So
what’s not to love about a Podcast?
When you sit in an airport or any place people move about
all day long, you see earphones protruding out of people’s ears as they seek to
tune out the madness around them and tune into music, a book, or their favorite
podcast. Listening can be done safely and continuously anywhere, even in a car,
so podcasting is an effective medium to transfer information from the sender to
the receiver anytime, anywhere, anyplace, and on any subject. King & Cox (2011) stated that,
“podcasts include not only audio books, news shows, talk shows, and lectures
but also self-guided museum tours, job training, story telling and historical
fiction” (pp. 33-34).
Podcasting is not only used in mainstream media but has permeated
the education world and has valuable application in teaching and learning. Some of the advantages to using podcasts
in education are:
- Since a person can listen to a podcast via a mobile device, it is accessible, convenient, and portable. Learning can occur anytime and anywhere.
- Podcasts can be listened to repeatedly; whereby, allowing students to replay difficult concepts or specific topics they may not have understood the first time around.
- Podcasting can be used as a tutorial providing students with immediate instruction on a particular topic or concept.
- Podcasting can be a great way to supplement or enhance the class using material and presentations from outside experts and sources.
- Podcasting allows users to multi task; whereby, taking advantage of those times when we are on the go; yet are still able to listen to our favorite podcast.
I like to listen to NPR or Harvard Business Review on my
runs via my MP3 player. It allows
me to both work out and educate myself, killing two important birds with one
simple mobile device and a download feature that brings the world to me while I
enjoy the outdoors and a little exercise. Listening to a podcast also takes my mind off the sometimes,
painful experience of the run by diverting my attention to something more
pleasant.
There are a few potential cons to podcasting which might include making sure you are aware of copyright and legal issues if you are creating
your own podcast. Not having the right permission to use copyright material could get you in legal trouble. Additionally, if
planning to use podcasting in a course, the instructor should insure all students
have access and means to listen to the podcast so no student is left out of the
experience. Walls, Kucsera, Walker, Acee, McVaugh & Robinson (2010) stated
two concerns with using podcasts in education; one, using various forms of multimedia
simultaneously could potentially contribute to cognitive overload for students
and two, podcasting may justify a student’s absence from attending class if the
class lecture is accessible via a portable device.
Some of my favorite podcasts are NPR, HBRIdeacast and RunningFree...
References:
King, K. & Cox, T.D. (2011). The Professors Guide
to Taming Technology: Leveraging Digital Media, Web 2.0, and More for Learning. Charlotte: NC, Information Age
Publishing.
Walls, S.M., Kucsera, J.V., Walker, J.D., Acee, T.W.,
McVaugh N. K., & Robinson, D.H.
(2010). Podcasting in education: Are students as ready and eager as we think they are? Computer and Education, 25, pp. 371-378.
Hi Eileen,
ReplyDeleteI echo those concerns you and those authors have raised. Because I have been doing research using Swell's social cognitive learning theory as a theoretical framework, "cognitive overload" was one of the several concerns I had when making decision on what technology should we cover in this class and how many we should cover. My strategies were: First, put technologies into categories and just introduce one from each category; Second, be flexible. By that, I mean if I see half of the class are cognitively overloaded, I will take one and/or two most challenging technologies out to alleviate the problem. You guys are awesome! I didn't see the need to take out any of the technologies I had designed for this class. Some of you may need more! But "cognitive overload" is a very real challenge when integrating technology into curriculum.
Thanks for sharing.
Eileen
ReplyDeleteI have to agree that is not much to dislike about podcasting. While I am not a big user of podcasting, I do appreciate when it is used by professors to elaborate or make announcements. As you mentioned, you are able to multi-task while listening. After reading your blog and your recommended podcasts, I see that I need to venture out more. I am especially interested in and plan to listen to some of the podcasts on Harvard Business Review’s site. Although, “there are many options for listening to podcasts” (King & Cox, 2011, p. 35), I usually download to my computer, rather than using a mobile device. Your post and others have made me consider downloading to my Iphone to take on walks.
West, J. and West, M. (2009). Using Wikis for Online Collaboration: The Power of the Read-Write Web. Kindle Edition
Oops, I posted the wrong reference...
DeleteReference:
King, K.P., Cox, T.D. (2011). The professor's guide to taming technology. Information Age Publishing. Charlotte, N.C.
Hi Eileen!
ReplyDeleteI love the entertaining way you organized and posted your blog assignment. It was an easy read.
I also listened NPR podcasts during my 45 minute commutes to and from UNC Chapel Hill eight years ago. I did not know they were podcasts at the time. I was also unaware of the prevalence of this form of technology on the UNC campus. Apparently, podcasts have been popular for at least a decade.
I appreciate the ability to find a podcast online to listen to again or replay in its entirety if I miss some parts. Podcasts offer many benefits to the field of adult education. For distance education, in particular, podcasts can make a sterile environment feel more personal and human. Dr. K. was right to have us start the course by introducing ourselves via podcast. Though I did not fully grasp it at the time, those introductory podcasts gave personality to those who opted to use this medium. While reading the required chapters in King and Cox this week, I made a connection. Throughout the course, I have felt a kinship with those classmates who introduced themselves via video podcast. Somehow they were more real to me than those I only saw in pictures. It's funny how the brain makes associations like that.
Great post!
Hi Eileen,
ReplyDeleteI like your enthusiasm for podcasting. NPR is a very good source of information. Privacy concerns are important but also the fact, like a lecture, podcasts are very one way for a learner. Like you allude to, they offer flexibility in that they are portable (like you said you listen to them while running). So that is a big bonus for the student but due to their one way information flow I think you would have to supplement that with either blogs or a discussion board to gain learner feedback and add interactivity. What do you think?
Cheers.
Bloggers who don’t have time or don’t like to read may prefer to listen to audio content or watch videos. BeyondPod allows you to subscribe, download, listen to audio podcasts and watch video podcasts on-the-go. This app is extremely useful for bloggers who are driving a lot because for them, there is very little reading time.
ReplyDeleteBloggers who don’t have time or don’t like to read may prefer to listen to audio content or watch videos. BeyondPod allows you to subscribe, download, listen to audio podcasts and watch video podcasts on-the-go. This app is extremely useful for bloggers who are driving a lot because for them, there is very little reading time.
ReplyDelete