Using Audio as a Learning Medium in Academia
A Brief History
Podcasts made their impact early in the 2000's as internet connections were not able to sustain large video downloads with any consistency. These videos were usually of poor quality, and many time the user did not know what they were downloading until it was complete. Video at the time would take longer to download it versus playing it online. The original thought behind the podcast, before it was an official means of communication, was developed between Dave Winder and Adam Curry (Anonymous, 2021).
The idea of pushing out data and information was not new, the process of Real Simple Syndication or RSS was already in use. The idea was to push out information through a subscription service when a user was not using their internet connection, to stop wasting unused bandwidth. The RSS 2.0 standard was established and released in 2003 under the Creative Commons License to allow for more open access to the masses.
In 2004, Adam Curry, former MTV Video DJ (VJ), developed the first piece of software that would capture and download an audio post from a website that allowed the user to listen to it at a later time (Anonymous, 2021). This was the birth of the modern podcast. The podcast later became ubiquitous when Apple embedded Podcasting, and a podcast subscription service, support into iTunes and the iPod. At this time, there are approximately 30,000 various podcast creators reaching out to over a million listeners each month (Anonymous, 2021). Each podcast reaches between 1 and 5000 listeners each month.
The use of podcast in academia has many benefits to the instructor and student in the various modalities in modern education. The use of podcasts will allow students to access class information on their own terms. The podcast allows the instructor to provide more engaging information as a supplement to lecture, or replace the traditional lecture altogether (Gray, 2022).
The major benefit to using podcasts in the course is the cost. Many times the cost of adding a podcast to a course involves installing a free, as in no cost, piece of software such as Audacity. All the user needs is an microphone to get started. Audacity is an audio recording software that allows the user to plug in a mic and just record (Mclean, 2023). The low cost barrier to entry allows for almost anyone to add a podcast, or an audio file, to a course. However, if the instructor does not want to create their own podcast, the ability to use pre-existing podcasts is just as cost effective and accessible to almost everyone.
As an educator, the more options we provide to our students regarding accessing information, the better. Podcasts allow instructors to provide another avenue for student engagement. I have utilized third party podcasts as a supplemental information and provided voiceovers for assignment overviews, but I have never utilized a podcast as part of my personal classes. I need to experiment with adding podcasts into my curriculum to further increase engagement with students.
Future Reference:
Works Referenced:
Anonymous. (2021, April 26). History of podcasting. Blubrry Podcasting. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://blubrry.com/manual/about-podcasting/history-of-podcasting-new/#:~:text=Podcasting%20started%20before%20the%20term,based%20system%20for%20video%20downloads.
Gray, C. (2022, October 5). Podcasting in education: What are the benefits? The Podcast Host. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.thepodcasthost.com/niche-case-study/podcasting-in-education/
McLean, M. (2023, January 18). How to start a podcast: From Why, To What, To How. The Podcast Host. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.thepodcasthost.com/planning/how-to-start-a-podcast/
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