Students Gain Career Skills from Podcasting and Blogging

Podcasting and blogging have become popular and inexpensive ways for schools to teach 21st-century technology and communication skills. Teachers who haven’t yet incorporated these activities into their classrooms may still be wondering whether the real-world, workforce applications of these modern media merit their inclusion in school settings.

In an effort to help answer that question, EducationWorld has compiled the following list of 10 marketable skills students can gain from participating in podcasting and blogging. These are not only media industry-specific workplace skills, but also practical skills that would be welcomed by any employer.

1. Hone writing ability.
Whether a student plans to become a financial titan on Wall Street or run a local farm, there is one skill that everyone needs—writing ability. It is what separates the winning bid from the losing one and what convinces the investors to come up with the money. Blogging is all about writing, and the more you do it, the better you become.

2. Work in a team environment.
Taking part in a podcasting production or sharing authorship of an official school blog is an excellent way to gain critical teamwork skills that are highly valued by employers. Regardless of the industry on which a student has set his or her sights, you can bet that at some point s/he’ll need to collaborate with colleagues.

3. Learn to take criticism and direction.
When young people enter the workforce, too often, they take professional criticism personally and become defensive. Working on a podcast or school blog gives students ample experience in receiving feedback about their work, and sometimes the feedback will be from people who disagree. The ability to accept criticism gracefully and use it to grow will serve students well throughout their careers. For example, when your boss asks you to rewrite a paragraph, it doesn’t mean s/he hates you as a person.

4. Learn to give criticism and direction.
In the role of podcast director or editor of a student blog, students will be placed in a management role and can practice providing direction to others without being condescending. There is a fine line between motivating the team and browbeating, and this is a good place to teach students the difference.

5. Refine time management skills.
College students claim that this is one of the biggest hurdles they face in their first year of undergraduate work. You are faced with a laundry list of tasks to complete and only so much time to complete them. It is far better to work out the kinks in middle or high school than in college, or worse, the job market.

6. Get used to meeting deadlines.
This is another skill applicable to any job. The boss wants his reports on Tuesday, the building’s foundation has to be laid by Friday, and everywhere you look, someone is trying to make a deadline. Participating in a podcasting or blogging group at school can be students’ first taste of real deadline requirements outside of “doing their homework.” In the real world, employees can’t hand it in late for partial credit.

To see four more lessons students can learn from
podcasting and blogging, click here.
 

Do you encourage your students to podcast and blog?
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Article by Jason Tomaszewski, EducationWorld Associate Editor
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