Hey Everyone
Welcome to another Painting with Jesse Blog, thanks for checking in. So, this week’s blog will be a bit different than previous weeks. My blog post and learning project post will be combined into one blog post. This week in my EDTC 300 class we were asked to document our progress this week using a tool or resource we have never used before. I weighed several options including several video making sites. I was looking into shortcut and the Windows video making tool. I have used other video making tools in the past however, and these tools did not seem all that different. So, I started looking at other types of tools I could use, and I came across Anchor. Anchor is a podcasting tool by Spotify which helps you make and distribute your podcasts easily. I decided to give it a try and quickly decided this would be the tool I would use the tool. I figured I could make videos any other week and I have made some before so I would try to make what would probably be my only podcast this semester. I know podcasting and painting do not work great together but I made sure I shared some pictures with you below so you can see what I have been working on. I love listening to all kinds of podcasts, so this project was interesting and fun for me.
Experience with Anchor
At first, I was kind of intimidated to use a podcasting making tool as I assumed it could be difficult however, I could not have been more wrong. Anchor was so easy and fun to use. It required absolutely NO downloading and was completely free. To start using Anchor that is all you had to do was make an account and because Anchor is a product of Spotify you can use you Spotify account and it is a trustworthy product. You only need to give your email and password, so it is super simple. Once it you are on the site they lay out all the steps for you.
- Create a Podcast Episode
- Set up a Show.
- Get your Show Published on Spotify
The first thing I did was record my first episode of Painting with Jesse. You simply hit record and it does the rest. You don’t need any special microphone as I just used the one in my computer and it sounded alright. However, it says if your recording is over 30 minutes you need to use third party software however my first episode was about 22 minutes so that was not problem. After this, you can add in music and transitions. Music comes free if you have a Spotify account as I did so I got to add in some music at the beginning and end of my podcast. Transitions are kind of short songs or sounds that add character and act as transitions for your podcast and there are many free ones for you to use and check out. You can add all of this to your podcast and than easily organize it in their easy-to-use organizer. Once you are done and save your episode you can either add it to an existing show or make a new show. Because it was my firs time, I made a new show called painting with Jesse and added a nice cover photo they provided. You can then publish your show. It may take a few minutes as they have to check everything out but very quickly you become a published podcaster and are discoverable on Spotify. How Cool is That. My experience using Anchor was easy and fun, and I would recommend that everyone give it a try.
Anchor in the Classroom.
I think Anchor would be an awesome tool to use in the classroom. It would be easy for students to set up and use. I could see it begin used in almost any subject or topic. And it could probably be used for both middle years and high school for sure. It would likely be a completely new way for students to deliver their work and I could see that be very engaging for a lot of students. It could bring some students out of their comfort zone while giving more extrovert students a new, fun way to express their work. I think it could work well for research or simulation assignments as well as instructional assignments. I would love to try this in a classroom one day soon.
Painting with Jesse
This week, I of course used Anchor to document my learning project. So, please take a listen to that below to hear how the week went. Please also take a look at the pictures of my painting to view while you listen to the podcast. This week I think I tried to take a big leap forward. I went right into landscape painting. I followed a tutorial video on YouTube which is also below. I was eager for a challenge this week, so I choose a what I believe is a harder tutorial. As you will hear in my Podcast I was definitely challenged in some spots and proud of how I did in others. There were many mistakes and learning curves this week, but I am very proud of how the painting turned out. So please have a listen to the podcast and leave a comment below.
Jesse's Education Journey 
Fantastic job! Thank you for such a thorough review of Anchor. You did a wonderful job of highlighting the benefits of the tool and describing how it can be used in the classroom. You pointed out some important characteristics of Anchor- it’s convenient, organized, easy to set up, and engaging to use! Even though Anchor is a voice tool, you were able to describe your Learning Project in a unique and creative way. One thing I suggest for next time is also leaving a link to listen to the podcast on Anchor or Apple Podcasts for people who do not have a Spotify account. The more convenient and user-friendly we can make our blog posts, the better. Thank you for all the effort and dedication you put into the assignment this week. Excellent work!
LikeLike
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for your positive feedback and thank you for suggesting to add the link to the podcast in case people do not have Spotify. I did not even think about that. I will definitely be adding the link.
Thanks
LikeLike
Great job Jesse! Your painting is better than anything I could ever draw/paint. I always wanted to draw or paint, but I have no artistic talent and also have hands the size of laptops :p . Your review of Anchor and it’s possible application in the classroom was very good as well. I used anchor to make a few podcast episodes so far (one will be on my next blog post tomorrow) and it is awesome! Keep up the good work.
Ian
LikeLike
Hey Ian,
Thanks for the positive feedback, I really appreciate it. I will definitely be checking out more of your podcasts as you were one of the first classmates I saw try it and kind of inspired me to try it this week.
Jesse
LikeLike
Hey Jesse!
This was a very fun read! Your writing style is easy to follow and very clear. I have been hearing lots of good things about Anchor this past week so if I ever have dive into podcasting, I know where to start!
Do you know if Anchor is exclusively compatible with Spotify or if you can upload episodes to Apple Podcasts as well? As an avid Mac user, compatibility with all platforms would be preferred.
I appreciate the fact that you challenged yourself in your painting this week! Challenges force us to grow and clearly that was the case in this instance because your painting turned out amazing. Can’t wait to see your next post Jesse!
LikeLike
Hi Laura,
Thank you for the positive feedback, I really appreciate it. I do believe you can distribute a podcast from Anchor to Apple Podcast however, I believe you have to do it manually whereas with Spotify it does it automatically for you. Once your account and podcast are created you go to settings and then to distribution. This is where you can distribute it to Apple Podcast.
Thanks,
Jesse
LikeLike
Hi Jesse!
First off, beautiful painting! You challenged yourself and it clearly paid off. I really like how thorough you were in explaining anchor. A lot of other classmates used anchor to document their learning project this week and they all seem very positive, I might have to give it a try in the next few weeks! You mentioned anchor would be good for middle/high school years, do you think it is too complex for the elementary grades?
LikeLike
Hey Jesse,
I have to agree with the others your writing style is very easy to read through. I find that it can be very engaging and draw a reader in and that is a gift. As for Anchor I really wish I would have attempted Anchor it seems very simple and user friendly to use. Keep up the great work!
LikeLike