Our team decided to examine the implications and impact of podcasts as a technology in an entangled learning environment. Podcasts are audio files that can be listened to on-demand or downloaded for later. The increasing majority of podcast listeners accessed the technology through mobile devices rather than desktop computers, listened to the podcast on-demand rather than downloading and listening later, and most often listened at home, work, and during commutes (Edison Research & Triton Digital, 2016; 2021). Depending on the credibility of the creator or host, podcasts could be a potentially useful educational technology for introductory, supplementary, or self-directed learning (Rosell-Agullar, 2015). Although podcasts are widely available online with an extensive range of topics and discussion (Adgate, 2021), I have been slow to adopt this technology.
Firstly, I have not been involved in any contexts that have required or promoted the use of podcasts for learning. Where Fawns (2022) emphasized that the decision to use and how to use technology in a learning space is influenced and impacted by contextual factors, I personally have not participated in a learning context where podcasts have been incorporated into the experience. Bohlmann and Ross (2021) developed a podcast series to engage their students during the COVID-19 pandemic. They reflected on the challenges of designing and delivering podcasts without prior experience, as well as the potential opportunities for students to use podcasts to learn at their own pace. Our team plans to explore the various reasons supporting or challenging the use of podcasts in education.
Secondly, podcasts are usually offered as an online resource through a streaming service or downloadable content. In 2021, Spotify was the primary service used to access podcasts (Edison Research & Triton Digital, 2021). Although I have home internet, I did not subscribe to a mobile data plan until 2021 and chose the lowest data option just for GPS functionality and emergency cases on the road. Incorporating on-demand podcasts into a learning experience assumes that the learners can readily access the audio files. As such, it would be important to evaluate potential barriers or challenges related to access when integrating this technology into learning.
However, what if I was part of a course that required the learners to listen to podcasts? With only home internet as my primary access option, on-demand access to podcasts is limited and I would need to plan ahead if I wanted to listen to podcasts during my commute. What if the student did not have a mobile device or reliable internet access at home? Would they need to spend extra time at school or the library to access their podcasts? Would they need to rely on podcast transcriptions as a way to study offline? These are some scenarios related to access that I hope to consider in my critical analysis of podcast technology.
Selwyn (2010) stated that the decision to use a particular technology in a learning setting requires a critical approach. How do we decide whether podcasts should be used in learning? How do we make them available and as convenient for learners who do not have on-demand access to the podcasts? Additionally, what are the missed learning opportunities if the podcasts are completely inaccessible to the learner?
As our team begins to research the use and implications of podcast technology in learning, I hope to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of podcasts. Specifically, the types of issues that arise regarding access to the podcasts, and whether these issues can be easily address or resolved to make podcasts a fair and equitable learning technology.
References
Adgate, B. (2021, February 11). As podcasts continue to grow in popularity, ad dollars follow. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2021/02/11/podcasting-has-become-a-big-business/?sh=1a40dd2a2cfb
Bohlmann, J., & Ross, M. (2021). Building a study community through podcasts during covid-19. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 22. http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/258444/1/258444.pdf
Edison Research & Triton Digital. (2016). The podcast consumer 2016. The Infinite Dial. http://www.edisonresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/The-Podcast-Consumer-2016.pdf
Edison Research & Triton Digital. (2021). The Infinite Dial 2021. http://www.edisonresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/The-Infinite-Dial-2021.pdf
Fawns, T. (2022). An entangled pedagogy: Looking beyond the pedagogy-technology dichotomy. Postdigital Science and Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-022-00302-7
Rosell-Aguilar, F. (2015). Podcasting as a mobile learning technology: A study of iTunes U learners. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, 7(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/ijmbl.2015010104
Selwyn, N. (2010). Looking beyond learning: Notes towards the critical study of educational technology. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 26(1), 65-73. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2009.00338.x
Jolee, your focus on contextual factors and the equity aspect of podcast technology in an entangled educational environment is well targeted, and you’ve raised some good questions from your own experience and context. You should be able to pull a good project from these settings.