It’s easy to compare podcasting to website design----similar to creating a website, anyone can create a podcast but not everyone can do it well. Unfortunately, there is no quality control, and as revealed when we were asked to list four things that make a good podcast, there is no definitive list. I was surprised as to the range of quality in podcasts I came across and perturbed as to the number of podcasts, which should have been done using another medium. Often with new and emerging technologies, many use them but inappropriately and in contexts in which they don’t enhance understanding. Just because we can do something with technology, does not mean we should.
In terms of media literacy, I teach a section in one of my classes showing students how to separate good from bad information and utilize search engines effectively to get to the real nuggets of knowledge. My experience in searching for podcasting seemed similar. My first search in Google found 72 million websites related to “podcasting”. “Podcasting” and “education” only narrowed this down to 23 million. I quickly realized that locating useful podcasts can be a challenge in itself. I’m now paying closer attention to others who rate and review podcasts in some of the listservs and journals which I subscribe to. Thanks to my classmates, I now know of a few more good educational podcasts, which I have subscribed to.
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