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Easy Podcasting With Anchor

Anchor: A Free and Easy Podcast Platform

Anchor, a popular mobile podcasting platform, has been around for a couple of years now, but today’s update may be the breakthrough moment it needs to establish itself as the go-to podcasting platform for would-be podcasters who want powerful features without the complexity that usually comes with producing a professional podcast. Here’s what you need to know.

Introducing Anchor 3.0

Up until today, Anchor was an app you could use on iOS or Android to record short podcasts that you upload to the web and share with others. So, what’s new in version 3? Quite a lot actually. Here are some highlights:

  • A redesigned mobile app
  • A new web dashboard with audio creation tools and analytics
  • The ability to upload audio to the web that was recorded or edited elsewhere
  • Seamless sync between mobile and web dashboards
  • Unlimited recording and free podcast hosting
  • Easy distribution to Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Spotify
  • You can add draft recordings for publishing at a later date
  • New web profiles with custom URLs
  • Podcast transfer support to bring podcasts hosted elsewhere to Anchor

These features are added to existing functionality that includes the ability to record with up to 10 other people, the ability to play call-in voice messages, automatic audio to text transcription, and the option to add a variety of musical transition effects.

Anchor for Schools?

Anchor is an iPhone app on iOS, but it works on iPads too. It is supported on Android, and now has a web platform that works on Mac, PC and Chromebooks. Anchor is also 100% free right now. There is nothing you can pay for, even if you wanted to. This makes it an appealing option for educators, but is there a catch?

At some point, Anchor will need to start paying back its investors. My guess is that this will come in the form of ads that are placed before, during or after your podcast, with the addition of an ad-free tier that you can pay for if you want to. This is just speculation on my part, but something to think about if you are considering Anchor for podcasting with your students or colleagues.

Until then, it’s still a compelling option for teachers. Opinion Podcasts was a favorite of mine right up until they decided they could no longer afford to host your podcasts for free. But, there’s nothing to say that you can’t enjoy Anchor while you can because who knows what the future will hold.

Do You Wanna Build a Podcast?

If you’re reading this post because you are thinking of creating a podcast yourself, then I would encourage you to listen to episode 39 of The Edtech Take Out, a podcast that I co-host with Mindy Cairney. In this episode, we talk about how to plan and produce your first podcast. We don’t mention Anchor specifically, but there are lots of ideas and options here that would be transferable if you did decide to make a leap into podcasting. You can find The Edtech Take Out in the Apple Podcasts app or on Google Play Music. You can also find it in Overcast, Pocket Casts, and other good podcast players.

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Apple Classroom vs. Google Classroom

Apple Classroom was released in March 2016, but from things I read online, or hear when talking to other educators, I feel that it still gets mistakenly compared to Google Classroom. I can absolutely see why that happens. Both products have very similar names, and both were created to help solve technology problems in the classroom. However, the truth is, these two products could not be more different. So, in this post, I wanted to take some time to run through everything that Apple Classroom can do, and compare that to Google Classroom, in order to give you some ideas on how you can use these useful tech tools at your school.

Continue reading “Apple Classroom vs. Google Classroom”

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iPad Screen Recording Tips for Educators

ipad screen recording.png

The addition of screen recording in iOS 11 was a great feature for teachers and tech enthusiasts who wanted to show people how you can master the power of the iPad. However, it’s also a great way for students to show what they know. If your iPad is up to date, it doesn’t need any additional software, or devices, because this new recording ability is built-in to iOS 11. Screen recording on the iPad is a little different from screencasting on other devices, so in this post I am going to run through a few of my top tips for success when recording your iPad. Are you ready?

Continue reading “iPad Screen Recording Tips for Educators”

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Podcast Player Review: Castro 2

castro 2.png

I’ve used a lot of podcast apps over the years. Doggcatcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Downcast, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and countless others have all found their way onto my devices at some point in their lifetime. Some of these podcast players were trusted servants for a long period of time, others not so much. As you may already deduced, I am kind of hard to please when it comes to podcast apps. However, things may be about to change. In this post I am going to take a closer look at my current favorite podcast player, Castro 2 for iPhone from Supertop.

Continue reading “Podcast Player Review: Castro 2”

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Is This The Windows Movie Maker Replacement You’ve Been Waiting For?


