Imagine a college where every student has an iPod: the classroom is no longer limited to the hours and walls of a scheduled lesson. As institutions seek broader uses for iPods and related Web-based technologies, recorded course content offers a timely way to consider mobile learning. Coursecasting—podcasting, or distributing audio online, from the lecture portions of a course—can make classroom material part of a mobile learning infrastructure. This possibility is especially relevant to English for Professional Purposes, where learners may revisit course ideas through portable media. The same question extends to special events and other academic activities. Window into the Classroom: Podcasting an English for Professional Purposes Course examines these possibilities, including an experiment involving a Bilingual Education class and the potential usefulness of coursecasting for learners and other stakeholders [1].
Building on this possibility, McCarty’s paper examines the pedagogical usefulness of coursecasting—distributing audio from the lecture portions of a course through podcasting [1]. The investigation is situated in a college where all students have iPods, prompting consideration of how the institution might make broader use of iPods and related Web-based technologies [1].
The paper reviews literature on emerging practices, including iTunesU. In plain terms, iTunesU is presented as a possible next-generation learning management system: a Web-based environment for organizing and providing educational materials [1]. This review places coursecasting within a wider discussion of how digital platforms may be used in education, rather than treating recorded lectures as an isolated technical activity.
McCarty also reports an experiment involving the coursecasting of a Bilingual Education class. The class formed part of an upper-division English for Professional Purposes curriculum, making the experiment directly relevant to the central question of how professional-language learners might engage with course content through mobile media [1]. The abstract does not specify the experiment’s detailed procedures or outcomes, so its importance here lies in its focused investigation of possible pedagogical usefulness.
The paper’s conclusion considers the hypothesis that coursecasting, together with podcasting special events, may be useful for learners and other stakeholders . It also suggests ways that newer Web-based technologies could contribute to research and publication . Thus, the paper connects classroom lectures, academic events, institutional audiences, and scholarly communication within one exploration of podcasting’s educational potential.