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| Podcasts: New Trends in Online Learning | Most likely, you’ve already heard the term “podcast” at the end of your favorite television or radio program. Possibly you’re digitally knowledge and know just what that means, or maybe you are not sure exactly what the term signifies; but either way, you might not have considered how podcasts have become a hot new trend in online learning.
What is a "podcast?"
It is a digital media file or series of files that is distributed over the Internet. You are able to play a podcast with either a hand-held digital device, such as an iPod - hence the “pod” in the word podcast, or on a personal computer. Since you can download these “broadcasts” and listen to them at any time that is convenient for you, they are incredibly valuable in the world of online learning. Many distance learning schools are taking advantage of this new technology to better facilitate the online courses they offer.
Podcasts & Online Learning
Online learning as well as distance learning provides flexibility and access to anyone interested in earning a college degree, an advanced degree, or fulfilling continuing education requirements. By means of online learning, you can be miles away from the school of your choice and not have to uproot your life, career, and family to earn that degree. Learn how to earn your online degree in the evenings or on w- eekends or even in the middle of the night! Such kind of learning has become increasingly popular over the last ten years, and even the stodgiest of the brick-and-mortar colleges and universities are hopping on the bandwagon and providing either partial or full degree programs online. Online learning become even easier with an educational podcasting, and unlike older digital video and audio files, are much more compact and simple to both create and download, and don’t usually require special technology to view or listen to.
Professors make use of basic video technology to record their lectures, then convert the file to a digital format and place the lectures on a web host site as educational podcasts. Students know how to download the lectures and listen to them as many times as they need to in order to best absorb the information. Naturally, students can also listen to the lectures at any time of the day or night- which is highly valuable for those that are working and earning an online degree.
 In online learning many colleges are recognizing this trend and are now using podcasts to enhance the learning experience of both the traditional classroom and those utilizing online and distance learning opportunities.
Listening to educational podcasting won’t, of course, replace reading, listening to live presentations, or the multitude of other ways students absorb in information, but it can augment those methods significantly - and certainly makes online learning much easier and more accessible. By planning on earning a degree online, you may want to consider an MP3 player to be an important part of your “school supplies.” Having an MP3 player, you can listen to your lectures while at the gym or stuck in traffic. It’s the crucial in multi-tasking!
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