This year has not been a great year for multimedia software. Google ended support for YouTube’s free online video editor, and Microsoft did the same with the popular Windows Live Movie Maker. Although there are plenty of other options for both sets of users, people did get kind of attached to these video editors and not everyone is ready to pay for an alternative, (or switch to a Mac). While Google has yet to make any real attempt to replace the YouTube Editor, Microsoft has just added video editing features to the latest version of the Windows 10 Photos app. So, is this the Windows Movie Maker replacement you have been waiting for? It depends.

Continue reading “Is This The Windows Movie Maker Replacement You’ve Been Waiting For?”

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Social Media Ideas for Schools


I saw this link posted on Jen Carey’s blog and felt that it was well worth sharing here too. It is the revised social media guidelines for the New York Times journalists.  I have long felt that for school employees, the debate over what is considered your private life and what is considered public, can be an interesting and often heated debate. However, in a world that is now dominated by social media, it is easy to slip up or be misinterpreted by those who lack context or knowledge of you as a person. 

These guidelines are effective for a number of reasons. They are written in plain English, not legalese. The guidelines are clear and lack ambiguity. They have a checklist of examples and actions to take if you are in any way unsure of your social media practices. I also like that the tone of this policy. It is professional without being didactic and it seeks to embrace the power of social media as opposed to banning or restricting it. 

While this policy was written for the journalists at the New York Times, I think there are lots of great ideas here that schools could adapt and use for their own employees. So, click through and take a look, and if you are not already following Jen Carey’s blog, you absolutely should! She consistently posts great content for educators. 

Originally posted on Media! Tech! Parenting!: Today, October 13, 2017, the New York Times introduced its new social media policy for people who work in the Times newsroom. Not only is it interesting to read — it may will also become a useful document for educators to share with students. The policy clearly illustrates the…

via Can the New York Times Social Media Policy Become a Teaching Tool? — Indiana Jen

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The Sphero Classroom Gear Guide

Sphero Gear Guide (header image)

Sphero’s programmable robots are an increasingly common sight in today’s tech infused classrooms and makerspaces. They are a fun and engaging way for students to learn coding, problem solving, and critical thinking. They encourage creativity and are a great collaborative activity for sparking authentic learning discussions. Best of all, they can be controlled with iPhones, iPads, Android and even Chromebooks.

Sphero has several different robots to choose from, so in this guide I am going to run through all the current models and give you ideas on how you can use them in the classroom. (Prices are listed in US dollars. This post may contain affiliate product links.)

Continue reading “The Sphero Classroom Gear Guide”

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How to Record Your iPad Screen in iOS 11

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One of the features that educators have been most looking forward to in iOS 11 is screen recording. There are lots of ways to record your iPad screen, and I’ve written about some of those in the past, but native iOS screen recording is likely going to be the most convenient option for most people. However, it’s somewhat hidden in Settings, so here’s a quick guide on how to set it up and start recording your own iPad screencasts.

Continue reading “How to Record Your iPad Screen in iOS 11”

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11 iOS 11 Features for iPad Educators

Apple describes iOS 11 as “a giant leap for iPhones but a monumental leap for iPads.” Whether you agree or not, there are a number of fantastic new features available for iOS devices when iOS 11 is released. What’s more, many of these additions are only available on iPads and that is great news for those using iOS devices in the classroom. In this post I wanted to run through a few of my favorite new iPad features for efficiency, power and ease of use. Here’s what you need to know. Continue reading “11 iOS 11 Features for iPad Educators”

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5 Blogs to Follow to Get You Ready for the School Year

Indiana Jen

It’s August… school will be starting soon for many of us. In fact, I have less than three weeks before I’m sitting in a classroom with children again. What does this mean for most educators? It’s time to start thinking about school once again. If you haven’t noticed, I made a concerted effort in the month of July to unplug. This meant little writing and little (electronic) reading. However, it’s time to get back at it! Here are 5 blogs that I follow that help me get back in the school year mindset. Add these to your favorite RSS reader (if you need one, check out Feedly).

blogging Courtesy of Doug Peterson https://www.jisc.ac.uk/blog/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-blog-22-sep-2015

Cult of Pedagogy

Cult of Pedagogy covers everything from the social implications of education to specific practices in your classroom. This is a great place to stay on top of trends, practice, and the emotional roller coaster…

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