Podcasts as a Learning Aid

   "Want to learn to speak Japanese? Try a podcast."

The Internet has truly revolutionized the distribution of learning materials. In the last couple of years, podcasts as learning aids have become increasingly popular, either as a stand-alone mini-course or as an enhancement to courses and programs delivered through more traditional sources. Spend a few moments Googling "podcasts for learning," and soon you will be downloading podcasts to help you learn to speak Chinese, Japanese, Italian and other languages; or podcasts offering instruction on Plato's philosophy, current scientific issues, environmental concerns, and almost anything else you might want.

A podcast, according to Wikipedia, is a digital media file or files that the broadcaster (or podcaster) distributes over the Internet using syndication feeds, for playback on digital media devices and personal computers. The term is coined from a blend of "iPod" and

"broadcast." Unlike streaming audio, podcasts allow you to control when you listen to your favorite shows.

Learn Out Loud

Learn Out Loud purports to be a one-stop destination for audio and video learning. It includes approximately 136 podcasts among its 10,000 titles. And, as you would expect nowadays, members rate the titles using the familiar five-star method.

Learn Out Loud offers podcasts in eight categories: careers, study aids, journalism, exam preparation, medical, law, teaching and writing. On the day of this visit, the site was promoting three featured podcasts: one on how to write a podcast, one from Monster.com offering career tips, and another called Career Opportunities (geared toward individuals working in the high-tech industry). And--oh my goodness!--I just noticed that "This podcast is a companion to the print column of the same name that appears in ComputorEdge Magazine in San Diego, California. Written and hosted by Douglas E. Welch."

Another podcast that caught my eye is The Naked Scientists Radio Show Science Podcast. And no, don't confuse it with the Naked News. These scientists merely "strip down science and lay the facts bare." Other interesting titles include the Media Artist's Secrets Podcast. Intended for the creative professional https://boomcaster.com, the blurb says that this podcast is semi-daily, fast-paced, info-packed and fun

As near as I can gather, podcasts are free, although the site does sell other learning products. Teach Out Loud is the site's service for those who want to publish a podcast or other learning aid. Teach Out Loud is a free and simple tool, the site says, and publishers may earn royalties if applicable.

Digital Podcast

The Digital Podcast directory site lists podcasts in miscellaneous categories--ranging alphabetically from art to video products and everything in between. The directory contains 15,525 podcasts in 95 categories and has 17,305 registered users. To help us choose from its many offerings, Digital Podcast provides lists of the highest-rated podcasts, podcasts with the most voting points, and podcasts with the most subscribers.

Not all of Digital Podcast's podcasts are learning-related, although many are. Its featured podcast during my visit was Insta Spanish, providing instant Spanish lessons. Other learning podcasts include Bootcamp: A Report on Computers and Technology, InvestorIdeas.com's Investor Educational Podcast, Learn Japanese, English as a Second Language (for those wanting to improve their English), Manager Tools (helping people develop managerial and leadership skills), Learn Mandarin Chinese Direct From Shanghai, Sales Strategy Radio (developing sales skills), and many others.

Podcasts for Continuing Education

Podcasts also show up as delivery vehicles for content providing continuing education and skill development to professionals of all sorts. Here are a few of the offerings I found.

The Business English Pod helps business professionals everywhere improve their command of business English. Let's face it: Even some of us whose first language is English struggle with business English. We can only imagine how people who speak English as a second language must struggle with some of the jargon.

Teachers and educators find learning and skill-related podcasts at various sources, including Fordham University's Center for Professional Development and The Educational Podcast Network , with its many offerings.

Podcast.net , another huge podcast directory, lists podcasts specific to many other professions--including law and politics, science podcasts representing various disciplines and topics, podcasts for the IT professional, podcasts for visual and performance professionals, and podcasts for professionals in business and finance. Medical professionals will find a directory of medical broadcasts at the Arizona Health Science's Library .

Space limits the listings I can describe, but I'm optimistic that almost every professional will find a podcast with career-related information.

Podcasting in Curricula Delivery

Many schools are implementing podcasts as a vehicle for delivering course materials, with educational podcasts showing up at universities, community colleges, trade schools and institutions providing distance learning. This delivery method is said to appeal to today's technology-savvy youths.

Even young kids are getting in on the act. According to an article published by the Dallas Daily News , fourth graders at one of the city's elementary schools are podcasting to global audiences, sharing works created in class and discussing their projects. Fans of the podcast, which are sure to include proud grandparents and other relatives, can download the files for free through Apple's iTunes Music Store.

The Government Is Doing It

Podcasting also provides a way to keep current with your government and its weekly activities. Free Government Info has links to multiple government podcasts, including the president's weekly radio address; podcasts from the Senate; podcasts from several states (including California); and podcasts from various government agencies, such as Agriculture, Department of Defense, the Census Bureau, Health and Human Services, NASA and more.

You Can Do It Too

Want to broadcast your own podcast? If you want to podcast from scratch, you will need a microphone, a recording device, and a Web server or Web host with enough space to store many megabytes of data and the capability of handling a lot of bandwidth. You will also need special software.

