Dr. David J. Childs, Ph.D.
Northern Kentucky University
Do you enjoy a good podcast? The phenomenon of podcasts is a relatively new idea. Although the medium can only be traced back to the early 2000’s it is now a staple in many sectors of society. Although many people listen to podcasts for entertainment they are very useful as educational tools. Because podcasting is a relatively new phenomenon it is somewhat of an untapped resource in education. Here are a few resources that Democracy and Me offers in the way of podcasts as educational tools.
1. Please check out our podcast series Democracy and Z produced by local high school students and managed by our educational outreach coordinator Julie Coppens. Democracy and Z addresses issues surrounding civic engagement and current events that youth are concerned about.
2. In light of our discussion about podcasts we would like to re-post a former article we wrote entitled Political Podcasts for Social Studies Classrooms. This is a resource for teachers, highlighting podcasts that can be useful in social studies teaching.
Questions for discussion:
1. As an educator, in what ways have you used podcasts in your classroom?
2. If you have never used podcasts, what are creative ways that you could use podcasts or podcasting in your courses?
3. What podcasts do you find interesting and/or listen to regularly?
I think using podcasts as a teaching tool is such a good idea! I personally love listening to podcasts so being able to incorporate that into educating someone is great and I think they’re going to get much more popular in the coming years. This is also a good tool for people that don’t like to read so they can just listen instead and hopefully be able to pay attention.
I believe podcasts can be an amazing tool to use in the classroom. Podcasts have become such a popular way to entertain ourselves because they offer a variety of topics to listen to and help us escape for awhile. So why not allow students to use them in the classroom? Teachers can either provide a podcast relevant to the week’s content or have students create one of their own. It’s also great tool for auditory learners who would benefit more from a lesson with a podcast included.
I agree with this article that podcasts are an engaging way to learn. It is unfortunate that they are an untapped resource in the classroom. This tool can be used not only to educate students but to also provide different perspectives to students. An educator can use clips from multiple perspectives and compare them with help from students. I like that some of the suggested podcasts are made by students. Once students listen to enough podcasts and become familiar with the format, students can be challenged to make their own podcasts!
I think bringing podcasts into the elementary classroom is a great way to expand student’s knowledge of the social sciences, political issues and citizenry. Students could learn to express their thoughts clearly, to evaluate other’s messages, and learn ways to respectfully respond to other’s podcasts as well.
In my future classroom, I would like to start a class podcast where the students decide the issues that they will discuss. Perhaps we could start with a video and class discussion on some current event topics, then the students would decide which issue they want to explore further.
I have recently discovered podcasts and enjoy listening to them on my evening walks. One that I frequent is “Stuff You Should Know.” In this podcast, Chuck and Josh objectively discuss a very broad range of topics from medical issues to political movements. In Dr. Child’s article, “Political Podcasts for Social Studies Classrooms,” he highlights the importance of educators being knowledgable of politics. I agree with this and will be searching for more podcasts and sources that might expand my political knowledge and help me gain new perspectives that I can use to make connections and build a climate of understanding with all my future students.
Political podcasts are one of the most viable tools for teaching how the system of politics in America are meant to work. I have used them extensively on my own time and use them in tutoring as well as in my lesson plans. They demonstrate the need and effectiveness of true political discourse rather than filibustering, grandstanding, or mudslinging that have become more commonplace as we progress into a more technological age where disinformation is spreading like wildfire. When students or adults like myself hear these types of discussions we are more likely to identify potential for growth and change within ourselves as our ideals grow and mature. I encourage the use of every angle of discussion that we can find as Social Studies educators and this is a perfect tool.
As a future educator, I have not used podcasts in my classroom but I listen to them regularly to refresh my memory about history or learn new ideas and concepts I have not thought about teaching in the classroom. Some creative ways I could use podcasting in my courses is through having students listen to podcast as an early morning/beginning of class exercise to get them thinking about history or an important topic that we would be discussing that day. I like how the podcast Democracy and Z addresses issues surrounding civic engagement and current events that youth are concerned about because it would interest students in the classroom. Furthermore, I find the podcast still processing beneficial and listen to them often because they are relevant and talk about touchy topics that need to be discussed. I also enjoy listening to stuff you missed in history class as a refresher and learn new concepts.
I personally love podcasts. When cooking in the kitchen or on a long drive, they pass the time and, for a lifelong learner like me, educate and inspire. While I enjoy more entertainment based podcasts, such as Ear Biscuits by Rhett and Link, I still find myself learning as they often discuss current events or theory in a thought provoking way. The idea of using podcasts in the classroom never crossed my mind — honestly I assumed high schoolers would find them “boring”. Yet Childs lists multiple podcasts made by and for students. I think this could be a great tool and a new way to invite technology and differentiated instruction into my classroom in the future. I could see myself using podcast snippets to spark conversation amongst students or even showing them a podcast as a basis for them to create a podcast episode of their own to share with the class!
Podcasts are a really useful way to educate yourself in your free time, such as when you are driving. People often use them for entertainment, but do not really think to listen to an educational podcast. Personally, I listen to many business podcasts and find them very useful to gain information that I would not have otherwise took the time to research and read.
I am an avid listener to podcasts because of all the information you gain from them and you can listen to them on the way to work or wherever you are going. while they are relatively new I think that they could play a big role in student learning. Since we are in a pandemic you as a teacher could also create a podcast for your students to listen to since we can not be in the classroom.
I agree with this article that podcasts can be very interesting and full of good information. I believe podcasts can be used in the classroom if they are not biased. A podcast full of facts is more ideal for a classroom setting, but students could make their own podcasts to share their political opinions and knowledge in the classroom.