Advantages And Disadvantages Of Podcasts

Podcast has created a new world to communication and media. Podcast are used in a computer or a mobile device such as iPod. Podcast is a term adapted from the word “iPod” and “broadcast”. According to Wikipedia, podcast can be defined as a series of audio and video files or digital media files that are available on the Internet which is released incidentally and often being downloaded via web syndication. Meanwhile podcasting is a creative process which involves a few different components.

The main purpose of podcast is to raise awareness among people. Messages on the important issues and topics can be delivered to people through podcasting or video blogging. Podcasting is a new way to earn money. One can earn good income through subscription if their podcast is good enough and popular. Besides that, podcast enable people to teach others. For instance, courses now are available on podcast and video blogs which was previously available on emails and websites that have unlimited choices. This gives a chance to those who has problem to read to just hear and see the course materials.

Podcasting is used in education, business or commercial and entertainment. Podcasting function in education wise is for language learning, conferences, seminar and forum besides project demonstration and research. Meanwhile in business, podcast is used for marketing and promotions, training of staff, news and product or service demonstration. Chat radio and crazy talk are examples of podcasting function for entertainment.

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The major advantage of podcast is the demographics. Podcasting enables people to reach millions of listeners outside who has the chance to listen to your programs when they choose. Moreover, listeners have the privilege to listen again to the program that has already aired besides being able to play or pause and to rewind or fast forward. Besides that, podcasting is a new way to learn new languages. Instead of buying books to learn new language, listening would be an easy, quicker and better way to learn and at the same time improve our language skills.

Last but not least, although, podcasting is the latest technology and created audio related programs, it also has its disadvantages. The list of the disadvantages of podcasting is time consuming, not searchable, accessibility problems and limited audience. Podcast consumes a lot of time especially if the file is larger. It is not usually easy to search in podcasting. Although several search engines can be used, however, sometimes it is impossible to search directly within the files. It is a challenge to upload and edit files which has a larger size and higher quality. It needs good and fast broadband connection. Besides that, the file format should be compatible not only iPod but also other devices. Even though, we are in a modern world now, not everyone owns a mobile device. Some people prefer to read instead of downloading and listening to audio files from the internet.

The world that we are living now is moving forward with the help of technology. Technology plays an important role in our life which has made our life easier. Technology improvises the creation of the devices to a better one and the communication services such as introducing to the podcasting.

Question 2:

Facebook and Twitter are examples of Social Networks and Media Sharing Tools. By using the concept of anytime, anywhere learning, how these tools can be manipulated to take advantage of the passion young people for learning by tapping into the tools. Discuss in detail and provide example for each.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Currently social networking has become a trend among the young people in worldwide. What is social network exactly? Social network is software or also better known as a website which connects and allows people around the world to come together and share ideas or topics of interest. The social network is used for communication and interaction among the people globally. The social network can be an effective way to promote business and also for learning process. Nevertheless, some parents think that it is a waste of time [if it is being misused, yes, it would be waste of time]. Facebook and Twitter are among the top and popular social network around the world. In July 2010, Facebook was announced as the world’s largest social network which has 500 million users around the world. The social network has introduced to a new way to communicate at anytime and anywhere. It is a way to keep in touch with friends from schools, colleges and the new friends we made via the social network. However, some parents think that the social network is a way their kids waste their time. [twice mentioned?]

Do you know that besides sharing interest, one can use the social network for learning purpose? Thus, the social network becomes an advantage to the young people which indirectly manipulates them for learning. One of the ways to encourage young people to use social network for learning purpose is to create an account or group for the classroom. Student along with their classmates and teachers can share and exchange opinions on their learning. Furthermore, it facilities the students and also the teachers to surf the internet while having a discussion via the social network. Students can share online information such as notes, question and other learning related documents or materials among their friends and classmates. Besides that, this allows the teacher to pinpoint the student’s weakness and leave a comment [how?].

