Podcasting: a reason why all educators should pocast
As with all technologies at the start of their development cycle, there is always the need to question how the technology might be effectively used in education. The following is a start at trying to justify why podcasting is good for education, in terms of both the teacher and the students. The discussion is based on a simple cost-benefit analysis, and some large assumptions - well why not ;-)
The first assumption is that people are aware that podcasting is a niche activity. Therefore, a very small proportion of your students might actually listen to the podcast. If this is the reality, then why should educators still podcast?
The answer is based on cost-benefit analysis (well I have taught economics). I propose that as long as the educational benefits are greater than the financial costs then there is a strong argument to podcast.
The following assumes that the educator creates and publishes a fortnightly podcast that aims to discuss current news and relate it back to the course that they are teaching. So basically its a news broadcast that is aimed to add value to the course through giving the opportunity for the educator to enthuse, and procrastinate about the subject they love.
The Costs
In terms of costs, these are tangible and relatively stable over time. The costs of creating a podcast are relatively low. You need access to a computer, free audio software (I’d recommend audacity), a microphone (£12.00 from a local shop), access to web space to upload the audio file, and a little technical skill to change the xml file. Apart from that, it’s time to plan, record and upload the file.
The costs for the person receiving the podcast (the student) are also low and stable over time. They’ll need software to collect the audio file (I’d recommend iPodder – it’s free), access to the web and something to listen to it on, a computer or mp3 player.
In the greater scheme of things these costs are very low, and the technology is probably already being employed by the individual for other activities.
The benefits
So if the costs are low, what are the benefits? Unfortunately, these are much more difficult to quantify as they tend to be intangible. I’ll try to work through a couple.
The first benefit is associated with the student.
A potential benefit is associated with engagement and intrinsic motivation. A potential of the podcast is to engage the individual into the subject by approaching the subject matter from a different, less orthodox approach. A key aim of the podcast is to engage the individual and keep them engaged over time. The desired outcome is the individual becomes intrinsically motivate towards the subject. Intrinsic motivation is;
"Intrinsic motivation is choosing to do an activity for no compelling reason, beyond the satisfaction derived from the activity itself--it’s what motivates us to do something when we don’t have to do anything." -- James P Raffini, 150 Ways to Increase Intrinsic Motivation in the Classroom (http://www.oncourseworkshop.com/Motivation007.htm)
So enhancing intrinsic motivation is very beneficial for learning and should be actively sort by teaching strategies.
Therefore, if the podcast is designed to engage those who previously haven’t been engaged by orthodox methods, and this engagement results in a spark of interest that leads to the individual becoming more intrinsically motivated then there is a significant benefit.
The other potential benefit is focussed on the educator.
An important aspect of successful teaching is personal development. The fortnightly podcast will enhance personal development of the teacher as they will need to creatively review their teaching material. If the individual embraces an action research approach through the adoption of planning, acting, observing and reflecting then their teaching will improve. This has the secondary benefit of feeding into improvements within all aspects of their teaching, and not just those that are engaged with the podcast.
Is it a winner?
The question is, can these long term intangible benefits be achieved? If the answer is yes, then podcasts offer a significant benefit for teaching and learning.
That’s all well and good, but where next?
The aim of this discussion has been mull through some ideas. I feel that as a community we need to start actively engaging in a discussion of how we can effectively harness the podcast technology.
Comments, thoughts would be welcome