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Beginning this summer, graphic communication professor Randy Livingston plans to make students familiar with podcast technology by offering it as supplemental material for his Basic Media Design and Microcomputer Design courses.
"Podcasting empowers the users to get the information they want, when they want it, how they want it," Livingston said. "They're not necessarily chained to a TV set or a computer even. They can take it and listen to it, or even watch it, anywhere they want."
As for content, Livingston plans to offer audio lectures on topics ranging from the principles of design, color and typography as well as video podcasts, known as "vodcasts," to cover some basics tutorials for Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Mac OS.
The attraction of podcasting lies in the portability of content, Livingston said, but what led him to use the new medium as a teaching tool came when he saw how inexperienced many students were when using a non-traditional PC.
"When students come to us some have never even seen a Mac before," Livingston said. "We have to do a little bit of training outside of class to get students up to speed. That's where podcasting comes in."
The term "podcasting" is a combination of the terms "iPod" and "broadcasting," but users do not need an iPod to listen to podcasts (or vodcasts), Livingston said
This misconception common to people that are unfamiliar with the technology make some student skeptical about its benefits such as Animal science major Laura Dalton.
"I think it would be more trouble than it's worth," Dalton said. "I don't think students would use them."
Others such as Mass Communication graduate student Ryan Hamblin simply have not been exposed to the podcasting technology.
"It's a rad way to keep up with things you're interested in, but I don't see them much," Hamblin said. "I don't take time to look for them."
At the beginning of the semester students will subscribe to his podcast feed, which is a relatively simple process that includes clicking a few buttons from a preferred media player such as iTunes or Windows Media Player, Livingston said.
When new podcasts are available they are downloaded automatically and this will allow Livingston to keep track of how many students are downloading and using the technology.
Electronic media communication professor Jennifer Woodard said she also plans to incorporate podcasting into some of her Writing for Digital Media courses.
"Students who are interested in broadcasting can start by doing podcasting. It allows them to build their own Web site, and their own blog. They can even start doing video podcasts," she said.
Woodard said she plans to assign students the task of creating their own podcast with a broadcast-style presentation.
"There are all kinds of applications for this technology," Woodard said. "We're just now scratching the surface right."
"This type of technology is only limited by your imagination," she said.
Because podcasting is so new, and its potential so vast, there is no limit to what can be done with the technology said electronic media communication professor Robert Kalwinsky.
"It's fascinating," Kalwinsky said. "It's only been a little over a year since this technology first came out, and it's growing at such a rapid rate."
Educators are quickly adopting podcasts in other professions that require constant tutorials, Kalwinsky said.
"Doctors love the technology [since] they always have to keep up with the newest procedures in their field, and podcasting makes that process seamless," Kalwinsky said. "What's nice about the technology is that everyone can use it, and a lot people who subscribe to podcasts eventually start one of their own because it has gotten so easy."
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