Week 8: The Sound of…Podcasting

 This week we talked about the use of sound for teaching and learning. In the previous weeks, we talked about the importance of visual literacy and a child’s need to learn by seeing things, whether its through digital storytelling or other forms of visual literacy. Just like visual literacy is an important aspect to a child’s learning, so is auditory learning. 

With today’s technology, using sound to convey messages is a new way to teach topics or stories. One of the most popular forms of using sound to do this is through podcasting. Although we didn’t do any podcasting this week, we were asked to create a sound file using programs like Garage Band or Audacity.

The assignment was cool one—one that allowed you to try something new and potentially have a lot of fun with it. We even looked tons of available music and sounds that are available for anyone to use. However, as exciting as the assignment was, my experience showed me a different side of technology—the uglier one.

Evidently, my computer has a problem with recording sound. I (tried to) use Audacity to record different musical sounds, but the recorder or sound device had a problem. Technical/Computer problems like these illustrate the negative side to the programs and technology now available. Everything as a negative side, and this is technology's. Although the podcasting and sound programs like Audacity are very beneficial, it’s important to be aware of the problems that can arise.

As I’ve stated through much of my blog, one area where podcasting can be very helpful is journalism. A journalist's job is to covey information, so it only seems logical that a journalist pursue every facet that could tell information. Podcasting is already widely used in journalism. UF’s College of Journalism and Communications even has a class where student are required to have a podcast. Podcasting in the media could be used in a variety of ways—for interviews with celebrities or prominent people in the community, with sports broadcasting, or with other unique stories.  Like with digital storytelling, a journalist's options in the world of auditory-based technology are endless.

But despite how important it is in both journalism and education, it’s not necessarily easy to pick up. You can’t be expected to use this cool program to express your opinions, thoughts, and beliefs if you have no idea what to do. The following video, found on Youtube and made by tinkernet.com, is a tutorial on how to create a podcast. Assuming you don’t have the technical problems I did, it should be quick to pick up.

Happy Podcasting!