Podcasts are great thinking tools for students. They require similar thinking skills as video. Writing the script, evaluating audio, synthesizing the clips, managing the overall work for effect: these are all higher order skills that ask learners to be educated members of the community. Learners also add to their repertoire of software skills using Audacity or a similar program for simple podcasting.
While it is easy to see the educational value of creating podcasts, it is more difficult to see the interest in listening to them. My own experience listening to them is very limited. Last year, our online school newspaper ran a few podcasts that discussed pop music, but they weren't widely read. If you read them in the car, you have to download them before you leave your house or use up some of your precious data on the road. The key to getting good listenership seems to be having a specialty niche in a particular area. For example, my husband is a bluegrass fan and plays mandolin. He has listened to a few podcasts from musicians to get tips on playing the instrument or to learn about the bluegrass tradition. There really aren't a lot of sources for this type of information, although, if he has access to the Internet, there are a wealth of video and print sources on the subject.
For students, podcasts could be useful in this same way, catering to small special-interest groups while providing students an outlet for their opinions. There may be a way to use these podcasts as marketing tools for something like the school newspaper, as well.
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