Podcasts: Where's the Learning?

Deubel, P. (2007). Podcasts: Where’s the Learning? The Journal. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2007/06/07/podcasts-wheres-the-learning.aspx

In this article, Patricia Deubel discusses what podcasts are, what their role in learning is and what could be done to improve how they are used. According to Deubel, the term “podcasts” comes from a combination of “POD” (playable on demand) and “broadcast”. Podcasts are defined as “audio files on the internet” (Deubel, 2007) and can be downloaded from various websites such as ITunes or Podcast.net. Listeners can either subscribe to a series of podcasts or buy them individually. Some podcasts are offered for free. Podcasts can be played on any equipment that can play an mp3 file.

Educators at times used podcasts to make available lectures to students who need to review the material. Sometimes online classes will use podcasts as a way of getting information to their students. Deubel points out that many times the quality of the podcast is poor and subtitles are not provided for students with hearing disabilities. For Deubel, these challenges do not make podcasts unattractive for the educator and podcasts can positively affect student learning.

Deubel writes that students can develop literacy skills while making their own podcasts. Students are more engaged and podcasts can be useful for students who want to find additional information on their subject. Deubel offers other ideas for the uses of podcasts such as “updates on class news, report on field trips, record a class discussion, conduct interviews, share book reviews, and review curricular content” (Deubel, 2007). Students at Willowdale Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska created their own series of podcasts just for kids called Radio WillowWeb (Deubel, 2007). With guidance students can create their own podcasts to perform a story, add to morning announcements or recording their own notes (Deubel, 2007).

This article was interesting because it brought to light new ideas for using podcasts in the classroom. Podcasts can be used for much more than lecture recordings. With a little help, students can create a lot of great projects. I especially enjoyed the example of students creating their own podcast series. This is something you could do with any age and any subject and really get children involved in what they are learning.