Podcasts: A Vital 21st Century Learning Tool

It's no surprise for this article to come from me. I have personally had an incredible journey with my own podcast: Inspiring Design with Rashan Senanayake (Inspiring Design with Rashan Senanayake is the missing link where design and education meets. Our guests sharing their knowledge in design, design education, design thinking, teaching techniques, industry standards as well as the study of design, connects the knowledge gaps in the design industry from a secondary, tertiary and industry stand point.).

Since its launch in 2019 and with the original intention of it being a solution towards bringing industry knowledge to schools in rural areas, it has changed, evolved and scaled to over 10,000+ downloads with amazing feedback from listeners from 14 x countries. I have had the privilege of speaking to some of the best thought leaders, brands and amazing minds. Best of all, it has allowed me to pass on their valuable knowledge and insights to the educators, moulding our future generations.

So let's take a look at why Podcasts are a vital 21st century learning tool.

More than a quarter of our society today (that have access to a smart device) listen to podcasts almost on a daily basis. The larger portion being millennial (44% of podcast listeners are between 18 and 34 years old - source: entrepreneur.com). For some background information, this medium hit mainstream about 10-15 years ago alongside the introduction of the iPhone. With Apple's decision to include a built in podcast player, podcasts became a huge hit and a growing medium for information sharing (Did you know that even the COVID-19 has it's own Podcast show now called Coronacast). This ultimately resulted in listeners drifting away from radio and into more tailored podcast shows.

Being an advocate of podcasts, I fall within the majority - consuming knowledge through podcasts while driving & commuting. Personally speaking, it shares the stage for the easiest way to absorb new information alongside audio books. Most people follow this same trend of listening to podcasts while performing an 'auto-pilot' task such as sitting on the bus.

Surprise, surprise! We all love to laugh and this is why comedy podcasts top the charts, but this is closely followed by educational podcasts.

This is the main purpose of this article - to showcase how much of a pivotal role podcasts will/are playing in the formal and informal education sectors and 'learning'.

With technology being channeled through the incredibly powerful devices that fit in our pockets, we now consume social media more on our mobile, than on our computers. Like-wise video consumption through portal devices via YouTube and Netflix outweighs TV. Computer games are shifting to full immersive experience away from a single/dual screens.

This is why podcasts are evolving the way we learn. With a single touch, we have access to (literally!) the best of the best minds of this world in all sectors, forms and brands. Information on the latest content from the best experts or find out news almost instantly (Coronacast). Not to mention it is all FREE.

So, what are some of the impacts that can affect the way we 'learn' and 'educate'?

Lectures? What's that?

Educators today can reach millions of learners/students with a single recording. I firmly believe that the teaching presence will never be and should be fully replaced by technology. However, it is evolving the standard teaching approaches of a single instructor delivering content to students via lecture/classroom. Podcasts are supplementing the growth and learning of the audience through an engaging podcast on the relevant content - to consume from anywhere, anytime and 24/7.

Best of all, educators can build content playlists with a variety of high-quality learning options on a very specific subject matter. If they are tech savy, begin to incorporate AI algorithms to set up this knowledge base to learn and evolve to tailor to their student audience.

For example, there are many university programs based on learning science, uses a “radically flipped instruction model” where students acquire most content on their own before coming to class where everyone is expected to be prepared and engaged. "Readings lists" are now replaced with "Mandatory listening lists".

Learning recognition

With the ability to learn 24/7, anywhere and anytime comes a requirement to measure competency and recognise learning - whether in school, at university, after school or even with an organisations within industry.

This is the beginning of micro-credentials attached to qualification certifications that follow a content playlist prepared for a particular student audience which is measured via assessments and demonstration of various competencies from their learning.

Leading schools have begun this process with 'badges' being awarded to recognise and reward self-learning at an elementary level.

Formal Education 4.0 (for Industry 4.0)

Microcredentials are a great way to provide options in learning, imparting a fast acting, agile learning process, whether in formal education or within industry. Within the formal sector teachers and educators can pick a topic, learn and practice when most convenient for them (among their other 1001 obligations) and can demonstrate growth in a relevant way.

Now that most learners are connected and have broad access to learning opportunities, it’s time to rethink how we design schools and how we recognise learning. Ask yourself - what does 21st Century learning look like?

If you have thoughts on this, I would love to buy you a coffee exchange ideas.

If you want to learn more about PODCASTS, how to design a unique, valuable podcast that adds value to your listeners, PM me and I will be happy to walk you through it.