After reading numerous articles on podcasts and podcasting, I feel that this would be a valuable asset to add to all classes. Cebeci and Tekdal (2006) state that podcasts are audio feeds that can be listened to on mobile devices. This is huge! Today’s students are never without a mobile device and incorporating podcasting into the classroom would benefit these students greatly. I would have loved to have access to podcasts, when I was an undergraduate. I live in an urban area and it just feels like there is a lot of wasted time. Traffic can easily eat hours out of your day or if you are on public transportation, reading textbooks on a crowded bus can be cumbersome. If students had access to lectures or other supplemental podcasts that they could listen to during this wasted time then I think that they would be more productive and do better in class.
One of the great aspects about podcasting is that it can be reusable. Students can listen to lectures over and over until the information truly sinks in. I can’t remember how many times in class that I didn’t write something vital down that I regretted later. If there was a podcast of the lecture available, I would never have this problem. It also frees students up from note taking so that they can just focus on listening and interacting in discussions instead of frantically writing.
Cebeci and Tekdal also state that there are even more advantages that podcasts can bring to the classroom. These include “anytime, anywhere mobile learning,” many students find listening better than extensive reading, and it gives students an alternative way to learn the material (2006, p. 49). This is key for people who learn through listening.
Vess did a study with students using podcasts with ipods and found that the podcasts helped students become more reflective, better writers, and more knowledgeable about the technology (2006). This allowed students not only to learn information for the class, but to also learn valuable technology that will be useful later in their careers.
I think podcasts can be a great asset to one’s curriculum. It will help teach students the information on their own time, incorporates mobile devices into learning, is very accessible to today’s students, and will teach students valuable skills that they can use in the future.
References
Cebeci, Z., & Tekdal, M. (2006). Using Podcasts as Audio Learning Objects. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge & Learning Objects, 2, 47-57.
Vess, D. L. (2006). History to Go: Why iTeach with iPods. History Teacher, 39(4), 479-492.
One of the great aspects about podcasting is that it can be reusable. Students can listen to lectures over and over until the information truly sinks in. I can’t remember how many times in class that I didn’t write something vital down that I regretted later. If there was a podcast of the lecture available, I would never have this problem. It also frees students up from note taking so that they can just focus on listening and interacting in discussions instead of frantically writing.
Cebeci and Tekdal also state that there are even more advantages that podcasts can bring to the classroom. These include “anytime, anywhere mobile learning,” many students find listening better than extensive reading, and it gives students an alternative way to learn the material (2006, p. 49). This is key for people who learn through listening.
Vess did a study with students using podcasts with ipods and found that the podcasts helped students become more reflective, better writers, and more knowledgeable about the technology (2006). This allowed students not only to learn information for the class, but to also learn valuable technology that will be useful later in their careers.
I think podcasts can be a great asset to one’s curriculum. It will help teach students the information on their own time, incorporates mobile devices into learning, is very accessible to today’s students, and will teach students valuable skills that they can use in the future.
References
Cebeci, Z., & Tekdal, M. (2006). Using Podcasts as Audio Learning Objects. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge & Learning Objects, 2, 47-57.
Vess, D. L. (2006). History to Go: Why iTeach with iPods. History Teacher, 39(4), 479-492.