If this seems too daunting for a beginner or for a hobbyist, Web sites like My Podcast.com make it easy for you. My Podcast.com provides free podcast recording and hosting--and, since it serves advertisements with your podcast, you stand to earn cash each time someone downloads your product.

What Is Pop Culture and Is It News?

Increasingly, we are seeing our news providers giving us news that would not ever have been published in previous years. It is normal now, to see articles that were once the fodder for gossip columns and magazines.

Over the last twenty years, popular culture has crept in to news media, and has become a daily part of what is now regarded as 'news'.

First, let's define pop culture. It is the full spectrum of ideas, trends, attitudes and popular opinions of the masses, on ANY given subject. Popular culture presumes a consensus based upon an informal, unofficial group's opinion. Now, in the 21st Century, as we all use the internet on a daily basis, this mainstream consensus can be developed and influenced with just one Tweet.

So, Popular Culture can be as profoundly influenced by the media as it can be by the populous.

Today, celebrity gossip, entertainment news, and even bizarre news articles are an everyday occurrence. And this news is being created and shared by ordinary people, and then picked up by news providers. Is it news?

Yes! Anything which shares information and events of interest, which shows humanity as it is today, and which gives a perspective on current affairs, is news. Popular culture is still often considered as trivial, unimportant and not news worthy. However, the world's most popular news providers are giving readers a balance of traditional news and popular culture.

Today, the leading online news providers will post a healthy combination of current affairs, politics, sport and business news, right alongside entertainment, gossip and bizarre news items. This variety is attracting wider audiences and opening up the type of articles we are reading about.

In a world that could easily become over-loaded with dry, depressing and serious news articles, it is good to see unusual, amusing or inspiring articles sharing the same page space, and receiving high levels of attention from readers.

The majority of us access our news online on a daily basis, and as a result, we have a fantastic choice of excellent news wire services which bring us daily news in all sorts of subjects. We can now choose exactly what we read, and we can have breaking news sent straight to our mobile devices within seconds of it being posted online.

Popular culture is simply a reflection of society's opinions, interests, likes and dislikes. It provides us with another angle with which to view the events of the world, and the actions of people. Social media and the internet have had a huge influence on the rise in prevalence of popular culture news items, and this trend does not look like it will end.

The next time you log on to your favourite news site to catch up on news, consider the articles you choose to read https://www.karlsruhe-insider.de/. Are you only accessing the traditional news items, or are you just as interested in the popular culture news items? For most people, they will be reading a mixture of both, and enjoying the amusing and interesting articles far more than the depressing news.

The news media has changed massively over the last quarter century. Newspapers are still being printed, but increasingly, people are turning to the internet for the latest news.

Online news sites have a huge advantage over the printed news media. They can post articles and coverage of breaking news within minutes of it happening. With the advents of Twitter, Instagram and other leading social media platforms, news providers are able to be in the centre of the action, as it happens, reporting events live.

This has significantly changed the type of news we regularly read, and it has changed how and when we read it. While many of us will still enjoy a leisurely morning read of the newspaper, these luxuries tend to be consigned to the realms of lazy Sunday mornings. They are no longer something we all do on a daily basis. We are much more likely to scroll through the news feed on our favourite news provider's website. While we are on the train, during a quick coffee at work, waiting for the kettle to boil, or whenever we want to, we can use our mobile devices, laptops and pc's to access the latest news.

Statistics indicate that increasingly, whenever people have a few minutes, they are likely to tap in to their favourite news source to get the latest updates on any given subject.

The 21st Century newsroom has had to change and adapt too, as a result of this massive shift in how we access and read our news. Traditionally, as news items were picked up, they would go through a number of journalistic stages, following the editorial chain of command. A new news item would be approved, then, a journalist would work on it, pass it to the sub-editor, who would then work on it before passing it to the editor for the final editsprior to inclusion, just before going to press.

Today, the system is very similar. The difference is that this entire process often needs to take seconds, or minutes, not hours or days! The public are demanding their news as soon as it happens, and the news makers have to respond, almost instantly.

Today, speed is the foundation of quality journalism. Competing news providers are trying to better each other by being the first with breaking news, whatever the subject. And technology plays a huge part in making and disseminating news extremely quickly.

One huge growth area where technology has enabled amazing coverage of breaking American news is the ability to provide live coverage. A journalist can send updates, articles and live video footage, straight from their mobile device. It has the potential for making anyone a news reporter. Increasingly today, we see reports using video footage, tweets and photos taken by members of the public on who were one the scene, and witnessed the 'news' as it happened.

We have more choice and control over our news than ever before. We are fully in control of what we read and when we read it. Most people choose a news provider they like, setting up preferences so they immediately see updates on the news that interests them. Then, they log in whenever it suits them during the day.

News may have changed, and how we access it is changing all the time, but there is no doubt, the news is still very much in demand, and that is something that won't change.