Digital Voices

The first critical exploration of and practical teaching guide to employing podcasts both as pedagogical tools and exciting new challenges for students in the creative writing classroom.

As the most popular and fastest growing form of media today, the podcast is a vital tool for creative writing courses in their bid to become more dynamic, interactive, inclusive, and multi-modal. Exploring the benefits of podcasting as both a pedagogical resource and as an important medium of expression for young writers, Digital Voices illuminates how podcasts can help every student forge personal connections to the content of their creative work and instruction they receive, no matter their background or experience. Beginning with the history of the podcast and the opportunities it affords today, this book moves through the benefits of bringing this popular medium into the workshop, demonstrating how it can aid in the creation of "Many Voices classrooms" and new metacognitive and introspective learning strategies, offer students new methods of evaluating creative products, and enhance inclusive access for a truly intersectional classroom. Other topics examined include the technical aspects of creating narrative fiction, poetry and nonfiction podcasts; how instructors might best curate podcasts for their classes; guidance on using podcasts to create scaffolding for teaching creative writing craft elements in different modes; and the ways of using author podcasts to demystify the writerly mystique.

With each chapter featuring a section on practical application in the classroom, hints and tips from teacher-podcasters, and suggested student assignments, Digital Voices is an accessible primer, offering both a critical examination of the medium and a practical guide to putting the concepts discussed into practice.