How Podcasting Works
Apple introduced iTunes U, a nationwide expansion of a service that puts course lectures and other educational materials online and on-the-go via Apple's iTunes software. In 2006 there were over 400 podcasts from K-12 classes listed on iTunes and over 900 education-related podcasts listed on Yahoo. Students reported that replaying podcasts facilitated the comprehension of complex concepts and increased understanding for non-native language learners. If, like me, you have a relatively long commute into work , there are many excellent ways that you can utilize this time.
Podcasting offers an empowering way for students—even young ones—to express their ideas and connect with the world. It gives them opportunities to interview people, explain how to do something, teach on a topic, and many other possibilities. And the good news is that podcasting is easier than you may think.
Some faculty find that a three-to-five minute audio clip is an optimum podcast length, similar to the length of a song students listen to on the radio . Because microlectures are limited in the amount of content they can convey, students are required to complete their learning with additional readings and assignments. After you’ve finished creating, editing, and hosting your podcast, you can submit to podcasting directories like iTunes and Spotify. Here’s what’s involved in sharing your audio files to these directories.
A student can review previous lessons on the way to class; a commuter can use her travel time to catch up with the week's industry news; a jogger can listen to an audiobook. Podcasts can be played back repeatedly, listened to in full or scanned for key details. Armbrecht reports that in a French literature class, students created ten-minute video podcasts that reviewed a French film. They played the role of commentators on a film, developed a script, and illustrated their analysis through film clips. Through this assignment, students developed their spoken and written academic French, as well as strengthened their analytical and technical skills. The goal was to get students engaged in big-picture engineering questions, as the big-picture thinking normally does not occur until the final year of an engineering curriculum.
Podcasts create brand fanatics, people who are deeply invested in who podcasters are as people and as business professionals. Every minute that a customer or prospect listens to a podcaster speak with authority the podcaster is establishing themselves as a thought-leader. Conceptually the more time an audience spends with the podcasters content the more authority the podcaster will acquire. Even if you’re a total newbie, getting started with podcasts in the classroom is an easy skill to add to your teaching toolbag. Whether you’re using them to listen together or individually, or you’re having your students record their own podcasts, there’s space for podcasts in any syllabus. Podcasts are a convenient way to enjoy entertainment or educate yourself wherever you are.
The familiarity and consistency of regular podcasts helps develop your company's brand to make it a household name. You are able to integrate information about your products and services as they relate to the information in the podcast. For example, if you are a financial planner producing a podcast about retirement planning, work in information about the services you offer in that area. In this way, the podcasts serve as a type of advertisement for your business. EdSurge reports on the people, ideas and tools shaping the future of learning. We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads.
It can be listened to on the go, while commuting to office or even while working. It’s a content medium that doesn’t require all of your target audience’s attention like a video or a blog post. Platforms such as Podbean, Spreaker, and Anchor may help with hosting and promotion by guiding you through the process. When your podcast is ready you can then opt to publish it on your classroom blog if you have one or share it on a podcast hosting platform of your choice. Creating podcast allows students to develop several important skills such as researching, writing, PCS Network speaking effectively, solving problems, managing time, among others.
When a student misses a class, it's not always because they're lazy. By offering a podcast, your unlucky, sick student who has missed a number of classes can, instead, download recordings of the lectures. Students can use the podcast for reference purposes or when preparing themselves for upcoming examinations. Any student who had challenges understanding a topic in the classroom can listen to this podcast. They can study the content and understand the topic at their own pace. There's also an option to create a private podcast if you'd only like it to be accessible to your students and nobody else.
Although it is relatively quick, easy, and inexpensive to record and podcast a lecture , editing and creating high quality files can be time consuming. You don’t need fancy video equipment or editing software to make a great podcast. Armed with a bit of Googling and some patience, you can learn the ropes quickly. USB microphones don’t cost much and plug straight into any laptop or computer. Make one podcast, and it’s there to teach all your students for years to come.