The case study about Middleburry College and their use of podcasts for language classes was particularly interesting. Learning a new language is a difficult and daunting task, especially when you have spent most of your life speaking just one language. By using podcasts and iPods, instructors at Middleburry were able to upload curriculum onto the devices and issue them to students enrolled in the class. Students were able to listen to content and complete assignments, such as working on vocabulary and recording themselves speaking. At the completion of the class, iPods were turned over to instructors to analyze results.
I think that this is a great use of podcast technology and could be especially useful for those learning languages. Although the results in this case study were more moderate than positive, I think that with continued improvement and as podcasts become more popular, that students and teachers would be more open to using podcasts as a method of instruction. Many colleges and universities now offer courses that are in part or entirely web-based. Although the Middleburry College experiment wasn’t 100% successful and well received for a number of reasons, many people did like it. I think it will be a matter of time when schools start using offering classes via podcast just as they offer online classes.
While I was listening to this case study and writing this blog post, I though back to when I was in my first marketing class while attending St. Joe’s. My professor recorded some lectures and posted them as podcasts available for us to listen to. I never accessed the podcasts because at the time, I was very unfamiliar with podcasting and didn’t realize how it would have been beneficial to me. Now thinking back on, I wish I had taken advantage of the podcasts.
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