My podcast is my best friend

Aaron

After venturing several years into the world of IT consulting, Aaron decided to pursue a career in K-12 education as an EFL teacher. His favourite podcast is The Monday Morning Podcast, a twice-weekly entertainment podcast that features standup comedian Bill Burr. Aaron chose this topic because he believes podcasting is a medium of communication unique to mobile technology. He is particularly interested in its influence on education, not only through the consumption of podcasts, but through their creation as well.

Seb

With more than 15 years of teaching experience in secondary schools, Seb is now dedicated to training future international teachers. His favorite Podcast is Bruno Blanchet's Travel Academy where adventurers from all over the world tell their unusual story and inspiring encounters. Seb listens to podcasts while walking in nature and waiting at the airport for his next flight. He believes the podcast opens the door to flexible, intimate and personalized mobile education.

My best friend podcast.mp3

I walk in the forest, you tell me a story, I listen to you. We are alone, you and me. The sound of your voice transports me to a parallel universe. You make me laugh often and sometimes cry, I feel like I know you. Side by side, you know me more and more too; you know who I am, you know my habits, the times of the day that I listen to you, and the others with whom I seek to enter into a relationship. I trust you, you know that. Quietly, you invite me to like certain things that I would not necessarily have liked before. You push me to get involved, to support this one and to encourage that one. My dear Podcast, you are my best friend, but are you becoming my worst enemy?

Hello! Welcome to our OER on Podcasting

How to engage with this Open Educational Resource (OER):

  1. This site was designed to be accessed with a mobile device + earphones

  2. Have a listen: to align with the mobile user experience, the majority of the content is audio-based (look for the "play" icons on each page!)

  3. Participate in the discussion at the end of each part! In the spirit of podcasting, we will mainly be discussing through audio files (opposed to written text).

Note: Feel free to progress through the activities at your own pace.

Intro podcast.mp3

Introduction (in a nutshell) ▶️

What is a podcast?

  • Much like a radio show (some are literally radio shows), podcasts are digital programs made available for download or streaming via the Internet. Many podcasts are accompanied by video, but they are typically designed for audio-only consumption.

Podcasting and the mobile experience

What are the common types of podcasts?

  • Interview, Conversational, Monologue, Storytelling, Panel/Roundtable

What are the most popular podcasts (average listeners/episode)?

  • The Joe Rogan Experience (11 million) - Interviews

  • Crime Junkie (5.9 million) - True Crime

  • Call Her Daddy (3 million) - Comedy, Sex/Relationship advice

How many podcasts exist today?

How to create a podcast?

  1. Create your audio file

  2. Upload the file to a podcast hosting service (e.g. Buzzsprout, Captivate, Soundcloud), which then provides an RSS feed URL

  3. Link your RSS feed to a podcast distribution service (e.g. Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc.)

Podcasting for Education

Technology, podcasts in particular, has been praised for supporting autonomous learning in students (Hill, Nelson, France & Woodland, 2012).

The use of podcasts in the classroom complements a Constructivist approach, which holds its roots in the theories of eminent scholars such as Dewey, Piaget and Vygotsky (Ng’ambi & Lombe, 2012).

For over the last decade, podcasting has been in a steady state of growth - how has this growth impacted the world of education?

Need inspiration or want to learn more? Check out A Podcasting Guide for Educators and A Guide To Academic Podcasting

How to Discuss with Audio Files:

In the spirit of podcasting, we will try discussing through audio files (opposed to written text)! Similar to a real podcast interview,

  1. Within Padlet below, press the icon on the top right corner (to the right of the Share button) to open the Padlet in a new tab (more user-friendly on mobile), or simply click here

  2. In the bottom right corner of the Padlet, press the "+" button to add a post

  3. Press the three dots, then select Audio Recorder

  4. Allow Microphone access, press the microphone and start speaking to record your message

  5. Then hit Playback and Save, then Save

  6. Type your name into the Subject line, then press Publish.