We’ve added illustrated podcasts to Hubs. You can turn your teaching material into an audio story, with two hosts guiding students through the topic.
As they listen, students can follow illustrations, read along with the transcript and explore the ideas on screen. They can also ask the hosts a question when they want to understand something better.
What is an illustrated podcast?
An illustrated podcast is an audio conversation divided into chapters. Each chapter has an illustration, and the text follows the audio so students can read along.
Depending on the topic, a map, timeline or process view can help explain what the hosts are talking about. Places, events and ideas appear as they are mentioned in the conversation.
Students can pause, return to a chapter or revisit a part they want to hear again. You might use a podcast to introduce a topic, recap a lesson or give students another way to work with the material.
See how it works
Our short walkthrough shows what an illustrated podcast looks like and how students can use it.
▶ Watch on YouTube — 1 min 18 sec
Start with your own material
You create illustrated podcasts inside a Hub, using the sources you choose.
- Choose your sources. Open your Hub and select Illustrated podcast from the materials menu. Pick the material you want the episode to draw on.
- Choose a focus. Select a suggested direction or describe what you want the podcast to explain. You can also choose the language, length and class level.
- Review the outline. Look through the proposed chapters and adjust them before generating the podcast.
- Create and listen. Generate the podcast, then listen through it and check that the explanations fit your lesson.
The same sources can support different lessons. For example, you could use a text about polar exploration to introduce the journey, or focus the podcast on the decisions the explorers made along the way.
Students can ask the hosts questions
Sometimes a student needs a little more explanation before moving on. With chat access in the Hub, they can ask the hosts about what they are hearing.
The answer appears as text first, then becomes an audio segment in the podcast. That makes it possible to return to the explanation later, alongside the rest of the story.
A few ideas for your next lesson
- History and geography: follow an expedition on a map, then discuss why the route mattered.
- Science: work through a process such as photosynthesis, pausing after each stage to let students explain it in their own words.
- Literature: revisit a scene from a novel, then ask students which details in the source support the hosts’ interpretation.
Share it with your class
Share the Hub with your students and give them access to its materials. If you want them to ask the hosts questions, give them chat access too.
Start with one topic you’re already teaching. Choose a source you know well, create a short podcast and see how it fits into your lesson.