Podcasts are audio files that can be downloaded and played on computers, mobile devices, or MP3 players. They are typically available as a series, with new episodes downloaded to subscribers automatically.
Sample 1
Podcast Summary
This EdSurge Podcast podcast discusses the current state of educational podcasts. The affordances of podcasting make it a popular way for people to use audio as a way to learn. Teachers are using podcasts as part of their online courses and even in classroom settings. For example, podcasts used as course "readings" overcome some of the limitations of text for teaching language, and can enrich the student's learning experience.
In the U.S. over 80% of teachers are white, however most don’t know that their whiteness matters. The Teaching While White PodcastLinks to an external site. aims to elevate the conversation on how to be consciously, intentionally, anti-racist in the classroom. This podcast Claudia Fox Tree, a Native American teacher, discusses the ways we learn about Indigenous Peoples in school — or don’t.
A New Mexico District Court judge ruled the state is violating the rights of Native American students and other underrepresented children by not meeting their educational needs. In a number of districts around the country, Native students are near the bottom when it comes to performance. As we look ahead to the start of the new school year, we’ll talk about efforts to work with states to close the achievement gap for Native student
Most podcast content contains conversational style dialogue, which has been associated with better online student experiences, and better student outcomes. Embedding the podcast directly on the Canvas tool (page, assignment, quiz or discussion) makes them more accessible for students while providing visual cues, and spatial relationships to other surrounding information. Good ways to use podcasts are :
to replace text-based readings/resources and add variety to the online course
to help improve understanding of difficult concepts
as a reflective listening activity
can be included as part of a student assignment or discussion where students listen to the podcast before responding to questions, in order to analyze or critique
as a way to provide learners with access to a wide range of content from experts and organizations
to add flexibility for learners, who can listen when and where it is convenient for them, at the pace it suits them, and their lifestyles
in online courses to "help reduce learners’ feelings of isolation and promote a sense of social presence" (Bolliger et al., 2010)
Difficulty Level
Embedding an existing podcast is relatively easy to do. Most podcast sites will include a share button or link that will generate the iframe embed code for you. That code can be pasted into Canvas using the Rich Content Editor mode of the text editor.
intermediate computer skills to use be able to navigate the internet to select podcasts, and generate embed codes or hyperlinks
HTML/CSS knowledge is an asset
Development Time Steps
Between 5–10 minutes.
If you are using CSS/HTML to tweak the formatting or apply customized formatting, this could take a bit longer.
Steps
Spend some time to find good and relevant podcasts which are aligned with your course/module or activity goals.
If the podcast's duration is too long, or has information not related directly to the course goals, identify the time frames that students need to listen to.
Generate and copy the iframe embed code from the podcast site — most podcast sites have a share button or link in an obvious location.
Paste the embed code into your Canvas page using the the Canvas Rich Content Editor mode of the text editor.
To improve the student experience you should also include a direct link to the podcast which opens up in new window. (To do this just press the Control+K (Windows) or Command+K (Mac) keys on your keyboard, paste the url and set target to open in a new window.)
Tips & Tricks
Be sure to select podcasts:
that have high quality sound and allow for volume adjustment, playback speed variation, and pausing
which are a shorter duration to maintain student engagement
where the longer podcasts have identified time frame selection(s) for the information students need to listen to
which align to the course/module goals and assessments
that are entertaining, and easy to listen to in order to keep students interested
When adding the podcast to your course, be sure to:
include background information about the podcast to help students understand the value and can help to situate the podcast or podcast clips in a meaningful context
provide an additional external link that opens a new window so students have the additional option to access the podcast directly
provide transcripts whenever possible and practical as good UDL practise
More Tips
As with all external online content, links can change or break if the media is relocated or removed. So before the next iteration of the course, you should validate Canvas course links Links to an external site.and fix any broken links.
For optional or supplementary podcasts use links which are set to open in a new window so the visual cueing (indicating and external link) on the Canvas content pages is consistent.
Resources
Bolliger, D. U., Supanakorn, S., & Boggs, C. (2010). Impact of podcasting on student motivation in the online learning environment. Computers & Education, 55(2), 714-722. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2010.03.004
Calandra, B., Barron, A. E., & Thompson-Sellers, I. (2008). Audio use in E-learning: What, why, when, and how? International Journal on E-Learning, 7(4), 589.