On the other hand, teachers can update the group’s status by posting some questions, share information, videos or links and blogs to be discussed during class. Through this way, it encourages the students to do some research and be well prepared for the class. Besides that, students can send a quick message to their teachers regarding the class notes, class exercises, assignments and so on. Moreover, students can ask their teacher regarding their next lesson for the class which enables them to prepare earlier.

Next, students can create a group which enables students from other class, schools and also students in their network friend list that probably from other states or countries to join. This enables varieties of ideas and information exchanged among student locally and also internationally. One of the advantages of exchanging ideas internationally is one can learn and practice new language. This also creates a new environment in the learning process. Lastly, the access to the famous online encyclopedia, Wikipedia can improve and increase the student’s knowledge.

Last but not least, the advantage of social network for learning purpose is enables students to share various ideas and information. Social network gives a chance to get some exposures to various and multiple point of view through different people opinion and experiences. Students can also gain a chance to connect and talk to other student. They can exchange ideas and information during the learning process. It is a way to keep in touch among each other. Among the other advantage is to get immediate feedback from the learning process. Students can ask questions and receive the answers or response as soon as possible from teachers. This can develop a good understanding between the student and the teacher.

Meanwhile, the disadvantage of social network is time consuming. Some students abuse the social network for different purpose such as dating. Therefore, the use of social network is a waste of time. The social network also lack of anonymity because some students provide information on themselves which others should not know such as age, gender, location and other personal details. This is because someone who has a bad intention might misuse on the information given. [There is a risk of identity theft].

The social network is beneficial to everyone no matter the younger or the older generation as long as it is used for a good purpose and intention. It is an alternative way to keep in touch with friends, relatives and whoever we know via the social network.

ARTICLES

What Are the Advantages of Podcasting?

By Jennifer Uhl, eHow Contributor

updated: March 14, 2010

· Podcasting is an audio distribution medium that offers numerous advantages over traditional broadcasting and distribution methods both online and off. Creating a podcast does not take a lot of expensive equipment and allows content creators to potentially reach millions of listeners on a global basis. The content of a podcast is delivered to subscribers via syndicated feeds, allowing users to listen on a Mac or PC as well as many types of portable media players.

Subscribing to a Podcast

· Two of the benefits of podcasts are their distribution channels and methods of delivery. While users have the ability to download and listen to individual episodes of a specific podcast manually, many are automatically delivered to the users via media player software such as iTunes or Juice (Mac or PC). Most media player software will also sync a user’s selected podcast with her portable music player such as an iPod or Zune, requiring very little effort on the user’s behalf to always have the latest most up-to-date content that is available.

Cost Effectiveness

· Podcasting is beneficial to individuals and businesses that seek to reach large audiences because of its cost effectiveness. A podcast requires only basic audio recording equipment to capture, and an Internet connection and means of delivering the podcast to listeners. With the basic hardware required, such as a microphone and computer, a place to host the podcast files and the necessary software for recording, any individual or group can create an effective podcast recording and share it on the Web.

Advertising Potential

· Another advantage of podcasting is the advertising potential that comes with a podcast that has a decent listener base. A popular podcast with a large listening base can sell advertising slots to local companies or Internet companies to generate revenue. This creates additional revenue and advertising potential for any podcast that has a listener base.

Podcast Demographics

· A major advantage to podcasting is the benefit of reaching millions of listeners who have the ability to listen to your programming when they choose. Additionally, listeners can pause or play a program, fast forward or rewind, and can listen to programming that has already aired. The number of podcast listeners grows daily as the technology evolves and becomes more ubiquitous on consumer electronics; the technology is only going to increase in popularity as podcasting recording and listening devices become more prevalent.

8 Ways to Use Social Networks in the Classroom

Posted by M. Bamieh onJanuary 21, 2010

Twitter in Education

Earlier, we talked about a few great resources for educators that are available for free online. These services were more focused on education and catering to their needs for creating internal social networking platforms, open-source blackboardsand conferencing applications. They were great resources but they all required some amount of set-up and involved a bit of a learning curve to get used to them.

Today we are just going to share some ideas that help educators bring social networks into classrooms, utilizing some of the services that we all use. Ranging from Twitter to Skype we will share 8 ways that they can be used in the classroom.

