i've heard of podcast, or podcasting frequently, but i've never subscribed to one and didn't really know what it is exactly. due to my laziness toward technology, i didn't really try to figure it out for a long time, and i'm glad that now i'm catching up with this.
reading Curtis Fox's article on podcasting gave me a good understanding of its origin and use, and more importantly, it reminded me of McLuhan's thoughts on the power of media in changing 'contents', or 'thoughts' of the user.
the traditional media outlets, televisions and radios, did not provide room for less mainstream and minority (not in the ethnic context) culture, and the emergence of web 2.0 brought out a second age of 'renaissance', in which people stop being mere recipients of what technology has to offer, but started interacting and connecting with other people on the web, thus creating new contents.
blogs ans podcasts are almost identical in nature, but the only difference is blogs reach out to people by text (writing), while podcasts do the same job by audio and video.
the concept and real-life application of the web 2.0 technology is, indeed, 'democratic'. it's 'technology', information' by the people, of the people, and for the people. no where in the history of human being, people have enjoyed more democracy and autonomy than now.
in conjunction of this claim, i think young students today shouldn't be deprived of opportunities of these benefits in the name of 'traditional' education. it is quite understandable that this new technology can be intimidating and overwhelming to some traditonalists, but i don't think it's right to treat it the same way as they treat drugs, violence, and sex. it is not only backward but also harmful not to teach students this new technology, because we cannot afford to mislead the 'maturing' digital natives who actually need to develop critical and directional tools in the sea of technology.
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I like how you compare blogs and podcasts. It's great that technology is able to cater to the many different needs of individuals. People who do better visually will lean towards blogs while people who like auditory information better will lean towards podcasts. Technology has advanced to the point where we can cater to each individual's needs.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. I also never had any experience with podcasts before this class and would call myself a traditionalist. But I feel that it’s vital that we instruct youth in these technologies and teach them how to use them responsibly. The potential that blogs and podcasts hold is quite amazing and should be embraced. Never before has it been so easy for anyone who wishes it, to share their knowledge, thoughts, ideas, etc with others. Talk about creating a democratic society! Just think about all the shared knowledge that can be had! Now, for the first time, teachers can honestly tell their student’s that their voice can be heard if they wish it.
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