Podcasts...

I am in the process of learning as much as I can about how a personal consumer technological device can aid learning and I was amazed to find just how versatile the iPod can be, particularly where the podcasts are concerned. I looked at a site developed by Apple (no shock there, eh?!). and found it to be very simple but to the point about podcasts and related topics (how to create them as well as how they work and some examples).

I searched some sites and found a few that offered an educational mix that spanned a variety of subjects. One good one was The Educational Podcast Network, or EPN for short. I found a variety of educational podcasts that could be very useful in many educational settings. One I previewed was "Learning to Speak Spanish." I can tell you that from my own past experiences with learning a second language, having the ability to listen to the language (especially on the go, anytime and anywhere), as opposed to simply reading and saying, adds depth to the learning experience and adds some permanence. It is neat to think of students using their iPods in this manner as opposed to listening to Metallica, Snoop Dog, or Lawrence Welk (depending on your particular poison!).

To be fair, I searched a little to see just what you could find on podcasts and like the web itself, there is virtually anything available and a ton of sites dedicated to everything "from the sublime to the ridiculous!" Podcastalley was one such site. It is a little disturbing to know that one can download just about anything, but I guess we should be used to that by now since the web has been that way for some time.

I will close by saying that it is nice that you can also utilize your PC for the podcasts. But how powerful is this concept of being able to take any audio information you would like with you to use at your discretion? I wish this wold have been available when I was doing my undergrad. Who knows, I might have been able to listen to the Organic Chemistry lectures while I was working out or riding somewhere as opposed to only going over my shabby notes. I might have been a doctor instead of an educator. Hmmmm?!