Create a Twitter Account

Using Twitter for Teacher – Student communication allows for short and quick messages exchange. This is useful for students and teachers to ask questions and might be a great resource for the teacher in the preparation of her class notes allowing her to know which areas to focus on.

Using a Wiki

An example of a wiki is the famous online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Wiki, by design, encourages discussion and interactivity, fostering in and out of class discussion. By creating an outline of a Wiki entry and allowing the students to edit and discuss the subject matter, it will help introduce a new and fun element to their homework, while at the same time encouraging debate. There are many creative ways to use Wikis in education.

Create a Youtube Channel

School material might be limited, dull and sometimes outdated. Students tend to navigate Youtube quite naturally, and it is one of their sources of information. By utilizing this familiar platform, you can create videos or slideshows that would provide some useful and relevant information, even link some other videos that are available on Youtube. This will also encourage students to reply with their own videos.

Share Online Documents

Students sometimes need quick access to the syllabus, worksheets, or some review notes.Slideshare and Scribd allow educators to upload all relevant online materials to one location. This allows students to reach those documents from their computers.

Update Facebook’s status

Teachers can utilize FB’s Status updates to post a question, share a piece of information, video or link that would open up the discussion for next class. This would encourage students to research and prepare for the next class, practically expanding the walls of the classroom into cyberspace.

Be In Diigo

Create an account and a group for the classroom, students and teachers and utilize Diigo’s great social bookmarking capabilities. Diigo allows users to create groups and networks in which they can share, annotate and collaborate on content all over the web. Further, it will allow teachers to augment the curriculum’s weak points with information and comments as you see fit. It could also be used to create an educational treasure hunt using annotations left on web pages. Check the video below to learn more about Diigo.

What Are the Advantages of Social Networking?

By: Dachary Carey

The advantages of social networking are real, even though most parents see it as another way that kids waste time. Social networking has opened up a new way to communicate, so while your child’s posts may not be essential today, your child is still learning skills that could be very valuable tomorrow.

Work Connections

One form of social networking that’s growing in popularity is corporate social networking. You can use corporate social networking to form relationships with other people from your company, or people in other companies in an industry. You can also get references and build a reputation using corporate social networking tools. It’s a great way to get yourself known and network in your field or industry.

Keeping in Touch

Social networking provides a great way for you to stay in touch with people who may have moved away. Normally, people try to stay in touch with friends via phone calls and the occasional letter or e-mail, but busy lives make it difficult to maintain contact. However, social networking is such a regularly used medium that it’s easy to stay in touch with people even when they move away.

Get Feedback

You can use social networking to get feedback on ideas immediately, or to ask questions and get answers quickly. If you’re developing a product or even just an idea, you can bounce it off your friends and social networking contacts and find out what they think about it. You can also ask questions and receive answers in near-real-time, if your contacts know the answer or if you’re a student in touch with teachers.

Share Multiple Points of View

Sheltered individuals may not understand how many different points of view that people have, and that it’s possible for people to hold drastically different beliefs. Social networking helps you learn about diversity and get exposure to multiple points of view. Ultimately, this exposure can help you to learn to look at things from different angles, and be more tolerant of other people’s opinions, things that go a long way in the working world.

Talking to Other Students

Many student organizations have specific social networks designed to help students connect. Social networking tools can be a great way for students to get in touch with other students in the same school, or when they’re considering a college or new school. Check with student organizations to see if they have a particular social networking tool, or type the school into your favorite social networking Web site and see what you find.

Stay in Touch Anywhere

Mobile social networking is becoming increasingly popular as more and more people have cell phones capable of running social networking applications. People can use mobile social networking tools to stay in touch with friends, and make plans on the fly. Mobile social networking tools are also great if you’ve got a long train or subway commute and want to stay in touch with friends and find out what they’re doing.

Kids do need to learn to keep social networking under control. Some people get hooked on social networking, to the point that it interferes with getting things done. Teach your child when it is and isn’t appropriate to use mobile social networking, and set a strict time limit for communicating at home.