Soundtrap: Announcing New Features For Classroom Podcasters | Featuring Meredith Allen

In this episode of Educational Podcasting Today, Jeff welcomes Meredith Allen from Soundtrap on the podcast to discuss why teachers are using Soundtrap in their classrooms to teach their students about audio production and podcasting.  

I am thrilled to have Meredith on this weeks program. Sountrap is an amazing application that is available to content creators on all platforms and today, Soundtrap is announcing several brand new features that are going to be turning the heads of both classroom and studio podcasters everywhere.

Listen to today's episode to learn how you can leverage educational podcasting in your classroom today!

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In this episode, we discuss:

• Soundtrap for StorytellersSoundtrap is launching an education version of its new Soundtrap for Storytellers podcast creation tool will be available in June to teachers and students for use in the classroom.
• The podcasting tool will help teachers differentiate instruction for students of all abilities within one classroom, giving students a compelling way to channel their thoughts and perspectives. Having spoken to many teachers and students we believe they will be utterly engaged and it will be a fantastic way for teachers to get access to an inspiring vehicle for meeting core curriculum requirements.
• New Podcast Transcription Tools (THIS IS AWESOME!)One of the newest and most unique features is an interactive transcript and editing tool. Transcripts can be made automatically at the click of a button, and students will be able to transcribe and edit the spoken-word audio file as you would in a text document, eliminating the need to listen to the podcast over and over again. We believe that it will differentiate instruction for all ages, abilities and individualized education plans.
• There are other cool features such as inviting someone to join your podcast and upload to Spotify.
• Why Use Soundtrap in the Classroom?It is an easy tool for differentiating instruction for students of all abilities within one classroom and giving a voice to students that otherwise might not have an outlet for channeling their thoughts, opinions, and perspectives.
• It can provide an easy way to connect collaborators that might not have a Soundtrap account by using a guest link
• For those learners with an individualized education plan (IEP) for writing and/or reading, this tool allows them to see/easily edit the words and tell the story of their learning.
• Teachers can provide age-appropriate content in an environment that inspires students to tell their stories in creative, artistic ways.
• Teachers are looking for tools for collaborative and creative content making to support their STEAM efforts, the 4Cs (creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration) as well as project-based learning activities. Access to Soundtrap for Storytellers will not only help educators meet core curriculum requirements, it will also enhance a student’s development in the 4Cs.
• Soundtrap bridges the necessary skills for preparing our 21st-century learners for a global, connected world.
• Why Create Educational Podcasts?Podcasts can empower students and teachers to become content producers rather than content consumers, and they can give them audiences beyond the classroom.
• Podcasting gives students a sense of purpose, rather than seeming like just another academic exercise
• Student-created podcasts reinforce course concepts, develop writing skills, hone speaking ability, and even help parents stay current on classroom activities.
• Podcasting helps hone oral-presentation skills and storytelling technique (finding the characters, conflict, and resolution that help clarify a topic for the audience.)

About Meredith Allen

Prior to the joining Spotify and the inception of Soundtrap for Education team, Meredith served as an Instructional Technology Consultant at Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency in Iowa. Preceding her consulting, Meredith taught instrumental music, K-7 technology and facilitated the district’s Virtual Reality program. Meredith has a Master’s of Science in Technology for Education and Training and participated in the 2016 Iowa cohort of the national Teacher Leadership Initiative, a joint endeavor of the National Education Association, the Center for Teaching Quality, and The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Meredith's work as an Education Specialist for Soundtrap is centered around creating deeper learning through student-centered, problem-based learning experiences that result in student agency and authentic work

About Soundtrap

Soundtrap is the first cloud-based audio recording platform to work across all operating systems, enabling users to co-create music and podcasts anywhere in the world. The company is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Soundtrap provides an easy-to-use music and audio creation platform for all levels of musical interest and abilities and is being used by the K-12 through higher-education markets. On December 2017, Soundtrap was acquired by Spotify. For more information, visit https://www.soundtrap.com.

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