Using Podcasts in Class

At this point in the semester, my intro students know enough economics for us to have some great discussions about current issues.

I like to use NPR's Planet Money podcasts to focus our discussions. These podcasts are free, have a light / humorous quality to them, and are non-technical yet deep enough. (I remind my students that, of course, all news sources have bias.)

I assign the podcasts as homework. They are usually about 20 -30 minutes long. Students can either listen directly from the site or download the podcast for listening on a mobile device. For each podcast that I assign, I create a worksheet of basic questions for students to complete. We start the class by discussing the answers. Discussion is typically quite lively. Even though I do not grade the worksheets, there is little non-compliance with preparation. Students seem genuinely interested in preparing. I do put current issue questions on the exam.

Here are links to a few of the resources:

• Keynes vs Hayek: here is the Planet Money podcast and here is my worksheet
• Will Economic Growth Destroy the Planet?: here is the Planet Money podcast and here is my worksheet
• How Fear Turned Surplus into Scarcity: here is the Planet Money podcast and here is my worksheet
  

Educators, feel free to use. Eventually, I'll post my archives on my professional website.