Podcasting in Education

The use of technology to better students’ learning.

By Todd Hoitink

Introduction• As a future educator I want to be the best teacher I can be. I believe podcasting is a

wonderful tool that I will be able to use to help me achieve this goal. Teachers who have begun to use podcasts in their teachings are reporting many positive outcomes. The achievement of their students is better, attendance is better, and the morale of their students is higher. These examples are all a result of using podcasting effectively in the classroom.

• The use of podcasting has also helped to expand learning beyond the classroom. Students are able to connect with others from all over the country. For example, if a teacher publishes their podcast on I-Tunes, anyone can have access to it. One college professor learned that she had “students” who were retired professors, people who just wanted to learn more about a particular subject, and some were people who couldn’t afford to attend classes and downloaded a podcast as a replacement for a college classroom education.

• The last idea that really made an impact on me is the idea that students can now learn anywhere and at anytime they want. The fact that podcasts are portable makes them so convenient to use. Rather than just listening to music during my workout, I could be reviewing for an upcoming test or I could review the notes from my class earlier that same day.

• Podcasting is a wonderful learning tool that unfortunately, we have yet to scratch the surface of.

Podcasting 101-For K-12 LibrariansAlthough this article is targeted at librarians, I believe it applies to teachers just as well. The article speaks of the effectiveness of podcasts because they can be inexpensive, relatively easy to do and they can help students learn in a new and different format.

Another benefit of podcasting is the fact that podcasts are potable. Students no longer have to just sit sedentary while they are trying to learn. They can simply load the material on their device and go wherever they want. Just imagine the possibilities. Students can listen to their class lectures while they exercise or perform their chores around the house.

One additional benefit of using podcasts in a classroom setting is that most students are already familiar with the technology. Downloading a lecture would be no different than downloading a song, game, or a movie onto their personal device.

This article also provides all of the necessary information for the reader to create and post their very own podcast.

http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/apr06/Eash.shtml

I agree with the author when she said, “The real power of podcasting is twofold: It gives learners point-of-need access to information, and it disseminates information in exciting new ways. Students eagerly and actively participate in the creation of content-rich podcasts, and those who publish their podcasts publicly are quickly connected to the world community in ways never before possible (Eash, 2006).”

I don’t know many students who have the time or patience to spend hours looking for necessary information. Also, when learning is provided in an exciting and interesting way, we learn better and retain more of the information.

I have to admit that I have only used my i-pod for storing and playing all of my favorite songs. I havn’t even downloaded a podcast of a sportscast that I may have missed. Until I read this article, I never really believed that there could be much use for podcasts in a classroom setting.

When I am a teacher, however, I can see myself using this technology often. I believe it will provide an excellent alternative to my students who wish to increase their learning. They will be able to use podcasts along with their notes to better comprehend the material I will be introducing.

I really believe that if something is easy, fun, and beneficial, all students will want to use it.

Three professors at Bryn Mawr College using podcasts to achieve great results.I love this article. This article speaks of various uses of podcasts at different universities. Stanford and Princeton are using podcasts to help students prepare for LSAT testing and for language instruction. One professor was concerned about the time it would take him to incorporate podcasts into his classroom but he feels it is well worth the extra effort. He has also found the process to get easier the more he does it. Professors who use podcasts also use them to critique themselves. As they listen to their own lectures, they evaluate what they did well and what they would change. Teachers are using podcasts to teach themselves.

http://www.academiccommons.org/commons/essay/blankenship-podcasting

“Like TiVo for Lectures”Michelle Francl began using podcasts in her classroom four years ago. Although she was worried that podcasting would harm the attendance in her class, just the opposite happened. She edited her podcasts in a way that promoted attendance and it remained steady. The podcasts were “like TiVo for lectures (Francl).”

Podcasting has also changed the way she teaches in her classroom. She used to teach the easy material in the classroom and left the difficult material for homework. Now, she lets students listen to the easy material at home on podcasts and spends class time on the difficult material. I find this to be an excellent job of teaching and use of resources.

She was recognized by the university for her work with podcasting. She also developed a following of non-students by submitting her lectures to I-Tunes. She had retired professors and people who just wanted to increase their knowledge following her lessons.

One Example of Misusing PodcastsProfessors Neal Williams and Peter Brodfuehrer also use podcasts in their biology class. They have found it helpful to their students if they can listen to podcasts for pre-lab demonstrations, which can help prevent or reduce confusion.They also found students using podcasts in a way that is not as beneficial. Prior to an exam, some students would listen to all of the podcasts as a way of cramming for the exam. Professor Williams thinks a better way for students to prepare is to skim the lectures for points of emphasis they did not understand. They may also revert to using podcasts to cover material that there is not enough time for in the classroom.

Improving Student Learning Through PodcastingIf you ever find yourself in need of reasons why podcasting is ideal for classroom learning, this is the website for you!

This website provides its information in bulletpoints and its features are given in an audio format as well. The creator of this sight gives a plethora of reasons why podcasting is so beneficial to students and also asks students why they like the use of podcasts to aid in their learning.

It also informs the viewer how to set-up their own podcast.

This website is so informative. It is not to be missed!

http://www.shawnwheeler.name/workshops/adventuresnpodcastingpresentation/

Reasons for PodcastingOne of the best reasons for use of podcasts is the vast number of obstacles students face in the classroom. The student may not be very accomplished in taking notes or being able to decipher important information from less-important information. Podcasts can also help students who might have a reading disability or another special need.

The teacher may speak too fast and students try to write as much as they can and hope to remember more later. As the chart to the right shows, the average student forgets half of what they heard after a time period of 20 minutes. It is impossible for a student to remember everything that was not written down. As the author of the website said, “If it is important enough to say to the class, it is worth saying it two or thee times (Wheeler).”

Podcasting can also be very beneficial to teachers who have students who are highly paced or who may simply want extra content.

  20 minutes   47% forgotten

  1 day   62% forgotten

  2 days   69% forgotten

  75 days   75% forgotten

  78 days   78% forgotten

Memory Retention

What Do Students Say About Podcasting?

• Why Podcasting in Education?

• For lectures • To facilitate self-paced learning • For interviews with external resources • To offer advanced and or highly motivated

learners extra content • For distance learning • To allow guest speakers to present once to

many classes • To feature guest speakers from remote

locations • For helping students with reading and/or other

disabilities • To offer a richer learning environment • For multi-lingual education • To communicate with your community

You will hear students answer questions about the benefits and value of podcasting. All of the students love the ability to use podcasting to improve their learning. The most popular reason for its use is in case of absence. They like the idea that they don’t have to trouble the teacher to catch-up on what they missed. They also cited the idea of a fellow student having illegible handwriting.Another student acknowledged that he always carries his ipod. Therefore, he could always have his lessons on hand, as well.Podcasting would also come in very handy in some of the less-than favored classes like history, English, and other lecture driven course.

I hope that you have found my presentation on the benefits of podcasting as informational and beneficial as I have. From all that I have read and learned, I believe that podcasting will be implemented into more curriculums of schools. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

If this country truly wants to leave no child behind, I don’t see any better way to avoid doing so.

Any questions?