Last updated on August 30th, 2019 at 08:09 am
Ever since I attended DevLearn, I’ve been thinking about podcasts and how I no longer listen to them. One the same front, I’ve also been thinking about how I need to spend more time doing things that help me keep up-to-date with the latest thinking in the field, but also with various people in the field.
First I had to figure out when I would ever find the time to listen to a podcast. Since I don’t commute to work, that doesn’t work. Then it occurred to me, when I am not out hiking, I will often walk around the block – 2km or just over a mile. In that time, usually about 25 minutes, I could easily listen to a podcast or two. Then I realized that when I’m hiking alone, I could also listen to a podcast.
Having a topic I want to learn more about, and having found a time that works, I decided to search for “Instructional Design” in the Podcast app on my phone. One of the ones that popped up is called Dear Instructional Designer. Now, while I’m walking or when I’m hiking alone, I listen to several podcasts – Dear Instructional Designer is one of them.
In listening to her first weeks worth of podcasts (that is, season 1 episodes 1-5), I realised that I could use this content in a course I’m development. In that season, Kristin talks about how to get started with an ePortfolio. This is perfect because I’m working on a summer course where I guide students through creating ePortfolios. Even more important, she gives great tips on ways to create content for your portfolio.
My one challenge with using podcasts as class material is that I’m concerned about the students who don’t want to learn by listening. I’m also concerned about the extra time it takes – as listening to a podcast definitely takes more time than reading texts. I am also concerned about accessibility. Although she has a great podcast, I don’t see a transcript with the show notes or website – note that I’m not expecting her to have one, just that I cannot use the podcast for my class if I don’t have accessible versions of the content. I could, however, share it as a resource for Instructional Designers.
This season, Kristin is talking about working as a freelance instructional designer. I am finding her way of explaining things and insights really useful. They are something that many of my students might be interested in.
Have you thought about using a podcast in your teaching? Is it accessible? If not how (or do) you deal with accessibility requirements?
If you are an instructional designer, do you have a favourite podcast?
Feature image by Patrick Breitenbach via Flickr.
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