Thread by @DrMLovesLit

My upcoming pedagogy workshop on using podcasts in the classroom is likely cancelled, so here's the gist of what I was going to say in an #AcademicTwitter thread:

First, besides the now obvious reasons, why podcasts are great for teaching: As I learned when using @Serial in my composition classes, students will happily listen (and re-listen!) to them. My fave slide of my then-chair asking what this whole Serial business was all about:

There seemed to a connection between empathy and hearing these voices firsthand that also seemed to resonate with podcast listeners. Students also liked that they could set learning to their own pace, pausing as needed and that it honed listening/auditory learning skills.

Now, some ways to listen. This does require (at least momentary) internet access - if only to download episodes to an app on a smartphone or to one's PC. Listening directly from the website requires internet access for the duration of the episode.

I give prompts for focused listening/notetaking but also encourage students to listen while commuting, etc. so it feels less demanding than print sometimes does. By the way, @TheMrGodsey @melissajenna paved the path for using Serial in HS courses. kqed.org/mindshift/3946…

Here's an example of a prompt I used for discussion & freewriting in my intro rhet/comp course which included a unit on @Serial, season 1:

In the workshop, I was going to allot time for finding podcasts that attendees could use, but I'll provide some of my favorites below.

First, Jim, I'm a literature prof, not a scientist, but here's some of my favorite science podcasts, starting with @Radiolab (also a great intro to podcasts in general). This episode on Cells is a good example of how podcasts teach subjects in unique ways wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radio…

And my personal favorite in the science category: @Ologies. Host @AlieWard talks to experts about tortoises, aging, trees, and almost every -ology you can name, and will make you want to be her friend. alieward.com/ologies

The shows @HiddenBrain and @NPRinvisibilia also look into psychology and human behavior in fascinating ways. The former does so in short discrete episodes, while the latter devotes each season to extended coverage of related topics.

In terms of US history and momentous judicial decisions, I would recommend @JadAbumrad's @MorePerfect and @RebeccaNagle's #ThisLand, the latter of which has some of the clearest, most concise explanations of American Indian law and history available in any form.

Speaking of which, my favorite podcast to assign for issues of US history & race is @NPRCodeSwitch. Hosts @GeeDee215 @RadioMirage walk listeners through so many important topics (explanatory comma or not). You can find their episodes here: npr.org/podcasts/51031…

Finally, literature: An enjoyable conversational podcast on Asian American literature is @BooksandBoba hosted by
@marvinyueh and @reeraboo. They also have an active group/forum you can join on @Goodreads. booksandboba.com

If you just want to give the option of both listening and reading at the same time, you can refer students to (free!) audiobooks and ebooks via their public library's Overdrive or Libby app, but you can also refer them to Selected Shorts (symphonyspace.org/selected-short…), or...

To listen to @LevarBurton (YES, that Levar Burton from Reading Rainbow and Star Trek) read you some short stories from Carmen Maria Machado, NK Jemisin, Tobias Buckell, Rebecca Roanhorse, Saladin Ahmed, & more, go here: levarburtonpodcast.com

Check out organizations. For example, libraries like @NYPL have some great podcasts. And below are just a few podcasts hosted by and/or associated with museums:

Anyway, feel free to share your favorites as well!

Oh, I almost forgot! I think it may be too much to ask students to learn new technology remotely to create their own podcasts, but here are the slides I had created with advice on how to do so. Happy to answer whatever questions anyone has on this as well.