Week 7-Podcasting

Podcasts offer many advantages for instruction that does not require a visual cue.

1.      Podcasts are portable on MP3 devices, including phones.

2.      Podcasts can be downloaded for later use.

3.      Podcasts can be replayed to allow learners a second exposure to the lesson.

4.      Podcasts provide diverse instruction, as opposed to traditional, text based classes.

However, podcasts do have limitations.

1.      Podcasts must be used in situations that do not need visual cues, such as pictures, tables, or figures.

2.      Podcasts must be planned and scripted as podcasts.

The second limitation is very important. Podcasts are very different from recorded lectures because students cannot see any visual cues and cannot interact with the speaker.
Overall, podcasts are best in situations where the instruction is a presentation of facts with no visual cues or as a support for information that has been presented before.

As an example, I have created a sample podcast as a review for the Instruction Design Comprehensive exam. The podcast covers the four branches and paradigms and the axiological, ontological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions of each. This works well in a podcasts setting because it is a restatement of facts. While using a table may also help, providing an auditory input is beneficial to learning.

It took me roughly and hour to make an unpolished, three minute podcasts using pre-planned materials. I used Audacity to record and edit my audio. Audacity provides tools that provide quick editing solutions. I recorded my podcast in seven sections. I then used the select tool shaped like “I” to select and delete unwanted sections and pauses. To make the sections match up I used the time select tool, shaped like a double headed arrow. I chose to export my podcast as a MP3, due to its versatility.


Podcasts offer many advantages for instruction that does not require a visual cue.

1.      Podcasts are portable on MP3 devices, including phones.

2.      Podcasts can be downloaded for later use.

3.      Podcasts can be replayed to allow learners a second exposure to the lesson.

4.      Podcasts provide diverse instruction, as opposed to traditional, text based classes.

However, podcasts do have limitations.

1.      Podcasts must be used in situations that do not need visual cues, such as pictures, tables, or figures.

2.      Podcasts must be planned and scripted as podcasts.

The second limitation is very important. Podcasts are very different from recorded lectures because students cannot see any visual cues and cannot interact with the speaker.
Overall, podcasts are best in situations where the instruction is a presentation of facts with no visual cues or as a support for information that has been presented before.
As an example, I have created a sample podcast as a review for the Instruction Design Comprehensive exam. The podcast covers the four branches and paradigms and the axiological, ontological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions of each. This works well in a podcasts setting because it is a restatement of facts. While using a table may also help, providing an auditory input is beneficial to learning.
It took me roughly and hour to make an unpolished, three minute podcasts using pre-planned materials. I used Audacity to record and edit my audio. Audacity provides tools that provide quick editing solutions. I recorded my podcast in seven sections. I then used the select tool shaped like “I” to select and delete unwanted sections and pauses. To make the sections match up I used the time select tool, shaped like a double headed arrow. I chose to export my podcast as a MP3, due to its versatility.

This blog is a must read to embed audio in blogspot.