ABSTRACT
In the wider context of technology-enhanced learning, the podcast, usually a digital audio recording in mp3 format or video in mp4 format, is a relatively simple device. It can be downloaded not only to a computer but also to an iPod or mobile phone, offering one of the most flexible means of communicating information of all the Web 2.0 technologies now available. Certainly, by tapping into the ubiquity of these devices, the podcast has become a means of making information accessible to the widest possible audience using a medium that fits within the comprehension of the majority of students, unlike many other technologies with which the familiarity of the so-called ‘digital natives’ of the ‘net generation’ is over-stated (Childs and Espinoza-Ramos 2008). While outside academia pod-casts have become popular for delivering music, entertainment and news (Copley 2007), their educative potential is also increasingly being realized, catering especially for a more mobile generation of learners who need to learn on the move, often multi-tasking as they need to balance the conflicting demands of their course alongside the need to earn money (Walker 2009). However, much of the earlier research into podcast use in teaching and learning has been descriptive, focusing on the practical issues of application. It is only more recently that the pedagogic role of the podcast has begun to be critically evaluated.
