I must admit, I’m very intrigued by podcasts. I type in any subject, and there are a large number of podcasts available to educate me. I wonder why.
For example, I felt like drawing on Wednesday, its something I do from time to time. Like anything else, drawing is something that needs to be practiced. When I draw frequently, I am full of ideas. When I don’t, I’m not. I haven’t been drawing a lot recently, so I went onto I-Tunes and checked out some podcasts. I wasn’t looking for a miracle, just a push in the right direction.
I found a TON of really interesting, insightful ideas from professional artists, as well as amateurs, like myself. I am curious as to why such a powerful forum exists. Why do these people take the time to make these Podcasts for free, when they could probably sell videos or books of the same content for a profit? Is it advertisement for a product they are selling? Or is there just something about the internet that makes people want to share?
I have also watched Podcasts on the subject of French, and I’m in the process of creating one myself. I am curious as to who will see it. Will anyone care? Will it help anyone learn French? I certainly hope so, but even if no one else watches it, I still think its an enriching experience. The process of articulating one’s thoughts into a brief presentation that can be readily accessed by others is a valuable skill. Presentation is a skill that is lost on many people, and I am excited that Podcasts offer a new forum to re-embrace that art.
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April 27, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Sheryl
I have some of the same questions – why do people do these podcasts and put them out there for free?? I am still not sold totally on podcasts as my project took more time than I would be willing to give normally.
May 1, 2009 at 3:10 pm
fossilj
Yeah, podcasts are great. I especially like listening to history podcasts from Itunes. You can definately get a great overview of a particular person or time period just by listening to a single podcast.
As for the comment above Sheryl, I think that they do take some time. However, people can use them to promote certain things, whether that be a particular school or a tv show that gives a small snipit of a show. They may have a motivation that you cannot easily see.
May 5, 2009 at 10:28 am
Stephen Ransom
Any project that uses some new piece of software will be more time consuming that one would like. That’s normal. With practice, it becomes a much more efficient process.
Spencer, what I think is most important in your commentary is that of using a medium to facilitate thought – whether it be drawing, writing, storyboarding, webbing,… We all need to do something to process information. Too often, we are just expected to sit passively and absorb information like a sponge. Educational learning theory is clear that we don’t learn very well this way at all – that we have to actively process information for it to become meaningful and for it to move from short-term storage to long-term memory. It doesn’t have to be podcasting, but podcasting certainly is a great way to facilitate this process… as long as an effective teacher has done his/her part in making the time spent on it valuable and powerful.
People tend to make podcasts free and “give away” their ideas because there is something valuable about being able to share ones ideas with a global audience. Kids recognize this too, when teachers find ways to exhibit their learning beyond the typical artificiality that schools do so well at.