.:Blended Edu:.: Yahoo! Podcasts

Yahoo! Podcasts is a new (beta) service from Yahoo! Search that allows you to search, find, and listen to podcasts on your PC, MP3 player, or web browser.

This is the latest in a recent flurry of new product launches (and acquisitions) that dovetail with the Yahoo! mission to help users Find Use Share Expand (FUSE) knowledge and content on the web. Yahoo’s FUSE concept sounds remarkably similar to constructivist learning theory.

Yahoo! Podcasts allows you to subscribe to your favorite podcasts using either the Yahoo! Music Engine or Apple iTunes software. You can also contribute to the Yahoo! community by adding your own podcast RSS feed, writing podcast reviews, and rating podcasts in the Yahoo! Podcast catalog.

You can search for podcasts by author, subject, topic, or via keyword (tags). A quick search of the “education” tag yielded some interesting new podcasts:

ChinesePod.com: “Learn Chinese with free daily podcasts and a personal learning center direct from Shanghai, China. There is no need for inconveniently scheduled and inconveniently located classroom lessons.” (Rated 4 ½ out of 5 stars by the Yahoo! Podcasts community)

UNICEF Podcast: “A new global radio service from UNICEF focusing on the health, education, equality and protection of children. Hosted by Blue Chevigny with UNICEF correspondents from around the globe.” (Rated 4 ½ out of 5 stars by the Yahoo! Podcasts community)

Wisconsin Center for Education Research News: “In the areas of mathematics, science, special education, and teacher education, WCER researchers use digital technologies to analyze and disseminate research data and to develop training tools.” (Rated 5 stars out of 5 by the Yahoo! Podcasts community)

As I’ve discussed before, educational podcasting and audio search hold great promise for education, mlearning, and techno-constructivist based learning environments.

The clean interface, ease of use, and interactive community features of Yahoo! Podcasts is bound to make this latest offering from Yahoo! Search a popular choice for students and teachers alike!

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