Prof Podcasts Lectures

This is a sign of the times, eh?

Psychology students and fans of Apple's popular iPod can now listen and learn at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Calvin Garbin is one of the first instructors at the university to harness iPod's versatility and use it as an educational tool.

Garbin uses a wireless microphone hooked to his shirt to record the 50-minute lecture, then downloads the recording onto his computer. He cuts the lecture into short audio chunks and puts it on his Web site for downloading.

Students confused about certain parts of the lecture can click on a link and listen again. And podcasting makes studying for tests easier for those students who are auditory learners (Yahoo News).

Definitely podcasting is more suited to a psychology lecture than, say, an equation heavy math lecture; however, from my own experience with math classes, I always found it easier to "get" a particular math concept when my own prof/teacher explained it than I did when reading from the book or notes. So I think I would have liked have the audio to go along with my own notes or the prof/teacher's own handouts.

Speaking of Podcasts, our own Thom O'brien has created the first ever ExploreLearning podcast. Give it a listen to hear several teachers talk about their positive experiences with Gizmos.