How can podcasting be used in education?
If you're a lecturer, trainer, or coach, there are three main ways to benefit from podcasting in the educational process.
Firstly, you can cherry-pick educational podcasts related to your field and play them in class to supplement your lectures. For example, if you're teaching a history course, you can find podcasts about specific historical events. This can help liven up your lectures and give students diverse perspectives on the material.
Secondly, you can create your own educational podcast. This can be used as a supplement to your course or even a standalone distance learning tool. For example, you could create a podcast about literature or math and release new episodes regularly, following your teaching schedule. Students can listen to the podcast and review material at their own pace. They can also have quizzes or assignments related to the particular episodes of your podcast. For instance, taking least common multiple lessons online and then following up with podcast episodes to reinforce this key mathematical concept will tie everything together neatly. Students will be used to combining different online learning solutions already, so adding one more to the mix will be a breeze for these digital natives.
Sounds interesting? Read our detailed guide on how you can use podcasting for remote education.
Last but not least, you can assign your students to create their podcasts as part of a group project. For example, instead of a long written paper, ask them to record a 20-minute podcast about a particular topic. This can be a great way to get them to engage with the material, and it's also an excellent way to develop their teamwork skills.
Why use podcasting in education?
Podcasting is gradually becoming one of the most popular options for getting new information. According to podcasting statistics from March 2022, 51% of the population has listened to a podcast, and 78% are generally familiar with the medium. Furthermore, 28% of the American population listens to podcasts weekly.
Such wide popularity of this audio medium makes educators think of adopting it for tutoring practices. And if you're currently in two minds, trying to figure out whether podcasting will help or harm your teaching process, we’re here to help you make up your mind.
Below, we list the top benefits of podcasting in education that the top lecturers usually point out.
Listening over reading
Many students prefer listening to condensed information rather than reading a long text on the same subject. This is because the information presented in an audio format usually demands less effort to understand. It's like listening to the lecturer directly, though absent from the classroom.
Other than that, pre-recorded educational materials allow students to go over the content as many times as they need without feeling embarrassed in front of classmates. This is highly beneficial for those who are shy or have difficulty following lectures.
Less time spent on making notes
When students know they will have the recorded lecture, they are more concentrated on the lesson in class. This is because they don't have to waste time making notes. They can focus on what the lecturer is saying and try to understand the main concepts.
If students know they might forget some parts of the lecture after the class, they concentrate on making notes more than the lecture itself. This could lead to less effective learning.
More flexible learning
One of the benefits of podcasting in education is that students can have a more flexible learning format. They don't have to be stuck in the library to access the necessary reading materials. Instead, students can listen to podcasts while commuting or doing other activities.
This option is perfect for students who work and have less time to dedicate to their studies. They can listen to the lecturing materials during their work breaks and quickly catch up on the missed lessons.
How to record a podcast for your next lecture?
One of the reasons podcasting is becoming so popular is that it's widely accessible for creators. If you want to record a podcast episode, having a couple of cool ideas is all you need. Modern podcasting software can replace all the expensive podcasting equipment you would usually need.
Audio recording software has many in-built features, allowing you to effortlessly create professional-quality recordings. You can record your voice on your phone or laptop and edit it with built-in tools on podcast-creating platforms.
Confused over how podcasting can be that easy? Let's make things more clear for you, introducing Podcastle.ai, the best and only platform you need to start podcasting in education.
Record your voice using Podcastle's audio-recording feature
To start with, prepare a script for your podcast. What are you going to talk about? How are you going to organize your ideas?
Having a podcast script in advance will help you make your speech smoother and save you from the daunting task of recording the same episode over and over again.
When your podcasting script is ready, head to Podcastle's recorder. Click "New Project" on your project dashboard, and start recording.
When you're done, the platform will automatically save your recording in your account's "My projects" section.
Edit your podcast for free with Podcastle's voice editor
If you've recorded everything perfectly from the first attempt, kudos to you! But let's be honest; most creators go through hours of editing to have a flawless final result.
That's why Podcastle's FREE audio editor should be your must-have podcasting tool.
With its help, you can split different parts of your audio, add intro or outro music, and cut off unnecessary elements from your episode.
Just click "edit" under your Podcastle's project box to access all the editing features.
Download your educational podcast with high quality, and you're done!
And the final touch; you can now extract your podcast in high quality directly from Podcastle. Press the "Export" button on the right upper corner of your project dashboard, and select the audio file format.
A pleasant bonus is that you can get transcriptions of your audio in a few clicks. However, note that Podcastle currently offers "audio to text" functionality only in English .
To sum up
As you see, implementing podcasting in your tutoring experience does not require significant financial resources. If you have a laptop and Podcastle.ai, nothing holds you back from making your next lesson more engaging.
So, what are you waiting for? Start creating your first educational show now, and see the podcasting benefits in education for yourself!
