your Most Precious Childhood Possession?
• What Ethical Dilemmas Have You Faced?
• Are You Distracted by Your Phone?
3) Work with a partner, and share your responses.  Try to present it as professionally as possible.  Give each other feedback.  What worked?  What techniques could the listener spot?  How could it have been improved?  Share at least one insight with the class on how to improve podcasts.