I was really looking forward to this post, as I teach history and I can see an endless list of applications for creating podcasts in History. In fact, it was at the HTAV conference where I first saw David Fagg present a seminar on Podcasting and his iHistory project. I have provided some ideas and examples in this post, but please add your ideas as well! (Just click ‘Leave a Comment’ to add you ideas).

  1. Record presentations and explanations of key historical events and concepts covered in history, using diagrams, images and video footage where possible. For example, when doing a local history project, my students where able to access fantastic images from the State Library website in Victoria, which they could using in their podcasts (attributing the source as the State Library of Victoria of course).
  2. Record steps or instructions in carrying out a historical enquiry. For example, create a recording that documents how the student uses the internet for carrying out research, how they select relevant sites, how they built up their search. In addition to that, you could use a program like ScreenFlow to have students record how they go about carrying our their research (this records what happens on the computer screen, so it can be used to assess how the student conducts searches for information on the internet).
  3. Record news stories about developments in historical insight, for a radio show type segment.
  4. Create and record radio plays, biological sketches and dramatic reenactments of historical events, based on primary sources of information. For example, students could recreate recruitment advertisements for young men and women to join the military in World War Two, or they could recreate famous speeches in history like Martin Luther Kings, ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.
  5. Record interviews to gain insight into a particular historical period. For examples, students can interview family members, experts in a particular area of history, or people that lived through a particular period or event. This is a great way for students to gather primary sources of information.
  6. Record students goals in history and reflections throughout the year in terms of how they have been working to achieve their goals.
Written by Callie Whelan.
Melbourne Beyond Chalk Facilitator