Hello, my name is Tyler Dykes and I am going to share some purposes and uses for podcasts in an educational setting. According to journalism.org, as of 2019, 51% of Americans 12 or older have listened to a podcast at some point and the data shows the number of podcast listeners has been consistently on the rise since 2006. So if your question is why should we as educators produce podcasts, the answer is because that is what people are listening to more and more and this is another way to reach our beloved students. Let’s first look at some of the general purposes of producing a podcast in education. Podcasts make it possible for students to access important information from almost any location, at any time, at their own pace, and as many times as desired. With the learning from home environment that many American students and teachers experienced recently and possibly in the future, podcasts make the learning experience more accessible. Podcasts can reduce the feeling of isolation sometimes associated with distance learning and can make a student feel more connected to the instructor just by hearing his/her voice. Finally, students are increasingly coming to expect supplemental materials such as podcasts. There are many specific uses of podcasts. Students can use podcasts to review or preview in-class instruction and lectures. They can also use podcasts to prepare for upcoming debates, experiments, or class activities where prior knowledge is necessary. Podcasts can include things like interviews with professionals, additional concepts, ideas, and facts. Students that have auditory learning styles could benefit greatly from listening to podcasts. Other students that are homebound, frequently absent, learning English, or on an IEP could also benefit from the accessibility that podcasts offer. On top of that, students can create their own podcasts as part of a task or assignment. One purpose would be to have students show understanding of content and use higher order thinking skills. Students can make podcasts to share a thesis or idea, offer details to support an idea, provide research, or present one’s own opinions on a topic. A series of podcasts by a student could document the learning process and show how student thinking has changed over time. As you can see, there are multiple items to consider when it comes to whether or not you want to incorporate podcasts into the class(es) that you teach. The benefits are great and the drawbacks are few. As instructors, we are passionate about reaching and teaching students. When it comes to trying new things in education, there is always a chance that incorporating podcasts might be challenging at first, but isn’t the risk worth the reward of accessing students in a new and exciting way?
