Synthesis Blog #6

I found this study to be a very interesting read. The idea of experimenting with whether podcasts/ “authentic” materials (Enokida, Lauer, and Selwood, 2016) or textbooks help students more is an idea I feel is being experimented with all the time now. Good educators everywhere are always looking for ways to improve their classes and how to differentiate material so they can reach every student. This study is one of the ways educators are looking for ways to improve. The study showed that podcast prove to be just as effective as textbooks in the variables they were studying. And while their results may show this, I believe that using podcast should still be used in the classroom. They are a great way to differentiate the material for students. Students get bored learning new material the same way over and over again. I can wholeheartedly attest to this in my past learning experiences. By mixing things up, students tend to be more focused and attentive to the material, which in turn helps them to remember the material better. Sometimes this may not be the best option for all students in the class though, but for others it may be the better option. For example, students who have a hard time reading at their grade level, podcast may be a better option for them instead of a textbook because they would be able to listen to the material instead of trying to struggle through the already difficult textbook.

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