2. INTRODUCTION
Podcast is a digital audio
recording, with or without images, which
instructors can use to deliver the content to
students in an easy asynchronous fashion.
Once generated, podcasts can be
disseminated online through personal
websites or podcast directories. Podcasting,
the name for this process, is an
amalgamation of “ broadcasting” and the
acronym “POD”. POD stands for “Portable
on Demand”, and was first used to name
Apple Computer’s widely successful
3. portable media player, the iPod. Now, the
terms “podcast” and “podcasting” are part
of the American lexicon and refer to the
distribution of any downloadable digital
audio file that can be played on numerous
devices such as computers, smart phones,
iPads, and other portable media devices.
EDUCATIONAL PODCASTS
It is an alternative method of learning which
can help to improve your listening skills.
Most of producers of podcasts are
educators who use this technology to
communicate with their students outside
the traditional class.
There are many different kinds of podcasts
and radioshows. While some are for news,
entertainment, music or other topics,
4. there’s also many educational podcasts out
there. Educational podcasts are for anyone
who wants to learn through audio lectures,
discussion and interviews.
PODCASTING IN EDUCATION
Using a podcast in your teaching can
encourage your students to engage with
your classes, your material and to never
miss a thing. Podcasting is one of the best
things you could do for your students.
Podcasting is the ability to create or listen
to audio or video content either live or
downloaded for later use. A podcast is
similar to a radio show in that each show
consists of a series of individual episodes
you can listen to on your computer or on a
digital audio player like an IPod. What
distinguishes a podcast from a traditional
5. radio show is that you can listen to a
podcast whenever and wherever you want
to, and you can subscribe to a podcast
series so when a new episode is available, it
automaticallydownloads to your computer.
Podcasting involves the online publication
of digital files (audio, video, or other
formats) within a channel to which others
can subscribe and obtain updates.
Generally people think of podcasts as web
feeds of audio recordings, but they can also
contain other media types. A podcast can
contain any type of file: audio, video,PDF, or
other. Feeds let you pull information when
you want it, rather than having it pushed to
you like spam. Podcasts use feeds so people
can SUBSCRIBE to them with podcasting
6. software like iTunes or Juice. Podcasts are
different from web-based audio and video
files because their feed permits subscribing
and automatic transfer of the files to a
portable device like an iPod, letting people
time and place shift when they consume
media.
The classroom is an evolving environment.
Today’s educators must continually adapt
to changes in student learning needs and
available technology. Although there is no
substitute for personal interaction between
the student and educator, new
technological tools can facilitateand
enhance the learning processes. The low
cost, ease of use, and effectiveness as a
communication tool all validate the use of
7. podcasting in the classroom. Educators can
easily include podcasting in their repertoire
of teaching tools because it only requires a
modest budget, software experimentation,
and creativity.
Podcasting is not completely without
potential drawbacks. Because podcasts
have the potential for such rapid and
pervasive dissemination, maintaining
student privacy may be difficult. Educators
and schools will have to modify their
podcasting strategies to best fit their
specific situations.
BENEFITS O F PODCASTING IN THE
CLASSROOM
8. Podcasting gives educators an opportunity
to bridge the traditional classroom setting
with progressive State-of-the-art
technologies. There are several advantages
of bringing podcasting into the classroom
for lectures and students assignments.
1) Podcasting is an exciting and novel
means for students to take a more
active role in their own learning
experience. As students realize their
podcast assignments may be published
online with hundreds of hundreds of
potential listeners through free
podcast directories, their attention to
the quality and detail of their
assignments may improve.
9. 2) Podcasting is adaptable to the
students’ learning needs. Students can
access the material whenever and as
often as they would like, thereby
reinforcing critical concepts or details
they may have missed in the original
classroom lecture.
3) Assignments that require students to
generate, edit, and publish their own
podcasts reinforce critical
communication skills such as writing a
script that will be presented online or
in a classroom.
Implications for education
Course content dissemination
Classroom recording
Field recording
