Podcasting for Professors & Educators

 

In this episode of the Delaware Blogger Podcast, I talked about podcasting for professors and educators. 

 

The reason why I decided to bring this topic up again was because last week my son and I attended a birthday party for the daughter of a friend of mine.  I wanted him to get out to meet people because he’s always in the house after work and on the weekends.

 

Recently he stated that he missed being in high school because when he was there he had a lot of friends and that was back in 2014.  You see, our oldest son is intellectually disabled and when you have a child with special needs oftentimes, it is very difficult or uncomfortable for them to get out and meet people or to find new and genuine relationships. 

So I thought this event would give him an opportunity to meet others his own age and he actually seemed to enjoy himself.  There were several people in attendance and I met a young lady who is a teacher from Africa and she talked about working with kids with special needs as well as those who are underprivileged and the techniques she used to connect with them.

 

 

 

She stated that before coming to the United States she would use her laptop or tablet to show the students the lessons because they didn’t have their own devices or smartphones to view at home.  However, here in the US, most students enter kindergarten having been exposed to social media and online learning and many of them have used a Smartphone given to them by their parents/guardians to play games or to speak with their grandparents and other relatives, which it why using a Smartphone, can also be great tool for learning and listening to a podcast.

Professors and educators can create a podcast to help students adjust to class, it can help students who can’t attend classes, due to medical reasons, health issues or have difficulty being in a traditional setting and those who don’t have access to Zoom.  Our son, was born 3-months prematurely and he weighed only 2.8 lbs, he had multiple surgeries and his weaken immune system kept him out of the classroom for many years, so having a podcast to listen to would have definitely keep him up to speed with the lessons. 

Last week was the first week of a new school year and many of the schools in Philly closed early due to the excessive heat so now some kids may be behind the 8-ball the first week, while others who attended an air conditioned school may have gotten a head start by starting classes on time.

 

 

If the educators had a classroom podcast, the students could listen to the lessons while sitting at home or in an air-conditioned community center or library.

The day after Labor Day is actually the first day, and most kids are going back to school, whether it’s pre-school or college, they’re back to school and they’re excited. They have new backpacks, book bags, pencils, new swag, gear and merch and they are excited, but we all know that excitement is going to wear off really really quickly!

As the year progresses, educators are going to see the difference in learning styles, some students may be in class every day, but not be able to comprehend.  Others may be visual learners, some may learn better by looking at pictures, viewing slides or watching movies or videos.  So why not include podcasts into the mix?

If the pandemic taught us nothing, we learned that not everyone likes to be on Zoom.  Not every student wants their homes, parents, family or friends seen behind them while looking into a small webcam and trying to concentrate or trying to keep family quiet while listening in class uninterrupted. 

 

 

 

So for the students that prefer to listen to instruction at their leisure, this would be a perfect way for them and for you to connect with them.

The lesson plan or syllabus could be recorded in a podcast and offered to your students in a digestible manner, it might help them.  I say this, because being the parent of a child with special needs, I know this would have been an accommodations that we definitely would have welcomed.  

I truly believe that by adding a podcast option it would be another great way for students to can get their information. It would give them an option to learn at different times of the day, because although, they’ve attended class all day, they may have understood very little.

Giving them the ability to pop in a pair of earbuds or put on a pair of headphones they can listen to their lessons and no one would know that they’re listening to; some of their friends may think they’re listening to music or video YouTube whatever when they are actually learning. 

So I’m offering to our professors, educators and teachers that if they wish to contact me to learn more about podcasting to send an e-mail to [email protected] or order the Podcasting Your Purpose Resource Guide. 

Parents,  this may be the option that could make the difference in your child’s life. Think about it, share this podcast, episode with others. If you don’t need it perhaps you know a parent or student that does.

Leave your thoughts in the comments below.