Year 4 – Audio Production Workshop 🎙️🎧
Today, Year 4 enjoyed an exciting Audio Production Workshop led by Engagedu, where they explored how to create their own podcasts using iPads and headphones.
The workshop began by discussing what a podcast is and how podcasts can be used to share information, tell stories and entertain listeners.
Using the Voice Memos app, the children learnt the basic skills needed to record their voices. They discovered how to press the record button, pause a recording and stop it when they had finished. They also learnt the importance of waiting a few seconds after pressing record before speaking, otherwise the beginning of their recording could be cut off!
The children then explored what makes a good-quality audio recording. They discussed the importance of speaking clearly, reducing background noise and avoiding interference. They also learnt how to position themselves correctly when speaking into the microphone, making sure they were not too close or too far away.
To practise these skills, the children recorded a simple message introducing themselves. They shared their name, age, favourite school subject, favourite food and other interesting facts about themselves. Afterwards, they listened back to their recordings and considered how they could improve the sound quality.
The children were then introduced to a podcast script called ‘UK Uncovered’. They explored how a script helps presenters know what to say and keeps a podcast organised. They also learnt that podcasts can be broken down into smaller sections and recorded separately. This means that if a mistake is made, only that section needs to be recorded again rather than having to restart the entire podcast!
Another important skill was learning how to give each recorded segment a clear and meaningful name. The children discussed how naming and organising their recordings makes it much easier to find the correct sections and put them together in the right order.
Finally, the children explored GarageBand, learning how to import their individual audio recordings and join the different sections together to create one complete podcast. They discovered how different audio clips can be arranged in the correct order to produce a finished recording that flows smoothly from beginning to end.
It was a fantastic hands-on workshop that helped the children develop their computing skills, confidence and understanding of audio production. We certainly have some budding podcast presenters in Year 4!
