Factors of Production

In economics, we talk about the factors of production being land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurial ability. When thinking about podcasting, we like to think of the following factors: Tools, Pedagogy, Web-based Capital and Teacher Imagination.

Tools

To create a podcast, you need to be able to record sound and perhaps edit your recording. Capturing sound can be accomplished using a handheld digital audio recorder that can transfer the audio files to a computer, or by recording sound directly to the computer with an internal or external microphone. Once the audio is recorded, you can use a free audio editor like Audacity or Garage Band to edit a sound file or splice multiple sound and/or music files together. Once you are happy with the audio, you can export the audio as an .mp3 file to share online. For more detailed instructions on recording and editing sound, please explore the Resource page of this website.

Pedagogy

Podcasts can support many pedagogical approaches from teacher centered to student centered. Teachers we have worked with have created a variety of Econocast projects including Vocabulary StudyCasts, World Economic Reports and iReports. Please feel free to click on any of these projects to see what teachers are already experimenting with in their economics classrooms. Additionally, we have created a part of the website “Consumers” for teachers wanting to search the database for examples of use.

Web-based Capital

Often the biggest obstacle to podcasting is finding a ready-made space to host classroom creations. Because of this, we developed the Econocast site to provide both a collection of economic podcasts for teachers to explore and a dedicated space to enable teachers to create their own podcast sites.

Teacher Imagination

Even with the proper tools, pedagogy and capital, an imaginative spirit is required. A teacher’s understanding of the economic concepts he/she is trying to teach and his/her ability to creatively pull together the other three factors of podcasting production are the key to making this kind of project a successful endeavor. Our hope is that with a little inspiration, some direction in actually creating a podcast and by providing a space to house a teacher’s project, we can sit back and watch teachers do what they do best—innovate! We look forward to seeing your projects!