Whitney Lawson
MEDA 5400
December 11, 2010
Research- Podcasts
MEDA 5400
December 11, 2010
Research- Podcasts
Podcasts and What There Is To Know
Podcasting comes from combining the word ‘broadcasting’ and Apple’s ‘IPod’. It is similar to creating your own radio show and being able to connect to people across the world. It was first popularized within the technology community and then gained interest by the general community. It combines the idea of blogging with digital audio technology. It lets the masses be part of a corporate run radio world, where everyone has the availability to have a forum to discuss any and all ideas and topics they want. Podcasts are audio files that can be created and downloaded from the internet, so unlike the radio, audiences do not have to listen at a specific time each week, instead, they can download to files from internet and listen to the podcast at any time.
Some attribute the invention of podcasting to Dave Winer and Adam Curry in 2004, though others believe differently and it is often difficult to know who did it first. It is a free form of media so the government does not have any control over the information distributed and so the Federal Communication Commission has no control over what is said on any podcast. Anyone from one person to large companies is able to create a podcast and can discuss anything from educational topics to UFOs. Audiences can easily listen to podcasts by going to the websites that offer podcasts and downloading them from there and can download them to their IPods or MP3 players to listen to at any time.
And people do not have to be just the audience, they can actively make a podcast of their own. Software such as Audacity, Record for All, and Easy Recorder 5 are all free and people can download and use the technology to start their own podcast. After creating a podcast, users can promote and advertise it using software such as FeedforAll and Self Seo. Podcasting does not just include audio, it has also extended to video podcasting called vodcasting, where users create videos that act similar to radio shows (Watson, 1-4).
Podcasts are a great utility to use within the classroom. Teachers are able to let students watch or listen to podcasts and also let students make their own podcasts. It lets students be interactive with material and each other to create a product that can be shared across the world. Also, podcasts appeals to all types of learners, including both visual and auditory, as well as tactile learners when the students are the ones creating the podcast (Vincent, 1). Students have been reported to be more engaged and active when allowed to utilize podcasts and also kept students interested. (Odavdia, 1). Podcasts, in structured form, let students be creative and imaginative while learning. It also reaches to students when they are not in the classroom or if a student is sick. Podcasts move beyond the classroom and is a technology that provides the opportunity for higher learning and education. It is a new venue for communication and interaction within and outside the classroom.
It also opens students to new opinions and ideas by watching and listening to a variety of podcasts. Students can listen to a classroom’s podcast from across the world and communicate with them through podcasting. And because technology is always growing and progressing, podcasts introduces technology and can actively engage them and provide a new world for exploration and understanding for students (Campbell 33-44).
Teachers can incorporate podcasts into any content area, and utilize it in a variety of ways. The great thing about podcasts is that they are easily accessible and free to download and create for any circumstance. Teachers can make one every week to inform the students about what they will encounter each day and let students know what to be prepared for. Or students be grouped together and each week a different group creates a podcast that is uploaded online. Even better is that podcasts are not simply students talking into a microphone, or debating, or interviewing; students can create either audio podcasts or video podcasts. Also, within podcasts students can put on plays, discuss new ideas, or present projects in any way, shape, or form.
This also provides the opportunity to group or pair students who typically would not interact together, and because podcasting can either a short or elaborate project, students will learn new ways to communicate with each other and with the world. Personally, this is one of the greatest emerging technologies to use in and out of the classroom. With this teacher can be creative and educational all at once. And because students are familiar with this type of technology through ITunes and other similar programs, it appears that they are incredibly receptive to using this type of technology. It is also exciting because it is continually growing and teachers and the classroom community get to be involved in this growing technology. In the end, podcasts are a great way to connect with the students and let the students connect with each other and the world, so why not be a part of this exciting new world of technology.
Works Cited
Vincent, Tony. Podcasting. Learning in Hand. 2010. Web. 11 December 2010. http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/.
Watson, Stephanie. How Podcasting Works. How Stuff Works. 2010. Web. 11 December 2010. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/podcasting.htm
Ovadia, Micah. Learning how to bring the benefits of podcasting to your classroom. PoducateMe. 2010. Web. 11 December 2010. http://poducateme.com/
Campbell, Gardner. “There’s something in the Air.” EDUCASE Review (2009). Web. 11 December 2010. http://www.cblt.soton.ac.uk/multimedia/PDFs08/Podcasting%20in%20education.pdf
