Incentives

Flexibility

The open-ended nature and divergent possibilities for podcasts supports a range of pedagogies and content topics. While we have done some research on some of the more engaging history podcasts, researchers have not suggested that there is one way to implement podcasts in the classroom. Instead, the teacher has the flexibility to mold the medium into whatever form will most effectively support student learning. We suggest that podcasting may offer some unique opportunities to support and augment a teacher’s curriculum. To begin, the open-ended nature and divergent possibilities for podcasts supports a range of pedagogies and content topics. In Figure 1 below, we illustrate some ways to approach podcasting that range from teacher-to-student centered.

Figure 1: Continuum of podcasting pedagogies

Convenience

Making audio available on the Web provides students the flexibility to listen to an episode when it is convenient for them. Similarly, the ability to subscribe to a podcast and have the new files automatically downloaded to an iPod or other mp3 player, brings the media directly to the students.

Students and Web 2.0

Several research reports as well as our own experience tell us that students use technology far more outside of school. Further, students report that the collaborative, social, and “public” nature of their Web use is of paramount importance– think MySpace. Integrating podcasting in meaningful ways into the classroom leverages this disconnect to engage students in new ways. As one educator argues, “If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”