Introduction
Podcast is the new kid on the block when it comes to disseminating information and providing content to listeners. Wikipedia (2007) defines Podcasting, as “a portmanteau of Apple's ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcasting’, a method of publishing files to the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new files automatically by subscription, usually at no cost.” When put in simple words, a podcast is an episodic audio series that you can subscribe to on your smartphone and listen to it whenever you like. It started as a way to get messages out there to interested individuals and to build a community of people with similar interests.
Podcasting has actually caught the attention of the training industry, including the educational as well as corporate sectors. Learning has become a social process and 21 st century learners want learning to be a social process. To enable social learning, educators are coming up with the ideas of social software and Podcasts fall under the category of social software.
If we dive into a wee bit more details, a podcast is a series of spoken word, audio episodes, all focused on a particular topic or theme, as for e.g. yoga or may be education. Once subscribed, you can listen to episodes whenever you like on your smartphones, laptops etc. through headphones, in the car or through speakers. Integration of technology in education and as a part of toady’s learners’ lives is a cultural phenomenon where they want continuous connectivity with the world and on- demand content at their “computerstep.”
Origin
Podcasts were, in fact, developed back in 2004, when Adam Curry (a former MTV video jockey) and software developer Dave Winer, coded a program known as iPodder, which enabled them to download Internet radio broadcasts to their iPods. Adam Curry also hosted ‘The Daily Source Code’, one of the most popular podcasts on the internet.
It was in 2005 that corporate giants began identifying the opportunities that came with podcasts. Apple leading the way with iTunes 4.9, the first update with native support for podcasts. While speaking of recognition, George W. Bush became the first President to have is weekly address delivered as a podcast the same year. From there, till now, as per global data up till October 2020, there are over 1,500,000 podcasts and over 34 million episodes
Advantages
Podcasts come in all forms and formats. E.g., a presentation to a student or can be a new policy announcement to employees. The thing is that these are mostly audio files and occasionally video files that you send to the internet. Anyone willing to see or hear them can stream the same or download them to a computer, smartphone or media player for listening or viewing. Moreover, audio is a powerful mode to communicate information – it can add a flavour to information.
Let us look at some of the advantages of podcasting: -- It allows connection on a more personal level
- It provides more valuable evergreen content
- It saves time
- Offers multitasking opportunities
- Podcasts are perfect for long-form content
- It helps in building network
- It aids in better communication
- You can repurpose your audio content
- Smart speakers can play a podcast, but not a blog
New technology has always created a huge impact on the field of education and Podcasting is no different. Many global institutions are cutting back on textbooks and investing more in technology-based learning. Podcasting, as one of the emerging mediums to surface into the mainstream, is one of the coming-of-age technologies. Podcasting is playing an important role in education today by increasing accessibility and inspiring commitment. Listening, creating, subscribing to podcasts is an easy-to- use and user-friendly process and can immensely help today’s learners to lap up the latest information.
