A podcast refers to audio files that are in
a digital format and can be downloaded and streamed to the viewer. They can be listened
to on the majority of devises and, if downloaded, you can also listen to them when
you are out and about (McGarr, 2009).
One of the great benefits that come with
using podcasts in education is that if a child is absent from the lesson, they
are able to hear what was taught on that day online in the comfort of their own
home. This therefore means that they won’t fall behind and will be able to keep
up with their classmates. Similarly, if a pupil has an assessment coming up and
needs an alternative way in which to revise then he or she could create their
own podcast to listen to or listen to a professional talking on the topic. This
would allow them to go about their normal day while having the chance to
revise, for example, doing their chores or cycling (Sprague and Pixley, 2008).
We must also consider the disadvantages when
looking at podcasting. For example, from a teachers perspective, they can often be highly
time consuming. This is because they are difficult to edit. If you mispronounce
a word or want to add information into the podcast then it can get complicated,
compared to producing a piece of writing on Word. (Beauchamp, 2013). Making a
podcast also relies on having technological skills which many teachers don’t
obtain. This may become a challenge that teachers don’t have the time to face
(Sprague and Pixley, 2008).
This is an example of a podcast created by Salman Khan's who started up the company 'The Khan Academy' - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04hytg6 (Khan, 2014).
This is an example of a podcast created by Salman Khan's who started up the company 'The Khan Academy' - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04hytg6 (Khan, 2014).
Beauchamp, G. (2013) ICT
in the Primary School From Pedagogy to Practice. Hoboken: Taylor and
Francis.
Khan, S. (2014) The Educators. [Podcast] 6 October. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04hytg6 (Accessed: 12 January 2017).
Khan, S. (2014) The Educators. [Podcast] 6 October. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04hytg6 (Accessed: 12 January 2017).
McGarr, Oliver. (2009) ‘A
Review of Podcasting in Higher Education: Its Influence on the Traditional
Lecture’, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 25(3),
pp. 309-321.
Sprague, D., & Pixley,
C. (2008) ‘Podcasts in Education: Let Their Voices Be Heard’, Computers in
the Schools, 25(3/4), pp .226-234.
I also believe that time is an issue. However, it may be time well spent. Dawes, Mercer and Wegerif (2000) state that the 'C' in ICT stands for communication. This means that in order to meet the national curriculum, teachers need to be spending time to incorporate communication using technology (DFES, 2015).
ReplyDeleteDawes, L., Mercer, N., & Wegerif, R. (2000) 'Extending Talking and Reasoning Skills Using ICT', in Leask, M. & Meadows, J. (2000), Teaching and Learning with ICT in the Primary School, London: Routeledge.
DFES (2015) Curriculum for Wales: Foundation Phrase Framework. Cardiff: Welsh Government Available at: http://learning.gov.wales/docs/learningwales/publications/150803-fp-framework-en.pdf (Accessed: 15 January 2017).