VIENNA, VA / AGILITYPR.NEWS / April 10, 2026 / Accessible podcast creation tool launches in beta, designed with teachers to overcome classroom barriers

An accessible online tool designed to help students create and learn through podcasts is now available to teachers and classrooms everywhere. The Classroom Podcast Creator, freely available at www.makeclassroompodcast.com, is a beta tool accompanied by classroom resources designed to help teachers integrate podcasting into everyday learning. 

The web-based podcast creation tool was developed through an ongoing U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)–funded research project studying how podcasting can support learning in grades 3–5. Accessibility was also built into the tool from the start. The podcast creator site was developed in collaboration with assistive technology experts from Independence Science and is designed to be fully usable by blind, low-vision and sighted students alike. 

The project is a collaboration between Associated Universities Inc. (AUI), Oregon State University’s STEM Research Center, Independence Science and the Tumble Science Podcast for Kids team to support inclusive participation in STEM learning through storytelling and audio creation.

“Access to tools and technology is such an important piece of a successful and complete learning experience and Independence Science is proud to have contributed to making sure the Classroom Podcast Creator is fully accessible for blind and low vision students,” said Dr. Cary Supalo, co-principal investigator from Independence Science. 

In an evaluation study by the team at Oregon State University, teachers suggested that creating podcasts with students can be a powerful classroom activity — helping students research, collaborate, organize ideas and communicate clearly. 

“Podcasting is more than just hitting record,” said Sara Robberson Lentz, principal investigator and STEM Education Officer from AUI. “It’s a creative process where students research topics, collaborate with peers and shape ideas into a story they can share. Our goal was to build something simple enough for real classrooms, while still giving students the experience of producing their own audio.”

However, the focus groups also pointed to practical barriers that make podcasting difficult to implement in classrooms. Teachers reported that existing podcast production tools often require student logins, collect personal data or run into school firewall restrictions. Many tools also assume a level of technical setup that is difficult to manage. Accessibility for blind and low-vision students was another major concern, as well as the need for tools that comply with student privacy laws such as COPPA.

The Classroom Podcast Creator was designed directly in response to these barriers.

“The teachers we talked to said they are eager to use the podcast-creation tool, especially since they believe it aligns with their curriculum and makes podcasting accessible for their students,” said Kelly Riedinger, principal investigator and senior researcher at the STEM Research Center at Oregon State University. “And because the tool was guided by teachers’ input, we think the resource will empower students to create podcasts to share their learning in creative ways.”

The simple browser-based tool allows students to record their voices and arrange short audio clips to build a simple podcast episode audio file. The design removes common classroom obstacles: the tool requires no logins, collects no student data and runs entirely in a web browser, helping it work within school technology systems.

“Whenever I’ve shown this tool to elementary teachers, they literally squeal with delight,” says senior project personnel Marshall Escamilla, and co-host of Tumble Science Podcast for Kids. “I think it really addresses a lot of pain points for them, and makes creating a podcast in the classroom seem much more doable.”

Alongside the creation tool, the Make Classroom Podcast website includes free lessons and classroom resources that support teachers who want to add podcast listening and creation into their classroom. The materials designed by Tumble Media, the creators of “Tumble Science Podcast for Kids”, provide step-by-step guidance, example formats and flexible lesson ideas that teachers can adapt for science, literacy and cross-curricular learning.

While the tool is currently being tested as part of the ongoing NSF-funded research study, it is freely available for teachers, students and families to use now.

This project is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Numbers #2148711 and #2148712, Engaging Blind, Visually Impaired, and Sighted Students in STEM with Storytelling through Podcasts.

Teachers and educators can explore the beta tool and classroom resources at: 

www.makeclassroompodcast.com